The Trust Project
Eric Rud has been a hockey coach since 1999, but he will get an opportunity to do something brand new this fall. Rud will be coaching one of his children. He was named the head coach of the USHL's Sioux Falls Stampede on Aug. 18, replacing Rob Rassey, who was named an assistant coach at the University of Michigan. Rud will take over a Stampede team that includes his son, Max, an 18-year-old defenseman. The Stampede have won the USHL's Clark Cup as playoff champions three times and are one of the top draws in the league, but have struggled the last two seasons. Rud talks about the challenges of his new job, describes the differences between college and junior hockey coaching and shares some SCSU memories on this episode of the Huskies Hockey Insider podcast with The Rink Live's Mick Hatten.
TIME STAMPS:
1:00 How he got interested in becoming the new head coach of the Sioux Falls Stampede, getting closer to family
3:10 A new dynamic — coaching one of his kids (Max) — this season, how he wants his son to be just one of the guys
6:00 What some of the differences are between coaching junior hockey and college hockey
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9:10 The USHL model changing with teams going to separate the general manager and head coaching jobs
11:00 His relationship with Stampede vice president of hockey operations/general manager Tony Gasparini
13:00 Inheriting a staff, roster
16:10 A scouting report on former Sioux Falls goalie Isak Posch, a St. Cloud State recruit, the transition period for European players to playing in North America
18:35 His assistant coaches: Ryan Cruthers and Brandon Wildung
20:00 The pressure of becoming the head coach for the Stampede, a team that has won the Clark Cup three times (2007, 2015, 2019)
21:00 Moving to Sioux Falls, where he knows a number of hockey people, his wife finding a new job
22:45 What it's like to see former SCSU player Garrett Raboin become a head college coach at Augustana after recruiting him
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24:10 Recruiting Raboin, his leadership qualities, how he set the tone for the Huskies as a captain
26:10 The best things about recruiting, watching them develop, how late some players develop
27:40 Not having a connection to St. Cloud after having a connection to the city since 2005
28:50 His daughter, Gabbie, playing for Cornell, how her freshman season went, trying to follow her career from a distance
31:00 From the outset, the plan for Max Rud playing two seasons of junior hockey before playing for the Gophers
34:30 Former SCSU star Garrett Roe playing 3 seasons of junior hockey
35:00 His favorite places to eat in St. Cloud
