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IYHA Announces Head Coaches for Racers Travel AAA/AA U16 and U14 Teams

By admin, 04/06/17, 1:30PM EDT

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The IYHA is pleased to announce our travel coaches for U16 AAA, U14 AAA and U14 AA for the 2017-2018 season. Racers travel hockey will continue to uphold the Indy Strong’s commitment to high quality coaching and this year’s group is no exception. Please join us in welcoming back Derek Edwardson, Todd Carlile, Josh Mervis and Todd Grant.

 

U16

Derek Edwardson will continue to lead the Indy Racers U16 AAA team in 2017-2018. To compliment his strength in coaching forwards and the offensive side of the game, we are proud to welcome back Todd Carlile alongside Coach Edwardson for the coming season to help develop the team’s defensemen.

 

IYHA Executive Director Derek Edwardson grew up and played his youth hockey in the north suburbs of Chicago culminating with a U18 AAA National Title in 1997 and second place finish in the national tournament the following year. He continued his journey into junior hockey, captaining the NAHL’s Danville Wings to the 1999 Robertson Cup.

 

Edwardson’s four-year collegiate hockey career at Miami (OH) University included player of the year and All-American awards, and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker, college hockey’s equivalent to the Heisman Trophy, his senior year.

 

Edwardson enjoyed a nine-year professional career, playing against elite talent stateside in the American Hockey League and ECHL. After three pro seasons in the US, he skated six more years as a pro in Italy and Germany, ending his playing career in as a member of Team Italy in the 2012 World Championships.  

 

His appointment to Indy Strong Hockey Director in 2014 was preceded by serving one year as an assistant coach at his alma mater Miami University.

 

Edwardson will continue in the same role as last season working as head coach of the U16’s and associate head coach of the U12’s.

 

Todd Carlile grew up playing his youth and high school hockey in North St. Paul, Minnesota. After his high school career, he was drafted by his hometown team, the Minnesota North Stars in the 6th round of the 1982 NHL draft. He accepted a scholarship to the University of Michigan where he lettered all four years, and served as assistant captain for two seasons. After graduating from Michigan, he signed with the Minnesota North Stars, and played with the Indianapolis Checkers (CHL) and Indianapolis Ice (IHL).

 

After his professional playing days were over, he began his coaching career with the travel programs here in Indianapolis. He was the head coach with the Cathedral/Chatard High School hockey program. Additionally, he served as an assistant coach at Park Tudor where they won two state championships and two Midwest Prep league championships. He was the assistant coach for Team Indiana in the Chicago Showcase for a number of years along with serving on the Indiana State High School Hockey board.

 

 

U14

 

Josh Mervis and Todd Grant will return in 2016-2017 to coach the Racers U14 AAA and AA teams respectively.

 

Josh Mervis’ lifelong quest to learn, teach, and share hockey knowledge began some 35 years ago when the Danville, Illinois native started playing goal. Mervis played collegiately at University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, MN where he led the storied college program to a pair of league titles and deep playoff runs.

 

He skated straight into more roles in the game after graduation. His first job was an assistant coach at the University of Maine under iconic head coach Shawn Walsh, one of college hockey’s all-time greats. Mervis next built a struggling second tier junior team into a USHL power, serving as general manager and head coach of his hometown Danville Wings, where his teams compiled a .701 winning percentage over eight seasons while sending almost 250 players into NCAA Division I hockey programs on scholarship.

 

Mervis’ next assignment took him to Michigan where he worked as President and CEO of the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks. Mervis also served as Chairman of the league’s competition committee from 2009 through 2013. After deciding to sell the Muskegon franchise, Carmel is where the next chapter of Mervis’ lifelong devotion to growing, and developing hockey is being written.

 

Todd Grant will be entering his fourth season as a coach with the newly merged IYHA. Todd grew up in Indianapolis and shined at Park Tudor as one of the top hockey and baseball players in the state of Indiana. Following a senior season where he scored 88 goals, he decided to pursue a career in hockey only by playing junior for Coach Mervis in Danville of the NAHL alongside Coach Edwardson.

 

After lighting up the NAHL for two seasons, he committed to play Division 1 hockey at Miami University where he continued his goal scoring prowess, notching 37 goals in his four seasons in the CCHA. After graduation, Todd went on to play three years of pro hockey in the minor leagues. 

 

When he hung up his skates for good, he returned to Indy and began giving back to the same youth hockey programs that fostered his passion for the game three decades ago.