*Photo Contributed by Juan Carlos Wood – @shotsbyjcw on Instagram
By: Ben Buttrick
After two seasons at the helm for the Wisconsin Windigo, Head Coach John Mitchell is set for a new chapter in his career. Ahead of the 2026-27 season, he will join the Rapid City Rush, the ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames, as an Assistant Coach. The new job marks Mitchell’s return to professional hockey, as he played five seasons across the AHL and ECHL between 2010 to 2015.
Mitchell’s new role in Rapid City, South Dakota will be the fifth stop in his coaching journey. He began his time behind the benches with University School of Milwaukee at the high-school level in 2018. Three seasons later, he made the jump to junior hockey and spent two seasons with the Milwaukee Power (now known as the West Bend Power). He was swiftly promoted to Head Coach after one season ahead of the 2022-23 campaign. Mitchell then moved up to the NAHL by taking a job with the St. Cloud Norseman as an associate head coach before stepping in as the Head Coach for the Windigo before the start of the 2024-25 season.
Without knowing it at the time, Mitchell’s path to landing the position in Rapid City began around the same time he started with the Windigo. When Mitchell, the former University of Wisconsin-Madison forward, was hosting his first Windigo training camp in Eagle River, fellow Wisconsin alumni and the soon-to-be captain of the Rush, Ryan Wagner, was looking for a place to train ahead of the early-October start to the ECHL. Days later, Wagner joined MItchell’s training camp practices and was thoroughly impressed with how the first-year head coach both mentored and challenged his players across the four-week camp. Fast forward two years, and when the Rush had an opening for an Assistant Coach, Wagner recommended Mitchell to the team’s front office for the position in a heartbeat.
For an overarching view on his time spent with the Windigo, Mitchell discussed how the two seasons felt like one ginormous year merged together due to the quick turnaround and move to Brookfield between the two deep playoff runs. However, throughout the long hours and busy schedule that defined the two seasons, he cherishes his time with the organization. “I’ll never forget my time with the Windigo,” he stated. “It was a really special two seasons, and I look at both of them as equals. Both will hold a special place in my heart and I learned a ton while doing it.”
During his first season at the helm for the Windigo in 2024-25, the team’s success quickly became the main story, but the first-year head coach saw the new situation as nerve-racking. Mitchell said. “I was scared to do a poor job, so I coached in fear and didn’t sleep,” Mitchell said. “That year, I realized how much I didn’t know about how to be a good coach. So, I just did what I could and tried to make the guys better in any way, shape or form. I worked one-on-one with the guys in the film room, wrote things down and tried to be a student of the game.“
Regardless of the nerves and self-doubts, Mitchell quickly proved he belonged, as he guided the Windigo to a 48-17-3-3 record across 71 games. The team reached Game 3 of the Robertson Cup Semifinals, which currently stands as the deepest postseason run in franchise history. His success and impact as a player coach was recognized by the league, as he was named the 2024-25 NAHL Coach of the Year.
Mitchell also mentioned how having a strong returning class of players for the 2024-25 season was a huge help to make the transition to Head Coach of an NAHL squad easier than it could’ve been. “We had a really great group of hockey players returning from their previous two seasons, so I had a really good veteran class to help out with onboarding the rookies.”
During that first season, Mitchell stated how Assistant Coach Bryce Reddick and Team Owner David Rowe helped support him during his transition to Tier II Junior Hockey. “With Bryce, I got lucky,” he said. “He’s a really good assistant coach and he continues to prove it, as he’s now in the USHL with Green Bay.”
“David supported us tremendously and gave us everything we needed,” Mitchell added. “He was a good guide and was well connected, which helped us find players when we needed them.”
Additionally, Mitchell shared his thanks with the 2024-25 fans in Eagle River, who helped make home games what they were. “They were so passionate and loyal,” he said. “They made the atmosphere at The Dome a really cool thing to experience and I won’t ever forget it.”
Transitioning to his second year as the Windigo Head Coach, Mitchell was faced with new challenges that weren’t as present in the first season. Outside of the seven returning players, he and the new members of the coaching staff were building the 2025-26 squad from scratch, which was a stark contrast from the year prior.
“I thought I had gotten lucky in my first year based on the situation I was in, so I wanted to prove to myself that I could help an almost-entirely new squad replicate that success,” he said.
It’s safe to say that he was able to prove himself once more, leading the 2025-26 squad to a 39-26-1-3 record across 69 games, which included five postseason victories. Mitchell ended his time behind the Windigo bench with 87 victories and a win rate above 62 percent.
After reflecting upon his two seasons with the Windigo, Mitchell wanted to thank the large number of people who made the last two seasons possible. Firstly, he recognized the new Windigo ownership group of Matt Roadhouse, Greg Copeland and Tan Lo. “I’m forever grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to hone my craft and chase my dream,” he stated. “Especially for making me the first head coach during their ownership and for putting their trust in me.”
Next, he acknowledged the importance of the team’s billet coordinator Bri Hitchcock and the dozens of billet families who hosted one or more players this past season. “Without them, there is no junior hockey,” he said.
Mitchell also gave a huge shoutout to each and every Windigo fan who attended a game this past season. “Even with it being a growing season, they showed tremendous support to us down the stretch of the year,” he said. “It really helped with a lot of our success, and going into the playoff run, you could see how much our guys loved that.”
Outside the fans and front office, Mitchell gave credit to two names for a large portion of the team’s continued success in the 2025-26 campaign: Goalie Coach Graydon Skok and Skills Coach Anthony Rohde. “I couldn’t have done it without them,” he stated. “The long hours spent at the rink and time working with our defensive core and goalies really elevated our squad this past season.”
Finally, Mitchell extended his utmost praise to the team’s players from the 2025-26 season. “I spoke with them collectively a few weeks ago,” he said. “These accolades and promotions I’ve received are all because of them. I stood on their shoulders while they made our staff look good, so I get to continue to reap the benefits and chase the dream. I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now without the 25 souls in the locker room.”
On behalf of the Wisconsin Windigo organization, congratulations Coach Mitchell on taking the next step in your coaching career! We wish you the best of luck in 2026-27 and beyond.
