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The Minnesota Wilderness has appointed Zach Stepan as the new head coach, succeeding Colten St. Clair.
The Cloquet-based team, part of the North American Hockey League, announced Stepan as their seventh head coach since joining the league in 2013.
Prevously, Stepan served as the head coach and general manager for the Wilderness' North American Tier 3 Hockey League team in Eveleth. In their inaugural NA3HL season, Stepan guided the team to a balanced 4-4 record over the first eight games.
Stepan, who is from Faribault, MN, has a background in head coaching, having led the New Ulm Steel of the NA3HL for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons. At 30 years old, he has also served as an assistant coach for the Chippewa Steel and Aberdeen Wings of the NAHL, as well as the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL.
His playing career spanned four years at Minnesota State University-Mankato, and he represented Team USA in the 2013 World Junior Championship during his college tenure. Additionally, Stepan played briefly in minor professional hockey, participating in eight games with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL.
Alexius, who served as the interim head coach of the Wilderness following St. Clair's resignation on October 9, will return to his previous role as assistant coach. Stepan is set to coach his inaugural game with the NAHL Wilderness on October 24 during their visit to Chippewa.
Prep Events Today
Girls Soccer
Hermantown at Cloquet/Carlton (Section 7AA championship), 4:30 p.m. Match Notes: “The Section Final sets up to be a fun one,” said Hawks coach Nathan Hanson. “Dustin (Randall, head coach) has Cloquet/Carlton playing at an extremely high level and they are always tough to break down. They are a very disciplined team and know how to win games, especially in big moments. We are coming off of what I believe is one of our best halves of soccer this season. Our attack is starting to come together as we put up 18 shots in our last matchup against Grand Rapids. If we can be disciplined on defense and keep the play in front of us, we can go toe to toe with Cloquet/Carlton. I expect it to be a high-paced, back-and-forth matchup. To win our section has been the goal all year and we’ve put ourselves in a great position to do just that.” Previous results: Cloquet/Carlton 3, Hermantown 0; Cloquet/Carlton 2, Hermantown 1. The Hawks (9-8-1) have won three of their last four, including a 2-1 7AA semifinal win at Grand Rapids last Thursday.
Boys Soccer
Hermantown at Cloquet-Esko-Carlton (Section 7AA championship), 7 p.m. Match Notes: The Hawks (12-3-3) defeated visiting Grand Rapids 2-0 in a 7AA semifinal last Thursday, collecting their fourth consecutive victory. The defending 7AA champion Lumberjacks (14-3-0) defeated Hermantown 4-1 on September 5 in Cloquet and 3-0 on September 28 at Centricity Stadium.
Volleyball
Hermantown at Cloquet, 7 p.m. Match Notes: The Hawks are 17-4, and the Lumberjacks 12-10. This will be their first match of the 2024 regular season.
Prep Football Game of the Week, Wednesday
Hermantown at Duluth Denfeld, 6 p.m. Game Notes: Hermantown (6-1) is a slight favorite against Duluth Denfeld (5-2), in a Northeast Red regular season-ending matchup between Up North heavyweights. The Hawks are riding a four-game winning streak, including lopsided wins over Grand Rapids 49-22, Rock Ridge 49-12, Duluth East 56-12 and Esko 56-12. Hermantown’s only loss was at North Branch 48-44 on September 13. Meanwhile, the Hunters feature an explosive running game led by senior halfback Taye Manns, the likely player of the year Up North, and junior Deon Bergner and sophomore Keelijah Thomas (perhaps the brightest prospect in the group). Junior quarterback Lee Brooks is a major passing and running threat. Duluth Denfeld is vulnerable defensively. Hermantown is led by senior quarterback Alex Schott, the premier signal-caller Up North, and rock-star sophomore halfback Martin Sleen, who has ultra-elite speed. Mason Humphreys (6-foot-4, 229 pounds) is a lineman with unlimited potential.
