'The next chapter': Beloved former team captain joins Peoria Rivermen as associate head coach
PEORIA — Alec Hagaman was the first Peoria-born captain of the Peoria Rivermen.
Now the popular just-retired player is making a comeback — as the first Peoria-born product to have a head coaching title with the franchise in its 42-year history.
The Rivermen have hired Hagaman as associate head coach, where he'll join renowned head coach and general manager Jean-Guy Trudel on the bench and serve under him at the helm of the Southern Professional Hockey League powerhouse team.
Both coaches are on new one-year deals.
"It was a dream come true," Hagaman said. "I'm able to jump in with an established coach who's been there and won a lot. I've always wanted to coach, at least give it a shot. This is my test run."
Before the 2022-23 season, Hagaman had told Trudel it was his last year as a player. The two continued having a conversation throughout the season, a Trudel threw coaching to Hagaman as an option. He took it.
"I think the way we play, that won't change much," Hagaman said. "My main thing is making sure that the locker room is a family atmosphere, making sure everyone wants to be there. I want that same energy as a coach that I felt in there as a player."
More: 'Goodbye': Rivermen title defense ends with elimination by Roanoke in SPHL semifinals
Trudel remains the senior man as head coach and general manager, and will continue assembling players, and setting the organization's style of play and culture approach. Trudel will still call the shots, but now he has a respected wingman who can be a sounding board and do more than an assistant coach would do.
"We're going to do everything together, I want to teach Alec," Trudel said. "I'm going to ask him to do more, and he's going to have to be ready. We pride ourselves on being part of a family, and we wanted this for him.
"For me, it's the same routine, doing what I've always done in building and coaching the team. On some nights now, we won't both have to be on the bench, one of us can see the game from another perspective. Alec gives us another set of eyes and another voice. That helps me. I'm excited about it."
The view from the top
Rivermen co-owner Bart Rogers was readily onboard with the idea to bring Hagaman into Peoria's coaching mix.
"Jean-Guy has been a one-man show for all but his first year in this league," Rogers said. "We made him the league's highest-paid coach, and that's because he had so many responsibilities here and he wins. His daily duties will shift now."
Rogers understands the hours and hours Trudel puts in daily doing film work, studying analytics, dealing with player issues, the salary cap, preparing game plans for opponents. He believes Trudel will pass those skills on to Hagaman to prepare him as a future head coach, as he has with other ex-players.
"For us, the proof is in the record, all these guys in the league coaching after playing for Trudel," Rogers said. "We just had our former captain (Dan Bremner) win an SPHL championship. We have another former captain (Dave Pszenyczny) be successful in Quad City. There's no one better than Hagaman, who has played the years here and invested and sacrificed for us.
"He's a big part of us and we're thrilled to be able to keep him here, continue creating that tradition in the new guys that will follow. Alec Hagaman deserves this chance."
More: 'It's everything': How this Peoria native and Rivermen captain said goodbye to hockey
What is an associate head coach?
Hagaman follows Jason Christie (ECHL), Mark Reeds (ECHL) and Jean-Guy Trudel (SPHL) as the fourth former Rivermen player to return later to the franchise and serve with head coach in his job title.
There are three formal levels of coaching in pro hockey: Head coach, associate head coach, and assistant coach. Think of those in military terms: General, major, sergeant. Responsibilities, direction of the organization and voice all reflect that pecking order.
An assistant coach is usually limited to a specific player group, and runs practice drills.
An associate head coach does that, too, but also is involved with game-planning, analytics, personnel discussions, travel issues and more.
The head coach is the boss of bosses. The head coach has a system of play to be implemented. The head coach recruits players, makes trades, sets the lineup. In the SPHL, the role also manages the player salary cap.
Why Jean-Guy Trudel wants this
Trudel has 347 wins as head coach of the Rivermen, more than any coach in Peoria's long history. That includes 22 playoff wins, four appearances in the President's Cup Finals and a championship in 2021-22. It includes William B. Coffee Trophy wins as regular-season champions and No. 1 playoff seed in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 (season canceled in March, pandemic) and 2022-23.
And SPHL Coach of the Year honors in 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2017-18.
His regular season record in the SPHL is 325-113-57 with a .714 pointsmaking percentage that is No. 1 among all coaches in league history.
His 325 regular-season wins are behind only Jerome Bechard's 368 in SPHL history.
Part of Trudel's desire to bring along Hagaman is in hopes some of his daily grind can be shifted to him.
Why? So Trudel can find time for more hockey, of course.
"I wanted more time to coach youth hockey on a Saturday morning, youth hockey is a passion of mine and I want to devote more time to Peoria's program," said Trudel, who is director of travel teams for Peoria Youth Hockey Association. "I put a plan in place last year, and it is working. Now I can spend a couple hours in the morning on a Rivermen game day coaching kids, and knowing Alec is down at Carver Arena watching over everything for our pro team.
"I want to invest in my passion for hockey in Peoria, and I want little kids to have a chance to become the next Alec Hagaman."
And he wants Hagaman to become the next Trudel in the coaching ranks.
Trudel took in Hagaman as a raw rookie in the SPHL in 2014 and developed him over eight years into one of the greatest players in league history.
Why Alec Hagaman is the right guy
Hagaman grew up on Rivermen hockey, played junior hockey for the Peoria Mustangs, and led Peoria to its first pro title in 22 years in 2021-22. He's attractive to the Rivermen as a coach for a lot of reasons.
"He's current with the game's culture as a player," said Trudel, 47. "He's mentally more connected to the psychology of today's players.
"When you retire, those first two years of coaching you feel like you can still play. You read the room. Alec will help us with that. I pride myself on reading the locker room, knowing when I need a meeting with a guy, or more video, or more rest. Alec can do that, too."
More: A look back at Peoria-born captain Alec Hagaman's career with the Peoria Rivermen
Trudel says he invests 4-5 hours every day reviewing and cutting video for his players and game plan, and it will be a blessing to have Hagaman there to assist in that. And just having another strong voice alongside, full-time, takes some pressure off a head coach. Very few minor league teams are one-man coaching staffs anymore.
"Alec is going to take a lot of the bulk work, and help in the recruiting, too," Trudel said. "A lot of players wanted to come to Peoria because of Hagaman.
"And I want him to challenge me, go to bat for what he believes in."
Players have come to the Rivermen in the past for a chance to play alongside Hagaman. Now, he becomes the 16th man to hold a non-interim head coach title with a Peoria franchise heading into its 42nd season.
"It will be an experience, a different way to view the game for me," Hagaman said. "It's the next chapter in my life.
"It means the world to me. I don't think growing up I could have dreamed of any of this happening when I was a little kid. When I'm old and retired someday, I'm going to look back and love every minute of this part of my life.
"It's amazing."
Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @icetimecleve.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Peoria Rivermen hockey picks beloved ex-captain as associate head coach
