The Seattle Ravens hired Adam Kurtenbach as new head coach on Tuesday. He replaces Danny Lorenz at the helm of the first-year U.S. junior hockey team, which plays in Kent.
“Coach Kurtenbach has an outstanding track record of developing players with a keen eye for talent,” Ravens general manager Adam Speer said in a press release. “He will bring with him a strong culture of high-level expectations and performance, and will be an outstanding contributor to the continued elevation of players produced by the NPHL. I anticipate that Adam will grow the program into one of the premier teams on the West Coast, and have a big impact on our league.”
After getting off to a reasonably strong start in the first ten games of the season, the Ravens are 6-22, coming off a pair of losses to Bellingham over the weekend.
“This was a terribly difficult decision, and one that was given great consideration, but we owe our players the best development opportunities we can possibly provide and I felt that a change was necessary at this time,” Speer said. “Danny Lorenz is a great man and has been a very close friend for many years, which makes this all the harder. I appreciate his contributions to the launch of the Ravens and wish him only the best.”
The Ravens are one of six Northern Pacific Hockey League (NPHL) teams throughout Washington and Oregon.
“Change is never easy,” said Garry Swain, the NPHL’s commissioner. “We appreciate Danny’s contribution as he has done a great job helping to get the Ravens off the ground in the team’s first year in the league. I’m also sure that Adam will bring a new direction and energy that will only help the team and the development of the Raven players.”
Kurtenbach grew up in Burnaby, British Columbia, where he played his minor hockey for North Shore Winter Club. As the son of former Vancouver Canucks captain Orland Kurtenbach, the game of hockey runs deep in his veins. Adam Kurtenbach played junior hockey before attending Whittier College where he starred on the lacrosse team while earning his undergraduate degree.
“My teams always play high-tempo puck-moving hockey,” Kurtenbach said. “I look for players, both forwards and defensemen, who can move the puck and attack on offense. Players move forward in hockey based on their ability to skate and move the puck and our program will always focus on these skills. We will always play responsibly in our own end, but the focus will be creativity, speed and puck movement.”
Coaching youth hockey, Kurtenbach led the only team from Washington in the last 25 years to win a USA Hockey Pacific District Tier I Championship, advancing to Nationals.
Coach Kurtenbach said he believes strongly in the abilities of Pacific Northwest hockey players and looks to put more of them in the right position to move forward.
The Ravens head to Eugene, Ore., for a two-game road trip Friday and Saturday. The next home game is at 6:35 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20, at the Kent Valley Ice Centre, 6015 S. 240th St.
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