For the first time in franchise history, it won’t be Nick Vitucci behind the bench for the Toledo Walleye when the team returns to the ice March 1.
The head coach announced Feb. 25 he was stepping down, effective immediately, but will stay on with the hockey club in a position to be determined.
Joe Napoli address media during a news conference Feb. 25. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney
Assistant coach Dan Watson will take over as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. A new assistant coach has not been named.
The Walleye have struggled this season, compiling an overall record of 16-31-3 and currently in an eight-game losing streak. Vitucci has been head coach of the Walleye since the franchise started in 2009. He also coached the Toledo Storm from 2003-07.
Vitucci’s all-time coaching record is 289-262-45. His record with the Walleye is 149-158-32.
“We’ve struggled with finding the right path to get this ship going in the right direction,” Vitucci said during a news conference at Huntington Center on Feb. 25.
“It was my decision,” he said. “A different voice, a different philosophy is something certainly that might be a good thing right now. I care deeply about this organization and the success of it and if it means stepping down for the best of it I was more than willing to do that.”
Vitucci said he has been discussing the possibility for about two weeks with Walleye president and general manager Joe Napoli, who supported Vitucci’s decision.
“Nick is the type of guy [who] when he says, ‘I put the organization first,’ he means that,” Napoli said.
“It’s not an easy answer because there are so many things that contribute to success or failure,” Napoli said. “Nick will shoulder the blame, [but] the fact of the matter is when you look at the body of work, we’ve all contributed to that.”
The two will be discussing during the next few months what Vitucci’s new role with the team will be, Napoli said.
“We’re going to take some time and take a step back,” Napoli said. “Nick has a long list of concepts and ideas that we think could work and we’re going to take a look at those. … What we will do over the next I’d say 60 to 90 days is firm up with Nick’s responsibilities will be going forward.”
The mid-season change allows Watson the chance to demonstrate what he’s capable of while also giving the team an appropriate window to find a replacement in time for recruiting and preparing for next season, said Napoli, who said he started receiving resumes almost immediately after the change was announced.
“This is a highly desirable position in the ECHL,” Napoli said.
Watson said he is “absolutely” ready to take on the role as interim head coach.
“Some coaches are satisfied with being assistants for their entire career. I am not,” Watson said. “I’m ready to dive in headfirst and really show the organization and the players for this 21-game tryout what I’m all about.”
Vitucci said Watson is “more than prepared” for the job.
“Dan’s got a great hockey mind,” Vitucci said. “Dan has done more work in his role than I guarantee you any other hockey assistant coach has done. He’s studied the game, he studies our team, he studies all the opposition, he studies the NHL, he studies everything. I wasn’t kidding when I [said I] think he’s studied more than an entire student body. Now this is an opportunity for him to step forward and be the guy.
“It’s going to be a 21-game learning experience for him too,” Vitucci said. “How he handles situations, how he handles the media, how he handles the referees, how he handles the good and the bad in the locker room. But those are things that you have to experience to be able to really understand it and get a hold of it so this is a great opportunity for him to show his personality that he has — and it’s a demanding one. He’s a stern person so he’s going to expect the most out of the players.”
Watson said every coach has a different philosophy and he plans to tweak a few things. One statistic he’d like to turn around is the team’s position as worst in the league for giving up goals.
“I was a defenseman … so we’re going to be a defensive team,” Watson said. “I want to play fast and make sure we have good puck control, making sure we have guys driving hard to the net. I want to be a team when other teams come in here or we’re on the road, we’re a tough team to play against, every single night.”
