Sheridan Hawks Junior Hockey Team Undergoes Coaching Changes Heading Into 2026-27 Season

There’s less than 1 month to go before the start of the season for the Sheridan Hawks.

Practice starts soon, but there will be new coaches on the bench.

Recently Coach J.J. Santagata announced he is taking a coaching position in Springfield, Illinois.

He joined the Hawks as an assistant coach in the 2022-23 season, and was the head coach for each of the past 3 seasons, the last of which, he led the team to a regular season 1st place finish in the NA3HL Frontier Division.

Taking his place will be Todd McIlrath who played 3 seasons at Bowling Green State University and played professionally in the All-American Hockey League, and later with the Idaho Steelheads in the ECHL, which is the third highest level of professional hockey and is a AA pipeline for the AHL and the NHL.

Also coming to Sheridan is Assistant Coach Drew Carlson who played college hockey at Iowa State and has held a variety of coaching roles in the past 7 years.

The first game for the Sheridan Hawks is on Friday, September 11st at Rapid City.

The home opener is scheduled for Friday, September 25th vs. Bozeman.