David Struch (born February 11, 1971) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

and the current head coach of the

Red Deer Rebels The Red Deer Rebels are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Red Deer, Alberta. The Rebels are members of the Western Hockey League and play home games at the Marchant Crane Centrium. The Rebels won the President's Cup and the Mem ...

of the

Western Hockey League The Western Hockey League (WHL) is a junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitutes the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) as the highest level of junior hocke ...

. As a player, he played for the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. The ...

in the

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

, as well as in the

minor leagues Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

, and across Europe.

Playing career

Struch began his

major junior Junior ice hockey is amateur-level ice hockey for 16 to 20 year-old players. National List of members of the International Ice Hockey Federation, Junior teams compete annually for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The United States men's nationa ...

career with the

Saskatoon Blades The Saskatoon Blades are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1964, the Blades were a charter team of the then-Western Canada Junior Hockey League in 1966, and are the only club that has played ev ...

of the WHL in 1988. Following the 1990-91 season in which he scored 102 points in 72 games Struch was selected 195th overall in the 1992 NHL Entry Draft by the

. At the end of the 1991-92 season, the Blades had an extended playoff run, reaching the finals. The Blades would ultimately lose to the

Kamloops Blazers The Kamloops Blazers are a Canadian major junior ice hockey team based in Kamloops, British Columbia. The team plays in the B.C. Division of the Western Hockey League's Western Conference and plays its home games at the Sandman Centre. The Blaze ...

. In total, Struch totaled 285 points in 253 games with the Blades. The 1991-92 season would also see Struch turn professional, playing for the

Salt Lake Golden Eagles The Salt Lake Golden Eagles were a minor professional hockey team based in Salt Lake City from 1969 to 1994. History They played in the Western Hockey League from 1969 to 1974, the Central Hockey League from 1974 to 1984 and the International H ...

of the IHL who served as the Flames affiliate team, with whom he scored 5 points in 12 games. He returned to the Golden Eagles the following season, scoring 42 points in 78 games. The 1993-94 season would see Struch mainly play with the

Saint John Flames The Saint John Flames were a Canadian ice hockey team in the American Hockey League from 1993 to 2003 in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. The Calgary Flames bought and relocated the Utica Devils, to be their AHL affiliate. History The Saint ...

, who took over as Calgary's primary affiliate team, with whom he scored 43 points in 58 games. On 5 January 1994, Struch made his NHL debut at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

against the

New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in New York City. The Rangers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The team plays ...

. he would play 3 further games with Calgary, registering no points. Early the following season with Saint John, Struch suffered a serious knee injury which ultimately kept him from playing for 16 months. He returned to the Saint John lineup during the 1995-96 season, registering 25 points in 45 games. The 1996-97 season saw Struch play 11 games with the

Waco Wizards The Waco Wizards were an American ice hockey team in Waco, Texas. They played in the Western Professional Hockey League from 1996 to 2000. They played their home games in the Heart of Texas Coliseum. Season-by-season record {, class="wikitable" ...

of the WPHL, scoring at a point-per-game rate. He also played 26 games for Austrian side

EC Graz EC Graz was an Austrian ice hockey team from Graz, Styria Styria ( ; ; ; ) is an Austrian Federal states of Austria, state in the southeast of the country. With an area of approximately , Styria is Austria's second largest state, after Lowe ...

, registering 22 points. He remained in Europe the following season, signing for the Italian

Serie A The Serie A (), officially known as Serie A Enilive in Italy and Serie A Made in Italy abroad for sponsorship reasons, is a professional association football league in Italy and the highest tier of the Italian football league system. Establish ...

team

SG Cortina Sportivi Ghiaccio Cortina is a professional ice hockey team from Italy. They play their home games at ''Stadio Olimpico del Ghiaccio'', located in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Veneto. They currently play in the Alps Hockey League and formerly the Serie A. ...

