Per the Toledo Blade’s Mark Monroe:
The Toledo Walleye have selected Pat Mikesch to be the organization’s next coach, The Blade has learned.
Mikesch (pronounced mick-ish) was head coach of the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League for eight seasons.
Mikesch, 50, had been with the Gamblers organization since 2011-12. Mikesch was an assistant coach under former Walleye coach Derek Lalonde in Green Bay for three seasons. Lalonde was hired to coach the Walleye in 2014 and is currently the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings.
A source confirmed the hiring earlier this week. Wednesday, an announcement was prematurely posted to the Walleye website before being taken down. Some did see it and posted the news online.
A native of Hancock, Mich., Mikesch, is expected to be introduced as the fourth coach in franchise history at a news conference Friday morning.
Two other coaching candidates made the Walleye’s final round of interviews: Jared Nightingale (former Walleye captain and lead assistant for the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs) and former ECHL and AHL coach Chuck Weber, according to a source with knowledge of the process.
