FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.— The Fayetteville Marksmen of the Southern Professional Hockey League have announced the hiring of Stampede Assistant Coach Ryan Cruthers for the team's Head Coach position. Cruthers will take over the position after previous Head Coach, Cory Melkert, made the move up to the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL.
"We could not be happier for Ryan and his family. Over the past season with the Stampede, he had an instrumental part toward our success both on and off the ice, and in particular, working with two of our defensemen who were picked last week in Nashville at the NHL Draft," said Stampede General Manager Tony Gasparini. "We are sad to see him go but the Herd is proud to have helped him reach his goal of being a Head Coach."
During the 2022-23 season, Cruthers focus was on the Stampede defense which produced two NHL Entry Draft picks in
Maxim Strbak (round 2 pick 45, Buffalo Sabres) and
Jack Phelan (round 5 pick 137, Detroit Red Wings). Three Stampede defensemen marked 18 or more points for the Herd.
"Ryan has been a leader with every team he's played and coached for, and that includes some extremely high-level hockey at the AHL level," said Marksmen Owner, Chuck Norris. "He's not a coach looking for a chance, he's proven how valuable he is already at the NCAA Division-I level, the ECHL, and the top two tiers of North American junior hockey. That type of experience is hard to find in the SPHL, but we've been able to capture it with him."
Cruthers has found time on the bench and in the hockey operations room for many teams across multiple levels of the sport. He began his coaching career with the Reading Royals of the ECHL before heading to the Charlotte Rush of the USPHL. Cruthers served the Rush as the General Manager and Head Coach on-and-off throughout his career. This will not be his first appearance in the Fayetteville as he served as the Director of Hockey Operations for the Marksmen during a portion of the 2017-18 season. Cruthers has both experience in the AHL and ECHL, and on the NCAA Division I level, as a player and coach.
"It's nice to have someone behind our bench who has ties to North Carolina. Ryan won both games with the Marksmen as an interim and collected multiple national titles with the USPHL's Charlotte Rush," said Norris. "With our community being such a huge part of what we do here in Fayetteville, I know Ryan understands this state and its people and will make an impact in the community as well."
Last season, the Marksmen marked a 27-24-8 record and finished fifth in the league during their playoff push. Historically, the Marksmen have taken home the SPHL's President's Cup for the 2006-2007 season and the Coffey Trophy during 2012-13. They have had four SPHL Coach of the year awards, three league MVPs, Rookies, and Defensemen of the Year, one Goaltender of the Year and one SPHL Playoff MVP since the SPHL's Inaugural 2004-2005 season.
The Southern Professional Hockey League, founded in 2004, is home to ten professional teams across the southern part of the USA and eastern Midwest. The league boasts nearly 950 players who have been called up to the ECHL or other 'AA' or higher leagues. This past season, 95 players advanced to the ECHL and played for 27 of the league's 28 teams.
