BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho Steelheads signed head coach Everett Sheen on to a two-year contract extension last week. Sheen will now serve as the head coach for his second season.
“It was great. To get two more years here to instill my vision, especially with the first year being cut short, I was very pleased to receive that extension,” Sheen said.
Sheen is the eighth head coach in franchise history. Prior to his first season as head coach, he spent the previous three years as an assistant coach with the team under former head coach Neil Graham.
The 34-year-old Alberta native led the team to a 36-18-7 record in his first season as head coach. The Steelheads were on pace to make it to the playoffs when the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) canceled the remainder of the 2020-2021 season due to COVID-19.
Although the cancellation was difficult, Sheen said it gave him an opportunity to spend more time with his family. When the season was canceled, his son was nine months old. Now, his son is two years old and Sheen is thankful he was able to be around for many of his first milestones.
"At least we’ve had the ice in here," he said. "Seeing people playing hockey and just seeing the ice getting used has been nice, but it’s been a long 20 months."
Sheen and the team filled empty time during the pandemic by helping out at the Grove Hotel, which is connected to the Steelhead's stadium. Team members would drive the hotel shuttle, help out the cleaning staff and complete other tasks when needed.
“It was an eye-opener, absolutely. Just seeing what these cleaning crews have to deal with at a hotel, on a day-to-day basis, opens your eyes," Sheen said. "It made being away from the game even tougher in a sense because I really wanted to be coaching, so it really cemented how much I love what I do."
In addition to not being able to coach, Sheen said being away from the players was one of the most challenging aspects of the pandemic.
"I like being around the team, a team atmosphere, teaching the game," he said. "I was lucky enough to go help out in Texas affiliate for a few weeks, so we got a little taste of coaching again, which was nice to learn a few things."
Now that the Steelheads are returning to the ice, Sheen is looking for players that can skate and play a physical, tough game. Among those factors, Sheen is looking for true team players.
"The biggest thing we look for is just good people," he said. "We spend a lot of time together, so you just want to surround yourself with good people that are willing to work."
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