MOVING his club up five places in the standings along with an 18-point improvement and a playoff berth has earned a Thunder Bay native coaching recognition.
Ken Latta has been named coach of the year by the German Hockey News for his efforts behind the bench with ESV Kaufbeuren of the Bundesliga in Germany.
After finishing 10th last season in the 13-team loop in his first campaign as head coach with the club Latta saw his side jump to fifth in 2010-11 while finishing only three victories shy of a share of top spot overall.
After earning a first round playoff bye Kaufbeuren will now commence quarter-final play Tuesday in a best-of-seven affair with fourth place Schwenningen.
Latta’s squad will have to without the services of city native and former Lakehead Thunderwolves standout Mike Wehrstedt who has been out of the line-up since Jan. 21 with a concussion.
Despite his absence he still finished second on the team in goals and third in points with 22 and 40 respectively.
Two other ex-L.U. players will however take to the ice in Mark Soares and Scott Dobben, who is rounding into form after an earlier knee injury.
CHL’S BEST: The Central Hockey League announced the results of their annual best of the best pool last week and a number of products from the region were recognized.
Thunder Bay’s Erik Adams was second in the top defensive defenceman category skating for the league-leading Allen Americans who feature another local native in Bill McDonald serving as associate coach.
Meanwhile Colt King repeated as the No. 1 selection in voting done to determine the best body checker in the CHL.
King, who is a member of the defending champion Rapid City Rush, was also second in the best power forward grouping.
Rounding out the honourees was Dryden’s Bruce Ramsay who finished second in balloting for top coach.
The former fan favourite for his robust nature during his playing days with Thunder Bay’s former Colonial Hockey League franchise, currently guides the fortunes of the Tulsa Oilers where he has led his club to improvements in both wins and points in his second season behind the bench with the organization.
OHL POLL: The Ontario Hockey League also announced the winners of their annual coaches’ poll last week and a couple of players from the region earned accolades.
Luke Judson was deemed to be the second hardest worker in OHL’s eastern conference just one point shy of first for his efforts as captain of the Belleville Bulls.
Over in the OHL west it was Thunder Bay’s Kale Kerbashian who finished second in balloting for the faster skater honour.
He is currently tied for 11th in overall scoring as the Sarnia Sting forward has amassed 86 points, including 36 goals.
THE R.J. EFFECT: Since joining the Chicago Blackhawks in December Ryan Johnson’s presence has clearly helped the club shore up their defensive side of the game.
The speedy shot blocker and penalty kill specialist has allowed Chicago go 9-1-3 in their last 13 games and 13-5-3 overall with him in the line-up.
Johnson sits second among everyday NHL centre men in face-off winning percentage at 62.1%.
The veteran forward has also chipped in with five points including a game-winning goal vs. Carolina on March 4.