In a recent press conference, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere was asked what they are looking for in a new head coach. He listed two very important qualifications.
“I always believed communication is important, so that’s going to be something we look into. Someone that can come in and teach will be an important one, as well. Communication and teaching are probably two things that will be at the forefront of our next coach. When you have a young team in place, I really think those two attributes are extremely important.”
When you have a team of young players, someone who can teach and help those young players grow and mature in their hockey careers is going to be important. It was one of the reasons that several players expressed frustration with John Tortorella as the previous coach. The communication wasn't there, and relationships soured.
In his end-of-year press conference, Flyers forward Garnet Hathaway expressed his thoughts about the team.
"We have a great group and I think a group that works really hard, listens well, wants to improve, wants to do all those things. I'd want to coach us. I think we're a group that would attract someone who would be knowing what they're getting and also have the opportunity to implement their own style and kind of how they see us taking a different step potentially."
If you want to find someone who can teach and lead a group of young, eager, hungry players to victory, look no further than Western Michigan head coach Pat Ferschweiler. Ferschweiler is fresh off coaching and guiding the Broncos to their first-ever appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four and their first-ever National Championship Title.
Why He Should Be The Flyers' Next Coach
He's fresh off winning a championship at a smaller school. Western Michigan is not your typical collegiate hockey powerhouse, like Boston College, Michigan, Minnesota, or Boston University. He's taken them, guided them, and brought home the championship title this year. He's familiar with a Flyers prospect, Alex Bump. He's also a two-time recipient of the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year (2023 and 2025).
However, college isn't his only experience. He's worked with Team USA's Under-18 team as an assistant coach while it competed in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He spent a few seasons as an assistant head coach in the Detroit Red Wings.
He's worked with guys at the high school, collegiate, and NHL levels. He can work with and mentor/develop rookies and prospects. This kind of sounds like the sort of guy that Briere says he is looking for.
Why He Shouldn't Be The Flyers Next Coach
In a few of my previous articles about the head coaching search, I have stated that NHL teams like to "reshuffle the deck" and redeal the same cards out. This is true. What is also true is that the NHL typically doesn't dig down into the collegiate ranks for a head coach. The NFL and NBA will take college champion coaches and integrate them into the pros. The NHL shies away from it for some reason.
To date, only five coaches have made the jump from the NCAA to the NHL. One of them was Dave Hakstol. At that time, much was written about the collegiate champion coach and how the players wouldn't respect him because he coached kids, not veteran players.
If we follow that line of thinking, then perhaps Ferschweiler is just the "sexy" choice because he just won a title, and those names are always popular. He's in vogue and fashion, so obviously the Flyers have to "look at him". It doesn't mean he is really good enough to be at the NHL level, right? After all, Hakstol wasn't successful here. Heck, even the Eagles got a "top-level" college coach in Chip Kelly, and that was nothing short of a disaster. We can't duplicate there here again, right?
Final Verdict
But that line of thinking is also what would end up bringing in a broken-down retread of someone who has failed before as a head coach somewhere else. It might be good to shake things up. Instead of rehiring a guy who's been passed around the league and is on his fifth or sixth coaching stint, OR has been with the Flyers organization and will do the same things that have kept this team losing over and over again, it might be good to start fresh.
I'm not going to say that Ferschweiler is going to be the savior of this team. I am going to say that he would bring in some concepts and ideas that this organization hasn't seen because he is an outsider. Maybe that's what this team needs. It needs to shake off the rust and embrace the future a bit.
Ferschweiler may not have a lot of NHL experience, but he has worked at the pro level. He's also worked with hockey players of all levels. He can work with your prospects and older vets just the same. If Briere is looking for someone to guide this team and build upon what they have, you just might need a fresh face. Ferschweiler may be one of those guys who could pull it off here.