Steel name Ratzloff as new Head Coach

Chris Ratzloff has been honored as the NA3HL Coach of the Year during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Seasons.

The Chippewa Steel of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are pleased to announce the hiring of Chris Ratzloff as the team’s new Head Coach for the 2023-24 season. Ratzloff replaces Casey Mignone who has taken a position in the NCAA.

Ratzloff, who comes to the Steel from the NA3HL’s Rochester Grizzlies, was the second Head Coach/GM in Grizzlies history and has led the team to a record of 142-28-10 in four seasons behind the bench.

Ratzloff became the second Head Coach in the Grizzlies team history on July 23, 2019. Since then, Ratzloff has led the Grizzlies to three Central Division Titles, two Fraser Cup Finals, and the Franchise's first Fraser Cup Championship during the 2021-22 Season. Ratzloff has also been honored as the NA3HL Coach of the Year during the 2020-21 and 2021-22 Seasons.

A native of Rochester, Minnesota, and a John Marshall alum, Ratzloff played two seasons in the USHL as a member of the Des Moines Buccaneers before playing NCAA Division III hockey at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for four years.

After playing, Ratzloff returned to his alma mater to coach for seven seasons as an assistant at John Marshall before heading across town to Rochester Lourdes, where he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for Lourdes Girl’s Hockey team. Ratzloff will join the Chippewa Steel as their third head coach in team history. The Steel finished the 2022-23 season with a record of 31-27-5 and made the Robertson Cup Playoffs for the first time in their five-year history.

"I’d like to thank the Patrick family and the Cooper family, and Steve Howard for the opportunity to coach in Rochester," mentioned Ratzloff. "I would also like to thank Justin Fisher, Hampus Sjodahl, and the rest of the Bruins staff for the support they have given us. Special thanks to Mike Aikens and Tyler Veen for being great to work with and for the major contributions to the culture we have built, along with Ken Wickelgren and all the Grizzlies staff. I’m excited to see the Grizzlies continue to do great things and look forward to following Casey Mignone and building on his foundation in Chippewa."