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Photo by Rena Laverty
In the back of his mind, Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.) always knew that he wanted to be involved in hockey once his playing days were over. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Porter realized that coaching was how he’d achieve that.
When the pandemic first started, Porter still trained to stay in shape, thinking he still had a few years left as a player. One day, Dan Muse (Canton, Mass.) — former USA Hockey National Team Development Program head coach and current New York Rangers assistant coach — called Porter and asked him if he wanted to volunteer with the NTDP to give coaching a shot.
Photo by Michael Caples
“I loved it,” Porter said. “It was so much fun helping the kids and learning from the coaches.”
Then a phone call from former NTDP player and coach J.D. Forrest (Auburn, N.Y.), who was the head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL at the time, changed his trajectory forever. Forrest asked Porter to come coach with him in the AHL.
Now Porter, who played for the NTDP from 2002-04, has returned to his roots and is currently working with the NTDP’s Under-17 team with the direction of head coach Nick Fohr (Grand Forks, N.D.)
“It’s been a really cool experience,” said Porter. “Playing for the NTDP was awesome — and that was over 20 years ago. Even though I was a volunteer coach at the end of COVID, coming back and being part of the program full-time, learning the ins and outs has been awesome. Nick and Greg [Moore – current U18 head coach] are great.”
There are several connections for Porter on both the U17 and U18 coaching staffs, including U17 assistant Conor Allen (Chicago, Ill.) and U18 assistant Chad Kolarik (Abington, Pa.).
Porter played with Allen in Rochester a few years ago.
“I remember he was a good offensive defenseman, a good skater and moved the puck well,” Porter said.
Porter’s relationship with Kolarik goes even farther back. The duo were teammates at the NTDP and the University of Michigan, where they helped lead the Wolverines to the Frozen Four in 2008. The Phoenix Coyotes had drafted them both in the 2004 draft.
“Our friendship really started at the program,” said Porter. “We were always close. Chad stood up at my wedding — he was my best man. He’s close with my whole family. It’s great to be back together.”
Now they are back together in Plymouth.
“Sharing an office with Chad is really great,” stated Porter. “We can help each other with different things or bounce ideas off each other. He has been a huge help and getting me acclimated with stuff I’m not familiar with.”
Porter, who suited up for the NTDP when they still played at the Ann Abor Ice Cube, has realized there are a few differences from when he was a player and now.
“One of the biggest differences is that most of the families move here now,” he shared. “I was 30 minutes away, didn’t have my driver’s license so I moved. I thought that was a unique and cool experience. We maybe had one family move during my time.
Now, I completely understand. Your 16-year-old son is moving away. That was a cool bonding experience for our team. Everyone was in it together. It can be uncomfortable at times, but you get used to being on your own and making your own meals are some of the biggest differences I have noticed.”
University of Michigan 2007-08 Team; Kolarik (L), Porter (R)
Porter can now use those experiences to interact and relate to the current U17 squad.
“Just talking to the guys, they have that same goal of getting a college scholarship and playing in the NHL,” Porter said. “I have been through that already and can share my experiences — whether it’s things that happened when I was in college or in professional hockey. Whether it was getting called up and realizing how awesome that is, or getting sent down, and realizing how brutal that can be. It helps the players learn from my experience and realize it’s not all glitz and glam.”
And now, Porter is helping to continue that tradition from a coaching perspective.
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.