Sea Wolves Sign New Head Coach

by Zachary Morgan

February 14th, 2024

Head Coach Joe Pace Jr. as of last week resigned as Head Coach of The Mississippi Sea Wolves and released him self as a player on waivers. Moving forward Joe Pace Jr. will remain CEO of the Sea Wolves and in the forefront of Hockey Operations. Joe Pace Jr. and Owner Barry Soskin have come to the agreement to sign a new Head Coach.

As of Monday February 12th, 2024 the Sea Wolves have signed Dustin Skinner as the new Head Coach.

We asked Joe Pace Jr. what his thoughts were and how he felt Head Coach Dustin Skinner was the right man for the job and this is what he had to say "This is a great move for our organization having a full-time head coach behind the bench is gonna be needed, going into a playoff push. The time that Dustin is going to be putting in with the team is definitely time I could not offer. From extra video sessions, to extra time on the ice with individual players, pre-scouting teams and assessing individual game plans against different opponents. I’m happy to say this was the right move for the Sea Wolves organization today. This is going to allow me to focus more on Family and the front office and the major role I have there with the team as the CEO."

Head Coach Dustin Skinner age 36 was born in Andover, MN. Skinner played a total of 9 season as a player in the FPHL with a range of teams from Danville Dashers, Port Huron Prowlers, Vermont Wild, Watertown Privateers, Cape Cod Barons and a few more on the list, but as of recent was the Assistant Coach of the Odessa Jackalopes in the NAHL.

When asked how he views the Sea Wolves as a team from the outside looking in Coach Skinner said "When I first got here I kind of just stood to the side see how guys interacted with each other get an idea of the character, who is quiet, who is loud, Then got to walk around and chat them up and feel it out myself. We have a great group of guys that are here to work and get better and be a championship caliber team. I’m excited with the group so far and it’s been 1 practice.

When receiving the phone call from Joe Pace Jr. what were your initials thoughts when he asked you about being the Head Coach of the Mississippi Sea Wolves I asked Coach Skinner. "My initial thought was what an opportunity to be a head coach at a pro level and with a professional organization such as the Seawolves. I have watched Joe and Ali create some good spots so it was a no brainer."

Now that everything is official, you have met the team, you guys got your first ice practice together this morning, What is the focus for the next few weeks "I think the biggest thing I’m going to focus on is doing video and really dissecting everyone’s game. It’s totally different when you get to see yourself and some of the mistakes made. Once we minimize mistakes and be ok with playing simple hockey, we are going to be a hard team to beat. We have a lot of skill all around.

As we ended our interview this morning I asked Coach Skinner one final question "Do you have a certain style of hockey you favor?" He hesitated with a look of concern & deep thought and he simply replied "The style I want to play is a hard, fast, quick transitioning hockey. A team that make it hard for opposing teams to want to keep up or make it hard for them to keep up. I’m exciting to get things moving with the group we have here.

Mississippi Sea Wolves Hockey

1819 24th Ave, Gulfport,MS