During the NAHL offseason, the Wisconsin Windigo welcomed a new face to their coaching staff with the addition of Assistant & Skills Coach Anthony Rohde. He joins Head Coach John Mitchell and Assistant & Goalie Coach Graydon Skok on a Windigo staff looking to guide the franchise to its’ fourth consecutive season with 80 or more points.
Rohde officially joined the coaching staff on Aug. 5, which was just days after Windigo Main Camp. Since his arrival, he has been thrilled about the opportunity. “Being able to join an organization that has great ownership, great staff and a fantastic head coach to learn from has been amazing,” he stated.
Over the past month, Rohde has offered high praise for the Windigo’s new roster. “I think between main camp and training camp, the boys have been great in their work ethic and attention to detail, which is exciting to see,” he said.
Rohde added that an aspect of the job that excites him is the competition at the NAHL level, especially in the Midwest Division. “It will be day in and day out of hard-fought games,” he stated.
Rohde, 33, is from Villa Park, IL and most recently held the roles of General Manager & Head Coach with the Chicago Cougars of the USPHL Elite. He also served as an Associate Head Coach with the Cougars’ USPHL Premier squad during the 2024-25 season.
Prior to his stint in Chicago, Rohde spent three seasons with the Dells Ducks of the USPHL Premier. He spent two seasons as an assistant coach before being named the Head Coach ahead of the 2023-24 season. Rohde also has coached at the high school level, making his coaching debut at Prosper High in Texas.
Before taking on a role behind the bench, the Illinois-native played at the collegiate level with Aurora University. He also has a history in junior hockey, playing with the Minnesota Owls and Dells Ducks of the MNJHL. With the Owls, he tallied over 100 points in the 2012-13 campaign.
In addition to his time as a head coach and a player, Rohde developed his background as a skills coach while leading multiple hockey camps. He served as the head instructor for both the Turcotte stickhandling and C2 hockey camps. He has also been a skating coach at the Elev802 camp in Vermont.
Rohde makes his NAHL regular season coaching debut on Friday, September 12 at The Ponds of Brookfield as the Windigo host the Janesville Jets. Puck drop is set for 6:30 PM Central Time and tickets can be purchased on the team website.