Former AHU coach St. Clair moves up to NAHL bench

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One possible reason for St. Clair’s early success in his coaching career could be the influence of those that coached him in his playing career.

Those mentors include United States Hockey Hall of Famer Dean Blais, who was head coach/GM of Fargo in St. Clair’s first season of ju- nior hockey. Blais is best known for his 18 seasons as a head coach in the NCAA, where he won two national championships with North Dakota. While in Fargo, St. Clair also played under Jason Herter, who is currently the associate head coach at Western Michigan University and is a former assistant/associate head coach at Minnesota Duluth, where he helped guide the Bulldogs to two NCAA titles.

At North Dakota, St. Clair’s coaches included Dave Hakstol, who is now behind the bench of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, and current Fighting Hawks head coach Brad Berry. St. Clair’s priority now is to get better acquainted with the Wilderness staff, including assistant coach Patrick Munson, getting to know the players tendered and drafted for next season.

He and his girlfriend, Sydney Raboin, plan to find a residence in the Cloquet area by early August.