Miami Alum Trent Vogelhuber Takes Over as Monsters Coach

Trent Vogelhuber never thought he'd be a hockey coach.

A hockey player, perhaps? Sure, that made sense. After all, Vogelhuber was always passionate about the game as a youngster, first in his birthplace of Cleveland and later in life as a Columbus resident.

"Everybody identified our house as the house where the kid played hockey in the driveway," Vogelhuber said. "I just fell in love with the sport right away.

"All day, all night, year round: I just wanted to play hockey. Any chance I had to be at the rink or to play, I wanted to. Or I would be in the driveway shooting. It was more than love [of the game]; I was obsessed with it."

Vogelhuber's early goals of making a career out of hockey may have seemed unlikely for someone growing up in central Ohio in that era. Even as a high schooler with the Ohio AAA Blue Jackets youth program about 15 years ago, Vogelhuber didn't have a lot of examples to chase after. His AAA club had never produced an NHL draft pick, a professional player, or even a single NCAA Division I player.

Until Vogelhuber, that is.

"It seemed like maybe an unrealistic goal," Vogelhuber admitted. "But my parents were always positive and wanted me to chase my dreams…

"My sophomore year, I started garnering some junior, college, and even Division I interest. Then as a junior, that second year with the AAA team, I took off and was starting to get NHL scouts and a bunch of D-1 teams calling.

"I started realizing I might be able to do this!"

The Columbus Blue Jackets selected Vogelhuber in the seventh round of the 2007 NHL Draft, and after two years of junior hockey, it was time for the winger to take his game to the collegiate level. Specifically, to Oxford, Ohio.

"I was involved in recruiting Trent and his Miami journey," said Chris Bergeron, then a RedHawk assistant coach. "Over the course of getting to know him as well as his parents, it became pretty evident that he was going to be a great fit for Miami, both on the ice and off."

To Vogelhuber, Miami University and Miami Hockey checked all the boxes of what he was looking for in a college. "They were the hottest up-and-coming program," Vogelhuber explained. "I loved Miami. It's really great academically. I loved the atmosphere of the school, how it's tucked away: Not too big, not too small. Everything about it was perfect…

"It was the school I had circled, before they even called me."

Although Vogelhuber had battled knee issues before joining the RedHawks, he went on to play 149 games for Miami from 2008-2012, producing 51 points. He was part of four national tournament teams, including back-to-back trips to the Frozen Four in 2009 and 2010. Vogelhuber scored a goal as a freshman in the 2009 national title game against Boston University, and despite the overtime loss, looks back on that NCAA run in his first season as one of his greatest college hockey memories.

"We weren't really sure if we were going to make the [tournament]…we barely made it in and then went on a run," said Vogelhuber. "We beat Denver and Duluth up in Minneapolis and just got hot at the right time.

"That Frozen Four, doing that in front of a sold-out crowd was just unbelievable…it was obviously heartbreaking at the end, but that's something you sit and dream of: Being in a national championship in Division I…I was just proud and think it was a good accomplishment for our group."

The program's sustained success during Vogelhuber's time as a player was noteworthy, to the point where he remembered having a 'sky-is-falling' team meeting because the RedHawks had slipped to a mere 18th in the national polls, which the team considered unacceptable.

"I think we did a good job —our class and the players that were there— of leaving Miami Hockey in a better spot than what we found it, which is what the coaches always talked about," Vogelhuber said.

His on-ice accomplishments also helped launch somewhat of a pipeline from the AAA Blue Jackets to the next level, with players like Sean Kuraly, Jack Roslovic and Kiefer Sherwood following Vogelhuber's footsteps to Miami and eventually moving on to NHL careers. "It's a privilege, and it's something I take honor in, being the first of that group," Vogelhuber said. "I'm pretty proud to be a part of it."

Away from the rink, Vogelhuber graduated from Miami University with a political science degree and a minor in Italian. "I just loved everything about it; I didn't want to leave when I graduated and they told me I had to!", he said.

"You get there and all of your best friends in the world are there…the classes, the teachers, the libraries and studying with groups, the social scene going out with friends, and then obviously hockey to top it all off was awesome. I don't have enough good things to say about my experience there and the school as a whole."

After graduation, Vogelhuber played a half-dozen pro seasons in the AHL and was part of a 2016 Calder Cup champion team with the Monsters, the Blue Jackets' top affiliate. However, he continued to battle injuries, including a fourth ACL tear. That led to a conversation with Cleveland general manager Bill Zito that would change the direction of Vogelhuber's professional life.

"He said, 'You're probably not going to play a whole lot coming off the knee, but we only have two coaches and there's an assistant coaching job I think you'd be really good at,'" recalled Vogelhuber. "That was the first time I'd ever even thought about it.

"My son was about a month old at the time, and going to Europe to continue playing just didn't make sense for my family, so I decided to take it. It's hard to get jobs in hockey…

"I went from being in the practice one day to being in a track suit the next, and I'm obviously glad that I took that opportunity because I ended up really loving it.

"And my knees don't hurt anymore, so it's a win-win!"

Vogelhuber has been a successful assistant coach for the past four years, including helping run the club when its head coach missed time due to health issues. That led to a recent promotion, with the Monsters naming Vogelhuber head coach this past June. At age 33, he immediately became the youngest head coach in the league.

According to Bergeron, Vogelhuber's positive personality and maturity have helped him excel on the Monsters' bench. "He's got a very welcoming personality, and he's got time for everyone," Bergeron said. "I didn't think Trent was going to be one of those guys that got into coaching, but when he finished his playing career on a injury and was approached by Cleveland to transition to the coaching side, it's now evolved.

"You talk about someone taking advantage of an opportunity: That's what Trent has done the last two or three years, and he obviously got rewarded for it…

"The more Miami Hockey people in the hockey world, whether it be college or pro or even junior, is a good thing. It means another one of our alums has been successful in this game, and it doesn't necessarily have to be as a player. You can do it from the coaching and administrative side as well."

Vogelhuber is excited to get the 2022-23 AHL season underway, as he'll make his head coaching debut Friday, Oct. 14 against Syracuse. His favorite things about coaching are the same things he enjoyed as a player: being able to come together as a team and accomplish something that can't be done as individuals.

"When you can combine a group and the sum is greater than the individual parts, it's special and there's nothing outside of hockey and sports that can replicate that," Vogelhuber explained.

"Although I'm not on the ice playing, I still get that rush from pulling the rope in the same direction as everybody else and helping a team achieve goals."

He also has enjoyed seeing prospects he's worked with in Cleveland move on to become NHL standouts. "It's really rewarding," said Vogelhuber. "Working with individuals, helping them be better, relaying my experiences through my career and life to them, and then sometimes seeing it help them and seeing players be grateful for what you did for them.

"There's never a dull moment. I look forward to going to the rink. It's been my whole life, and I still love it even though I'm not able to play anymore…

"It's great to be a small part in these players' journey."

Although he graduated a decade ago, Vogelhuber continues to stay connected to the Miami program and enjoys following the RedHawks from afar despite his duties in Cleveland. "We're supporting and pulling for them, and hopeful that they can get back to winning trophies and championships," he said.

He also credits the life lessons he learned in Oxford with helping him figure out how to be an effective coach, and plans to carry that forward into his new role. "It's more than just trying to be successful in hockey, but be a good person," he said simply. "It was during college when I realized how important that was.

"I don't think there's a more valuable lesson in life than to be a good person, nurture those relationships, treat people well, and at the end of the day, mix in some hard work.

"You'll be happy doing whatever you're doing if you can live life that way."

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Miami Alum Trent Vogelhuber Takes Over as Monsters Coach

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