By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
Green Bay – The Green Bay Gamblers recently hired Amy Brolsma as the team’s skating and skills development coach.
She will work under Gamblers Head Coach/General Manager Pat Mikesch.
Brolsma is the first on-ice female coach in the history of the United States Hockey League (USHL), which traces its roots back to 1961.
“I never thought about it, until recently, of how much I had to convince people to put time into their skating,” Brolsma said. “But then, my work started to show through – it blew up that way. Hockey has gotten so much faster, so the players are begging to skate faster and be more efficient.”
Originally from Appleton, Brolsma brings 27 years of coaching experience to the Gamblers.
“Most of my early work was with younger skaters,” Brolsma said. “The older skaters didn’t think they needed it, but when my skaters started coming through the ranks, they kept beating the older players – that got them thinking.”
Brolsma, who has taught skating skills to players in the USHL, NCAA Division I ranks and current National Hockey League players, said she’s not quite sure why more players haven’t latched on to learning skate work.
“Was it a female thing with me?” Brolsma asked. “I’m not sure. Maybe it was players not thinking they needed to learn deeper skating skills. Most were on skates at a young age. If you ask players why they play hockey, they say they want to play with the puck. They don’t play hockey to skate. It’s a mindset thing.”
Most notably, she’s worked with former Gamblers player and current Columbus Blue Jacket Josh Dunne and Seattle Kraken forward and Green Bay native Mason Appleton, who attended Notre Dame Academy.
Before coaching, Brolsma was one of the first skaters in Northeast Wisconsin to pass the senior freestyle figure skating tests.
She competed in the 1999 United States National Championships in compulsory figures (winning a bronze medal) and is a master-rated professional figure skater.
Brolsma said she’s surprised there hasn’t been another on-ice female coach in the USHL.
“It shocked me,” she said. “I’m one of many female coaches in the country, so I’m surprised it took this long for it to happen (in the USHL). I know I won’t be the last. The USHL is a developmental league. Many of the former players I’ve worked with never had a skating coach.”
Brolsma said she remembers working with former Gamblers player Jared Spooner, who was a member of the team from 2015-17.
“I taught him some technique, and he said, ‘Hold on a second,’” she said. “He skated around for a minute and came back to me. He said, ‘Oh my God, you just opened up my game. I’m going to be breaking away from other players.’ Sure enough, the next year, he was a captain and had a great year. He went on to play at (Division I) Minnesota State. That’s what’s so interesting to me – you can make it to the Gamblers level but still have had no formal skate training.”
Brolsma said Appleton is another great example.
“Working with him, I was amazed at how much skating technique he had but also how much he didn’t have,” she said. “It was a learning curve with him. He signed his NHL contract on a Wednesday, and we had a lesson on Thursday. I was impressed he still came in. We were working on stops, and he did a powerful one. He looked at me, his eyes got big and he said, ‘I’m a pro.’ It was exciting because he put in the work.”
Brolsma said while the players were in preseason camp, video analysis was used to see where each player might need work.
“Maybe it’s a technique, flexibility or strength issue,” she said. “Some need more work than others.”
Mikesch said he’s impressed by what he’s seen from Brolsma.
“I’m excited to welcome Amy to the Gamblers coaching staff,” he said. “Having seen what she’s done with former Gamblers Brett Gruber, Tony Stillwell, Nolan Moyle, Trenton Bliss and Dunne, speaks volumes for what she’ll add to the organization from a development standpoint.”
The Gamblers open their season Saturday, Oct. 2, by hosting Dubuque at the Resch Center in the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss.
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