July 18 is a date new interim University of Vermont men’s hockey head coach Steve Wiedler won’t soon forget.
“It was definitely a whirlwind of a day,” the Farmingville, N.Y., native said.
It was on that day he discovered he would be replacing Todd Woodcroft, who was let go after three years at the helm. An internal university investigation revealed that Woodcroft allegedly sent inappropriate text messages to a UVM student, although his attorney has denied the university’s findings.
“I got a call to meet the A.D.,” said Wiedler. “I walked in, was told we would be making a change, and that I would be the head coach for the remainder of 2023-24.”
After receiving the news, Wiedler addressed some 20 UVM players who were on campus, in the dressing room at Gutterson Fieldhouse. He then got hold of his other players via Zoom, to inform them of what was going on, along with others invested in the program.
“It was a series of calls — future recruits, parents, coaches,” he explained. “We let them know about the excitement, the new direction we’re going.”
It helped him having spent the past three years as an assistant coach with the Catamounts, rather than coming in cold from elsewhere.
"The team and I have tremendous confidence in coach Wiedler's ability to successfully lead our program,” athletic director Jeff Schulman said. "He has played a major role in the recruitment and development of our current players, and will step into this important role with the full support of our team and his athletic department colleagues."
A three-year letterman on the blue line for the University of Southern Maine, Wiedler was team captain his final year before graduating with a history degree. He then played two years with the Knoxville (Tenn.) Ice Bears of the Southern Professional Hockey League.
After hanging up his competitive skates in 2013, Wiedler stepped right into the collegiate coaching ranks, working two years as an assistant at NCAA Division 3 Curry College in Milton, Mass. He then graduated to the NCAA Division 1 level and spent the next five seasons as an assistant at American International College — the first one with the retiring Gary Wright, followed by four campaigns with current head coach Eric Lang, the last one as associate head coach.
“He did a lot for me — things that are important as a coach,” said Wiedler of Lang, “(like) having a 30,000-foot view of your program, how to challenge people.
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“Sitting in this seat now, applying things now, you pull back a little,” said Wiedler of going from assistant to head coach, “but I’ll continue to be true to myself and who I am. I’m a relationship-based coach, and I will continue to do that with my players.”
Wiedler helped the Yellowjackets to Atlantic Hockey regular-season titles his last two years in Springfield, plus AIC’s 2-1 upset over top-seeded St. Cloud State in the 2019 NCAA tournament.
"Steve was directly responsible for the turnaround here at AIC," said Lang. “He’s passionate, intelligent and has tremendous feel for what’s important. Our student-athletes absolutely loved and respected him.”
Wiedler's responsibilities at UVM prior to his promotion included working with the defensemen and the penalty killers. He also has worked with 10 NHL draftees so far during his tenure in Burlington.
"Steve is in the solution business, and will find a way to succeed," added Lang. "He is going to do a great job at UVM, but most importantly he’s going to build incredible relationships with the players."
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One of them won’t be forward Alex Bump, who was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022. Bump transferred to Western Michigan following Woodcroft’s dismissal, before ever playing a game for the Catamounts.
Vermont’s two other assistant coaches — Scott Moser and Brendan Bradley — however, will be staying on this season, providing additional stability.
After going 11-20-5 last season (3-15-3 in Hockey East), UVM will be looking to rise up the ranks, although it will be far from easy.
“Hockey East, as a whole, is the best conference in NCAA Division 1,” said Wiedler. “You look at the perennial powers, like the Boston schools — Boston College had a marquee day at the (NHL) draft and is going to be back with young talent, while Boston University did an outstanding job with a top-10 pick for 2024 (freshman Macklin Celebrini). It bodes well for our league.”
Also blocking UVM’s road will be Merrimack, Northeastern, UConn, UMass Lowell and the rest. Wiedler also feels the league is ready to compete for a national title again, having last won in 2015 and 2021.
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So far, UVM is 1-2-1 this season.
The Catamounts will be working to re-join that mix, although recent history isn’t on UVM’s side. Since joining Hockey East in 2005-06 — after 31 seasons in the Eastern College Athletic Conference — its highest regular-season finish has been third place, in both 2008 and 2009.
“We’re pretty optimistic,” said Wiedler, who actually was Woodcroft’s first hire at UVM. “Our first class, we had five NHL draft picks who are now juniors. They’re older guys — influencers on and off the ice who will start to lead our team.
“I’m excited about that, and they're taking the next step to return us to where we want to be,” he added.
Wiedler knows it will be a work in progress, but he also doesn’t want his players to be beholden to systems.
“Our focus will be on concepts, habits and details, (rather than) over a rigid structure,” he explained. “To know how to play situations, rather than standing in a spot. It’s not just hopping squares.”
He wants his players to read and react to situations, rather than be overwhelmed by pre-programming.
“More is slow, less is fast — and we want to play fast,” said Wiedler. “You can’t do much if you think too much. We’ll focus on that, as part of our identity, and making good second and third efforts.
“Effort will be big for us,” he continued. “We want to push the pace, those little stick details, and own the middle of the ice.”
Mistakes will be tolerated, so long as effort and hustle to make up for those errors exists.
“With the puck, we want to have creativity,” he said. “Turnovers will happen, but it doesn’t matter if you work to get the puck back. It’s what you do right after a mistake, that will lead to team success.”
Wiedler pointed out that AIC was 60th among all Division 1 men’s hockey schools when he arrived there, but has since earned four Atlantic Hockey titles and three NCAA tournament appearances.
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“I think it’s going to translate here,” he said. “I’ve been here three years, and I know this place and how special it is.”
At 36 years old, Wiedler might be relatively young for a head coach, but he’s paid his dues to get this point, with 10 years of college coaching already under his belt.
“I was lucky to work with the guys I worked with, to climb the rungs of the coaching ladder,” he admitted. “You wear every hat at Division 3, and you really learn.
“It’s the sum of everyone I’ve worked with,” he added. “I was lucky to have them, to set me up for success in this role.”
College hockey itself has changed, especially in the past few years with the advent of the transfer portal, and all the player movement that has entailed.
“The portal is not going anywhere. It’s ‘adapt or die’,” Wiedler said. “You have to buy in to the fact that the NCAA has changed, and have to have your relationship base and make sure your players have a positive experience. The ownership of the program is to them, not me.”
He also said the realization the portal is “a real thing” can work the other way, with the Catamounts able to bring in experienced college players such as senior forward Zach Dubinsky, who previously played at Michigan State and Rensselaer.
They’ll look to come together now at UVM, in a supremely difficult conference.
“There are no off nights,” conceded Wiedler. “Every night is a test and going to war, and it’s going to be exciting.”
