TOLEDO, Ohio — Brandon Hawkins. Mitchell Lewandowski. Conlan Keenan.
And now, officially, Pat Mikesch.
Amid a steady stream of player signings and roster announcements, the Toledo Walleye released possibly the biggest yet on Thursday. The Walleye announced that Pat Mikesch will serve as head coach, filling a vacancy left by Dan Watson in June.
Mikesch, 50, of Hancock, Michigan, joins the Walleye from a non-coaching position at Michigan Tech. He was named assistant director of major gifts for Michigan Tech in December 2022, according to the Huskies' website.
Mikesch was a member of the Michigan Tech Huskies hockey team from 1992-96 and then played eight years of professional hockey. He returned to serve as an assistant coach for the Huskies from 2004-11.
For the 2011 season, Mikesch joined the United States Hockey League's Green Bay Gamblers as an assistant coach under Derek Lalonde.
Coincidentally, Lalonde was hired as head coach of the Walleye in 2014, and Mikesch was promoted to head coach of the Gamblers starting with the 2014-15 season. Lalonde's departure from the Walleye led to Watson's appointment as head coach. In June, Watson took a position with the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins - a step up from the Walleye - leaving an opening for the head coaching job.
This is Mikesch's first coaching position since the 2021-22 season with the Gamblers. He is a first-time professional coach, entering the ECHL with only prior league experience in college hockey as an assistant coach with the NCAA's Michigan Tech, and under-20 junior hockey with Green Bay.
Brett Bain and Alden Hirschfeld will remain in their current roles as assistant coaches, Mikesch confirmed, to round out the coaching staff.
Mikesch is the fourth head coach in Toledo Walleye history.