. In

Veneto Veneto, officially the Region of Veneto, is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the Northeast Italy, north-east of the country. It is the fourth most populous region in Italy, with a population of 4,851,851 as of 2025. Venice is t ...

he had a career year, scoring 61 points in 44 games helping the team make it to the playoffs, before losing in the opening round to

HC Bolzano HC, hc or H/C may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Medicine * Health Canada * Hemicrania continua * Hyperelastosis cutis or hereditary equine regional dermal asthenia Chemistry * Hemocyanin, a metalloprotein abbreviated Hc * ...

. The 1998-99 would see Struch remain in Italy, signing for the

HC Milano Hockey Club Milano was an Italian ice hockey team based in Milan. Throughout its history, the team has changed its name twice. It was previously called Associazione Disco Ghiaccio Milano (1936–1937) and Hockey Club Milano Inter (1950–1956). I ...

where he would have 11 points in 24 games. Struch would move to the U.K. for the 1999–00 season, to play for BISL team

Nottingham Panthers The Nottingham Panthers are a British professional ice hockey club based in Nottingham, England. They are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. RHPS are the Panthers' major sponsor for 2024–25. The Nottingham Panthers have won four league ...

. The team struggled, finishing 6th out of 8 teams, and failing to make it out of the group stages in the playoffs. For his part, Struch scored 24 points in 42 games. He returned to the Panthers the following season, and improved his scoring totals, registering 39 points in 47 games. The off-season saw Struch move to the

London Knights The London Knights are a junior ice hockey team from London, Ontario, Canada, playing in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the leagues of the Canadian Hockey League. The Knights started out in 1965 as the London Nationals but changed to their ...

also of the BISL, where he was named team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. His time in the capital got off to a bad start however, as he suffered another knee injury early in the season. Despite this setback, he managed to score 14 points in 29 games as the team finished 6th out of 7 teams, and made it to the playoff semi-finals before narrowly losing to the

Sheffield Steelers The Sheffield Steelers are a professional ice hockey team located in Sheffield, England. They were formed in 1991 and play their home games at the Utilita Arena. They are currently a member of the Elite Ice Hockey League. The club's main (tit ...

. For the 2002-03 season, Struch moved to the

Bracknell Bees The Berkshire Bees are an ice hockey team from Slough, Berkshire, UK. They compete in the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL) National League, the second tier of English Ice Hockey. History Early years The Bracknell Bees were formed in 1987, un ...

also of the BISL. At the Bees, he got his first taste of coaching. Both the team and Struch would struggle, the team finished last in the regular season, and Struch registered 10 points in 28 games, after missing 4 games with a concussion. Following the culmination of the 2002-03 season, the Bees decided to drop down to the BNL, whilst the

Ayr Scottish Eagles The Ayr Scottish Eagles were a professional Scottish ice hockey club, from Ayr, Scotland. They were formed in 1996 and played their home games at the Centrum Arena. The team competed in the Ice Hockey Superleague and the club's main (title) s ...

and Manchester Storm both folded and the London Knights rink, the

London Arena The London Arena (also known as London Docklands Arena) was an indoor arena and exhibition centre in Millwall, on the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England which was inaugurated in 1989 as part of the redevelopment of the London Docklands and ...

, was sold to developers, which lead to the Knights folding as well. These losses culminated in the demise of the BISL. Following the collapse of the BISL, a new top tier of hockey in the U.K. was formed, the

Elite Ice Hockey League The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level ...

, made up of the three remaining BISL franchises and five other teams. Struch re-joined the Nottingham Panthers, one of the founding members of the EIHL, linking up with former Knights team-mates David Clarke and

Kim Ahlroos Kim Ahlroos (July 2, 1971) is a Finnish retired professional ice hockey winger who played in Finland and throughout Europe. Career Ahlroos began his career with hometown club HIFK, coming through the junior ranks before making his SM-liiga debu ...

. He had a strong season, scoring 41 points in 56 games as the Panthers finished 2nd in the regular season and narrowly lost in the play-off finals. The club would win silverware however, lifting the

Challenge Cup The Rugby Football League Challenge Cup, commonly known just as the Challenge Cup is a Single-elimination tournament, knockout rugby league cup competition organised by the Rugby Football League, held annually since 1896, it is the world's old ...

