Wilderness head coach/general manager Zach Stepan has added two individuals with local ties to his staff.
Ben Johnson and Jonah Williams have been hired to help Stepan as the team prepares to embark on its first season in the NA3HL.
The Duluth native Johnson has been named an assistant coach. For the last three seasons, Johnson was varsity head hockey coach of Rock Ridge High School, and previously was the head coach at Ely High School.
In 2023-24, Johnson guided Rock Ridge to a 20-6-1 record.
During his playing career, Johnson won a state championship with Duluth East High School in 1995 and went on to play four seasons of junior hockey in the USHL and WHL.
Williams, from Hermantown, will fill the role of assistant GM. Williams has been on staff for a variety of junior and AAA programs over the past six seasons. Last season, he was director of player personnel with the Boston Jr. Terriers of the EHL. Williams has also served as a scout for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, and an assistant coach with the Wausau RiverWolves of the NA3HL. In his third season scouting for Youngstown, the Phantoms claimed a Clark Cup championship.
Williams’ first job in junior hockey was with the NAHL’s Chippewa Steel where he spent 2018-19 as assistant director of hockey operations and 2019-20 as a scout.
As a player, Williams skated single seasons for Hermantown and Denfeld High Schools, and one season of 18U hockey in Maine with Bridgton Academy.
Williams’ expertise will not be restricted to just the NA3HL Wilderness. Williams will also apply his scouting talents to the NAHL squad and will be leading the Wilderness 18U and 16U Fall and Spring teams.
The NA3HL Wilderness begins its season on Sept. 13. Its home-opener at the Eveleth Hippodrome is set for Oct. 12.