"It is an exciting day for the Gladiators to announce our new Head Coach," said Chapman. "We were looking for the right fit for what we do -- play exciting hockey, develop talent and young men and be an asset in our community. John Wroblewski fit exactly what we were looking for in a coach. He has the credentials and the background in developing hockey players. He has the character and the commitment that fit our philosophy and he has the passion to get it done. I'm looking forward to working with John in accomplishing our goals."
Wroblewski joins Gwinnett after he served as an assistant coach with the Wheeling Nailers last year. He helped guide the Nailers to their best post-season finish since 1998 as Wheeling advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Before he joined the Nailers, Wroblewski began his coaching career with the USA Hockey Under 18 National Development Program from 2007-2010. In 2010, he helped the USA Under 18 National Development Team capture the Gold Medal in Minsk, Belarus. During his time with Team USA, Wroblewski served as an assistant to 2010-11 AHL Coach of the Year John Hynes and 2010-11 Calder Cup Winning Coach Kurt Kleinendorst.
"John was honestly one of the most prepared individuals that I have ever interviewed for a job of any kind. His background with the National Team and as an assistant in our league provided the right mix of knowledge in terms of recruiting and development. His X's and O's and the style of game that he wants to implement -- up-tempo and aggressive -- were detailed and in line with our goals. And his passion and energy fit exactly what we were looking for in a coach. His age will not be an issue. Heck, there are NHL Head Coaches that are only a few years older than John. We're very happy to give him his first opportunity to take the helm in pro hockey."
Wroblewski played four seasons in the ECHL with the Fresno Flacons from 2003-2007 and served as team captain from 2005-2007. He attended NHL training camp with the Vancouver Canucks in 2003 and AHL training camp with the Cleveland Barons in 2003 as well as the Worcester Sharks in 2006. In his four year professional career, the right winger earned 125 points (65 goals, 60 assists) in 273 career ECHL games.
The Neenah, Wis., native skated four seasons with the University of Notre Dame from 1999-2003. Wroblewski was the team captain of the Irish during his junior and senior seasons and was voted as team MVP by his teammates in 2003. In four years at Notre Dame, Wroblewski recorded 64 points (29 goals, 35 assists) in 144 career collegiate games.
"Honestly, any of our finalists would have been an excellent choice to be our head coach. They were all impressive and I believe that each one of them has a bright future in professional hockey. The hardest part of the entire process was the act of telling some of these individuals that we had gone with someone else. But, John simply rose above the field through the process. It simply became quite clear to us that this was the best fit. I'm sure we'll have a learning curve on some issues. We would have with any of the candidates. It's impossible to go from a 12-year relationship with your previous head coach to a new head coach without one. But, in the end, I'm pleased with the process. It was thorough. It was patient. And I believe that it yielded exactly what we were looking for in the search."
The Gladiators are members of the ECHL, the Premier "AA" Hockey League and play all home games at the 11,355-seat Arena at Gwinnett Center, located just off I-85 on Sugarloaf Parkway in Duluth.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2011/8/240817