. The 2004-05 season was a nomadic one for Struch, originally playing for German Oberliga side

Starbulls Rosenheim The Starbulls Rosenheim are a professional ice hockey team based in Rosenheim, Germany. The team competes in the DEL2, the second highest level of play in professional German ice hockey. They play their home games at the ROFA-Stadion. ROFA AG i ...

. He scored 18 points in 18 games before returning to North America to play for the

Missouri River Otters The Missouri River Otters were a minor professional ice hockey team based in St. Charles, Missouri. They played in the United Hockey League from 1999 to 2006. They played their home games at the St. Charles Family Arena, which also opened in Oct ...

of the UHL. He only played 2 games with the Otters, before closing out the season with the

Kalamazoo Wings The Kalamazoo Wings, nicknamed the K-Wings, are a mid-level professional ice hockey team in Kalamazoo, Michigan. A member of the ECHL's Western Conference, Central Division, they play in the 5,113-seat Wings Event Center. They are the affiliate ...

. Subsequently, Struch retired as a professional hockey player.

Awards and achievements

EIHL The Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), sometimes referred to internationally as the British Elite League, is an ice hockey league in the United Kingdom. Formed in 2003 following the demise of the Ice Hockey Superleague, it is the highest level ...

(2004)

Career statistics

Coaching career

Struch began his coaching career in 2006, when he signed as an assistant coach for the Saskatoon Blades, a position he remained in until 2013 when was named Head Coach of the team, replacing

Lorne Molleken Lorne Molleken (born June 11, 1956) is a Canadian former ice hockey goaltender and coach. Molleken was head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks at the end of the 1999 and the beginning of the 2000 season. He was nominally demoted to an assistant u ...

. The team would struggle however, finishing the season with only 16 wins. As a result, Struch's contract was not extended. In the off-season, Struch signed with the

Regina Pats The Regina Pats are a Canadian junior ice hockey team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. Founded in 1917, the Pats are the world's oldest continuously operating major junior hockey franchise in its original location and using its original name. The ...

as an assistant coach, in May 2015 his role grew, also taking on the duties of Assistant General Manager, under Head Coach and GM

John Paddock Alvin John Paddock (born June 9, 1954) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and former player, currently the senior vice-president of hockey operations of the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He is a former head coach of ...

. In June 2018, the Pats promoted Struch to Head Coach after Paddock chose to focus solely on his GM duties. Under this guidance the Pats have performed admirably, however, the team hasn't been able to make it to the playoffs. In addition to his duties with the Pats, Struch is also involved with the Canadian national junior teams, having served as an Assistant Coach for

Team Canada Canadian National Team or Team Canada may refer to: Canada at multi-sport events * Canada at the Olympics ** Canadian Olympic Committee * Canada at the Paralympics ** Canadian Paralympic Committee * Canada at the Commonwealth Games * Canada at ...

during the 2016

World U-17 Hockey Challenge The World U-17 Hockey Challenge, originally known as the Quebec Esso Cup, is an international ice hockey tournament held annually in Canada. Prior to 2011, the tournament did not operate during years in which the Canada Winter Games were held. A ...

. The following year he was named Head Coach of the same team. In 2019 he was part of the Team Canada coaching team at the

IIHF World U18 Championship The IIHF U18 World Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. The tournament is usually played in April and is organized according to a sys ...

. Struch was relieved of his duties as the head coach of the Pats on November 18, 2021.

Personal life

Struch is married to his wife, Andrea, and has three children.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Struch, David 1971 births Living people Bracknell Bees players Calgary Flames draft picks Calgary Flames players Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches EC Graz players HC Milano players Kalamazoo Wings (UHL) players London Knights (UK) players Missouri River Otters players Nottingham Panthers players Regina Pats coaches Saint John Flames players Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) players Saskatoon Blades coaches Saskatoon Blades players SG Cortina players Ice hockey people from Flin Flon Starbulls Rosenheim players Waco Wizards players