Jeff Pyle (ice hockey)

Jeff Pyle (born October 7, 1958) is an American former ice hockey player and the current Director of Hockey Operations of the ECHL Atlanta Gladiators.

For the politician, see Jeff Pyle.
Jeff Pyle
Pyle in 1981
Born (1958-10-07) October 7, 1958
St. Robert, Missouri
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for AHL
Binghamton Whalers
IHL
Saginaw Gears
Flint Generals
Saginaw Hawks
ACHL
Mohawk Valley Stars
NHL Draft Undrafted
Playing career 1981–1993

Career

Pyle began coaching in the ECHL during the 1998–99 season, when he coached the Mobile Mysticks. He remained as the head coach when the franchise moved to Gwinnett County to become the Gwinnett Gladiators for the 2003–04 season, staying in this position through the end of the 2010–11 season.

On July 13, 2011, Pyle was named head coach of the American Hockey League's Texas Stars.[1]

It was announced on April 11, 2013, that Pyle would become the head coach and director of hockey operations of the ECHL's Evansville IceMen, effective July 1, 2013.[2] On April 20, 2014, Pyle was relieved of his duties with Evansville due to disagreements on hockey operations with owner Ron Geary.[3]

In September 2014, Pyle moved to Italy to become head coach of the HC Valpellice Bulldogs of Torre Pellice (TO), Piedmont.

On March 22, 2016, Pyle returned to the Evansville area as the head coach of the Southern Professional Hockey League's Evansville Thunderbolts, which was announced to replace the departing ECHL IceMen franchise.[3]

In 2018, Pyle returned to Gwinnett County, Georgia, as the head coach of his old team, the since renamed Atlanta Gladiators.[4]

On June 6, 2023, Pyle was promoted by the Atlanta Gladiators from Head Coach and General Manager to Director of Hockey Operations.[5]

Awards and honors
Award Year
All-CCHA First Team 1980–81 [6]
CCHA Player of the Year 1980–81
James Gatschene Memorial Trophy - IHL Most Valuable Player 1986–87 [7]
Leo P. Lamoureux Memorial Trophy - IHL Leading Point Scorer 1986–87 [8]
John Brophy Award - ECHL Coach of the Year 2021-22 [9]
NMU Sports Hall of Fame 2022 [10]

References
  1. The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League | Gwinnett's Pyle named head coach of AHL's Texas Stars Archived 2012-03-14 at the Wayback Machine
  2. The ECHL - Premier 'AA' Hockey League | Pyle named Evansville head coach
  3. "Jeff Pyle returning to coach Evansville's SPHL hockey team". Evansville Courier & Press. March 22, 2016.
  4. "Atlanta Gladiators bring back winningest coach in franchise history". Gwinnett Daily Post. July 6, 2018.
  5. "Nesbitt Takes Over as Atlanta Head Coach". echl.com. June 6, 2023. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  6. "CCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  7. James Gatschene Memorial Trophy hockey award winners of the IHL at hockeydb.com
  8. Leo Lamoureux Memorial Trophy hockey award winners of the IHL at hockeydb.com
  9. "Atlanta's Pyle receives John Brophy Award as ECHL Coach of the Year". www.echl.com. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  10. "Jeff Pyle Inducted Into NMU Sports Hall of Fame". Northern Michigan University. Retrieved 2023-04-29.


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