Jasen wise- program founder and MINNesota training director
Jasen Wise coached college hockey in Wisconsin for 16 years before moving back to Minnesota to be closer to family in 2020. Since moving back he has coached high school hockey, AAA, and Tier 1 teams, and is currently the Director of Player Development for Hermantown Hockey.
Coach Wise was the Head High School Coach for the Marshall Mens Hockey Team team for 2 seasons at Marshall, after coaching at the NCAA Division III level for 21 years. He previously spent eight years as the Concordia University Wisconsin Head Men's Hockey Coach, posting the record for most wins in program history. During that time he also lead the Falcons to their first of many Top 15 National Rankings, and recruited the first All-American in program history, Braydon Barker. Barker was also the NCHA Rookie of the year as well as CUW Male Athlete of the Year. The majority of the CUW Mens Hockey Program record book can be attributed to the teams and players Wise coached while there, including five CUW alumni currently playing pro hockey today. Under his leadership his teams also made academics a priority and excelled in the classroom. CUW was a staple on the NCHA Conference leaderboard for Academic All-Americans as well as Conference All-Academic Team selections.
Wise transitioned to CUW after eight seasons as the head coach at Marian University. Under his leadership, MU reached unprecedented heights advancing to the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association Tournament eight-consecutive seasons, earning the program's first 20-win season and having the school's first All-American. The program was also included in the USCHO national poll several times during his stay there, which was also a first in program history. Wise was named “MCHA Coach of the Year” twice (2007-08 and 2009-10) and his teams also achieved academic excellence, with 44 of his players making the Conference All-Academic Team. Wise also coached three “Marian University Male Student Athlete of the Year” award winners, and one “MCHA Conference Player of the Year”.
Wise is no stranger to Minnesota hockey. He started his coaching career at Hamline University, serving as an assistant coach for five seasons. During his time a Hamline he coached a few Marshall alumni including Kasey Yoder, Griffin Kilby, and Darrin Swanson. Before starting his coaching career, Wise played collegiately at the University of St. Thomas serving as a co-captain his senior season. During his time at UST the team cracked the top 10 in the national polls and fell one game short of the National tournament his senior year. Wise also played two years at R.I.T. in Rochester, NY serving as an assistant captain his sophomore year and reaching the NCAA national tournament. He finished his college career with 50 goals, 60 assists, 110 points in 105 games played. He won the “Craig Lauzon Memorial Award” for 1st Year Leadership at R.I.T. and won the “Team Player Award” twice while at UST.
Before playing NCAA hockey he played two years in the USHL for the Dubuque Fighting Saints, reaching the national tournament; and the Rochester Mustangs, serving as an assistant captain.
Wise is a graduate of International Falls, MN High School and member of the 1989 team that won a Section 7 championship.
Jasen and his wife Rachel now live in Hermantown, MN and have two sons. Wise is also the Director of Player Development for Hermantown Hockey, and has coached MN Hockey Tier 1 teams, off season AAA teams, and has assisted the Fargo Force USHL prospects camps.
BRANDON RICHARDS- wisconsin training director
Coach Richards is currently the Assistant Men’s Hockey Coach for Milwaukee School of Engineering, in Milwaukee, WI. Richards has also coached college hockey for Neumann University NCAA DIII, in Ashton, PA. and as the Head Coach for Concordia University’s ACHA Division II Men's Hockey program. Under Richards leadership the Falcons went to the National Tournament for the first time in program history and had their first ever First Team All American, and had a record breaking season in 19-20. Richards and the Falcons soared to new heights in the 2019-20 season, where they won 25 games and advanced to the NCHL Hap Cup finals for the first time in program history. The team finished the year with a 25-5-1 record and a 9-4-1 mark in the NCHL.
Richards has been coaching with GRIT Hockey Club for seven years, and in 2021 was named the new Program Director for Wisconsin, taking over for Coach Wise, who moved to MN.
Richards was born and raised in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. After playing at the AAA level in Canada, he moved to West Virginia when he was 12 years old and continued playing AAA hockey in Pittsburgh.
