New Clarkson hockey coach grilled right away
POTSDAM — It didn't take long for new Clarkson University men's hockey coach Casey Jones to receive his first difficult question from a fan at his welcoming event Wednesday afternoon at Cheel Arena.
The question was: how many goals would Clarkson defeat rival St. Lawrence University by this season?
Jones grinned and dodged the question by sharing a text message he received last week from SLU associate head coach Mike Hurlbut which said, "Good luck every game, except for three games next year."
About 75 people showed up in the Barben Room for the event, including ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell and players Jake Morley, Corey Tamblyn, Nick Tremblay, Alex Boak and Kevin Tansey.
Jones, who worked at Clarkson from 1993-95 and spent the past three years as the associate head coach at Cornell, told the crowd that he came from a background of educators and addressed why the Clarkson job attracted him.
"We're going to be very difficult to play against," Jones said. "What I mean by that is I'm going to ask a lot of our guys when they don't have the puck. We're going to compete at a high level. We're going to be a good defensive team. Those are my expectations that are non-negotiable with our team. With the puck, I feel we can attract some of the best athletes in the league. We're going to push the envelope, have some creativity and we're going to be a fun brand of hockey to watch.
"It's a fantastic opportunity here at Clarkson. The more I was here and every single person I met with, I knew I wanted the job more and more and more. The great thing about it is my first job is a job rich in tradition. It's a job that has a history of winning and it's why I'm coming here."
Jones graduated from Cornell in 1990 and spent time as a graduate assistant with the Big Red before joining Mark Morris's staff at Clarkson. He then spent 13 years at Ohio State before coming back to work at Cornell.
"He's someone who is very energetic, very enthusiastic and has a clear passion for the game," ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell said. "But most of all he's somebody who is a man of character. I think that ties in great here. This passion here is evident from the Clarkson community. I can't say that Clarkson fans are the best fans in the league, because that might come back to haunt me. But certainly the passion here is unsurpassed. Casey's passion and knowledge and enthusiasm and energy are just a perfect fit."
Clarkson athletic director Steve Yianoukos said he and the search committee saw the same traits in Jones while interviewing to replace George Roll, who was dismissed by Clarkson in April.
"The energy and enthusiasm level was very high," Yianoukos said. "His connections in the recruiting world were very big. Those were the two things that jumped out at everybody."
Clarkson is coming off of three straight losing seasons in which the program has gone 34-62-10.
"From what I've heard about him, he's really passionate and energetic and right in your face, and he loves what he's doing," said Morley, a senior and an Ogdensburg native. "He brings a lot to the game. It's a fresh start for everyone and everyone's starting from scratch."
Tremblay, a senior who lives in Candiac, Quebec, made the two-hour drive to Potsdam to attend the event and meet Jones for the first time. "I'm really excited," Tremblay said.
