Whereas the hockey world watched the All-Star Traditional unfold on the ice, one thing equally necessary was taking place behind the bench.
By: Shakira Spence, Supervisor, Communications & Group Engagement, NHL Coaches’ Affiliation
The AHL All-Star Traditional is constructed for spectacle. It brings the League’s brightest prospects, the quickest gamers, and the most important photographs all to the principle stage.
However on the 2026 version in Rockford, Illinois, a narrative simply as necessary was unfolding behind the scenes. 4 coaches from the NHLCA Feminine Coaches and BIPOC Coaches Packages, Emily Ach (Assistant Coach, St. Cloud State College), Chris Pascall (Video Coach), Dennis Ruppe (Head Coach & Director, Hockey in New Jersey), and Karli Whitaker (Head Coach, Freedom Excessive Faculty Hockey), had been chosen to spend the Traditional shadowing 4 AHL Head Coaches, having access to a world they’ve been working towards for years.
For its third yr in a row, the NHLCA partnered with the AHL and their All-Star Mentorship Initiative to position rising coaches from the applications straight alongside AHL Coaches and hockey operations workers throughout All-Star weekend. From the All-Star Expertise competitors to the AHL Corridor of Fame Induction and Award Ceremony, to sitting behind the bench throughout the All-Star Problem, the mentees received limitless entry because the occasions unfolded.
This yr’s mentors, which included AHL All-Star Head Coaches Mark Letestu (Colorado Eagles), Ryan Mougenel (Windfall Bruins), Pascal Vincent (Laval Rocket), and Dan Watson (Grand Rapids Griffins), didn’t simply open a door, they pulled again the curtain totally.
“All of the AHL Coaches, in addition to the opposite mentees, had been so open to pulling again the curtain and speaking about any side of the game,” Dennis Ruppe, Director for Hockey New Jersey and member of the NHLCA BIPOC Coaches Program, states. “Whether or not it was on the ice techniques, recreation day routines, or the components of the sport away from the rink, nothing was off limits.”
Photograph: Chris Pascall and Dennis Ruppe on the 2026 AHL All-Star Traditional – Graced by Rain
For Ruppe, the transparency stood out most. The initiative was full immersion, and no stone was left unturned. The conferences, practices, recreation prep, and the works, had been all on the mentees’ fingertips.
“Packages like this create entry the place it hasn’t at all times existed,” Dan Watson, Head Coach, Grand Rapids Griffins, factors out. “These coaches confirmed up ready, requested nice questions, and introduced a stage of curiosity that made the expertise helpful for everybody.”
Chris Pascall, Video Coach and NHLCA BIPOC Coaches Program Member, echoed Ruppe’s sentiments.
“I’m grateful for the whole lot we realized,” says Pascall. “From a techniques perspective, in addition to methods to create a basis for an incredible tradition in our personal locker rooms. I’m excited to use these classes inside my very own group and carry them ahead via my profession.”
“Teaching thrives on mentorship and studying from others,” provides Pascal Vincent, Head Coach, Laval Rocket. “What made this significant was watching coaches get the prospect to see how we strategy the sport and really feel like they’re a part of the dialog. That’s what improvement appears to be like like, not only for gamers however for coaches too.”
Karli Whitaker, Head Coach of the Freedom Excessive Faculty Junior Varsity crew and NHLCA Feminine Coaches Program Member, sees this initiative as validation that the trail for coaches like her exists.
Photograph: Emily Ach and Karli Whitaker on the 2026 AHL All-Star Traditional – Graced by Rain
“As a feminine, it was superb to see such a protected area and the potential profession path. I might inform how a lot the League actually cares for this program. It actually gives the chance for youthful coaches to develop and see a path ahead. It was a once-in-a-lifetime alternative that I’ll always remember,” Whitaker displays.
Ryan Mougenel, Head Coach of the Windfall Bruins, emphasised the hole between expertise and alternatives.
“Numerous proficient coaches by no means get a seat on the desk, not as a result of they’re not certified however as a result of the alternatives aren’t there,” Mougenel highlights. “These mentees have the expertise. All they want are applications like these to see it up shut and begin constructing the connections that make a profession on this recreation doable.”
Emily Ach, Assistant Coach for St. Cloud State College and NHLCA Feminine Coaches Program Member, framed the expertise in even broader phrases. For her, the weekend wasn’t nearly private improvement. Moderately, it was about what the AHL’s funding on this initiative alerts to the teaching group and to the sport itself.
“The AHL investing on this initiative showcases numerous teaching expertise on a nationwide stage, it strengthens the event pipeline, and alerts that the sport is evolving,” Ach observes. “Moments like this assist develop hockey by increasing who sees themselves in it – on the ice, behind the bench, and in management – and that in the end makes the game stronger at each stage.”
Photograph: Emily Ach on the 2026 AHL All-Star Traditional
The mentors noticed this group as a bonus. Mark Letestu, Head Coach of the Colorado Eagles, notes that the expertise was mutually useful.
“Probably the greatest components of this expertise was how engaged and ready the mentee coaches had been,” provides Letestu. “They requested considerate questions and introduced views that make me optimistic about the way forward for teaching.”
The mentees who take part on this initiative aren’t ready to be found. They’re already within the recreation, already constructing, already teaching. What the AHL All-Star Mentorship Initiative gave them was one thing invaluable: a seat on the desk, surrounded by individuals who had been genuinely glad they had been there.
“I’d prefer to sincerely thank the AHL, the NHLCA, Dan Watson, Mark Letestu, Ryan Mougenel, and Pascal Vincent for offering such a helpful and memorable expertise,” Ruppe mentioned, a sentiment shared, in their very own phrases, by each mentee who made the journey.
Photograph: Emily Ach, Karli Whitaker, Dennis Ruppe and Chris Pascall on the 2026 AHL All-Star Traditional
The AHL All-Star Traditional will likely be remembered for what occurred on the ice. However for the 4 coaches who spent the weekend in Rockford asking questions, constructing relationships, and proving they belong, the actual takeaway was much more tangible. Entry, transparency, and mentorship like this doesn’t simply open doorways, it holds them open lengthy after the weekend ends.