Richards made the Northern Cyclones junior hockey team in the AJHL after High School, but after tearing his ACL, he decided to attend West Virginia University and play for its ACHA D1 team. While at West Virginia, he was an Academic All-American all 3 years and led the division in face-off percentage during his senior year.
Richards started his coaching career soon after graduating and has coached at the youth hockey, high school, and college levels. He loves working with the kids and really enjoys watching them progress as young hockey players. He cares about each individual players development and enjoys watching them grow into great young people, and great hockey players.
Richards is excited to keep the GRIT Hockey Club tradition going strong in Southeastern Wisconsin, in the years to come.
richard mckenna- minnesota lead coach
Coach McKenna is entering his fifth summer as a Lead Coach for GRIT Hockey Club. He is currently the Head Coach for the University of Superior Wisconsin Men's Hockey Team.
In McKenna's first six seasons at UWS, he has had 10 players earn All-WIAC honors and helped six sign professional contracts. He has also coached several current NHL players and draft picks from his time in the USHL and NCAA Division I. McKenna led the Yellowjackets to he 2021 WIAC championship with 7-3 overall record and 5-3 mark in the league. Superior won the title -- its first since taking the 2011 crown -- with a 3-2 from-from-behind victory at UW-Stevens Point on March 12.
McKenna came to the Yellowjackets following a season as the head coach and general manager of the New Jersey Titans of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). He led the Titans to a record of 34-22-4 and a second-place finish in the NAHL's East Division in 2015-16.
McKenna began his coaching career as an assistant coach at NCAA Division III Castleton State in Vermont in 2008-09 where he helped the Spartans to a 15-win season and a berth in the ECAC East playoffs. From there, McKenna spent two seasons (2009-11) as an assistant coach at Division III Wesleyan (Middletown, Conn.) before moving to the Division I ranks at UConn. While there, McKenna helped guide the Huskies to the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals in 2011-12 and then the semifinals in 2012-13.
He moved into the junior game as the assistant coach and assistant general manager of the Muskegon (Mich.) Lumberjacks of the United States Hockey League (USHL). There, McKenna worked under head coach and former NHL player Todd Krygier for two seasons, helping the Lumberjacks reach the Clark Cup finals in 2014-15 where they ultimately lost to the Sioux Falls Stampede.
McKenna played his college hockey at Castleton State and graduated from there in 2007.
mark ostapina- wisconsin lead goalie coach
Mark Ostapina has been our Lead goalie Coach for 8 summers now. Mark Ostapina, who played college hockey under legendary coach Bob Johnson at the University of Wisconsin, was the head Men’s Hockey Coach for the MSOE Raiders for 17 seasons and has recently retired.
In his 15th season as head coach, Ostapina helped put the team on the map as one of the premier programs in NCAA Division III. He led the Raiders in winning three MCHA championships and three Harris Cup trophies. He also led the Raiders to their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2011-12.
Ostapina also has been named the MCHA Coach of the Year and was a semifinalist for the Edward Jeremiah American Hockey Coaches Association Coach of the Year, four times in his career. Ostapina was easily the winningest coach in program history at MSOE.
Outside of collegiate athletics, Ostapina is a 12-time selection to serve on the USA Hockey Select team’s coaching staff. During the summer of 2009, Ostapina‘s Select 17 team won the program-wide championship and he was selected to the first-ever Select Camp All-Star game, leading his team to a 3-2 victory. He also lectures throughout the country as part of the USA Hockey Coaches Education program.
As a player, Ostapina played four years for the University of Wisconsin Badgers and professionally in Sweden for Vasteras AC, and the Malung IF hockey club. Prior to heading overseas, he played for the Chicago Cardinals in the Continental Hockey League.
Ostapina has a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public communication from the University of Alaska Anchorage and a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Ostapina also serves as assistant athletic director for compliance.
We are thrilled to have such an experienced coach on our GRIT coaching staff.
