Joe Ferras, also known as Joe Ferraccioli, (born May 1, 1966) 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 ...

player. Ferras is currently the general manager for the Rapid City Rush of the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a minor professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams across the United States and Canada. Competitively, it is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

. Ferras began his professional playing career in 1988, signing as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

with the

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Nati ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league in North America that serves as the primary developmental league of the National Hockey League (NHL). The league comprises 32 teams, with 26 in the United States and 6 in Cana ...

(AHL). He went on to play 12 seasons of professional hockey in the North American minor leagues and Europe. An eye injury, while playing with the New Mexico Scorpions of the

Western Professional Hockey League The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) was a minor professional ice hockey league. The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the southern United States, primarily Texas and Louisiana. The league started with six te ...

during the 1999–2000 season, ended his playing career, and Ferras began his coaching career as an assistant with the Scorpions. From 2001 to 2006, Ferras served as the head coach of the Amarillo Rattlers in the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

(CHL), and he was an assistant coach with the 2006-07

Bridgeport Sound Tigers The Bridgeport Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Bridgeport, Connecticut. They are the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the National Hockey League's New York Islanders, who own the franchise. The team started in 200 ...

of the AHL. In

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Ferras was selected to be the inaugural head coach for the CHL expansion franchise, the Rapid City Rush, and in September 2013, following the resignation of the Rush's general manager Tim Hill, he assumed the dual role of head coach and general manager for the team. On February 18, 2016, he stepped down as head coach of the Rush but retained his position as general manager.

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* * 1966 births Living people Adirondack Red Wings players Bracknell Bees players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Canadian ice hockey centres Canadian ice hockey coaches Halifax Citadels players HC Milano Saima players New Jersey Devils scouts New Mexico Scorpions (WPHL) players Norfolk Admirals players Richmond Renegades players SHC Fassa players Ice hockey people from Brantford Winston-Salem Thunderbirds players 20th-century Canadian sportsmen {{Canada-icehockey-player-stub