2026-2027 Coaching Line Up
Rockford Lightning Hockey
2026–2027 Coaching Staff
The Rockford Lightning have set the coaching staff for the 2026–2027 season.
Hockey Director
Don Walker returns as Hockey Director, overseeing both programs. Originally from Franklin, Massachusetts, Walker brings over 40 years in the game. He attended camp with the Boston Bruins, played professionally in the IHL, and was the leading scorer in the NJHL. He has evaluated talent at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge and has coached every level from 8U to 18U. He holds USA Hockey Level 5 certification and has led Rockford's program as Hockey Coordinator and Director since 2009.
Varsity / U18
Head Coach: Alex Edwards. A product of the Rockford Hockey Club and Rockford Icemen, Edwards was a three-time state champion in high school and captained the 2008–09 Icemen. He went on to play four years of Division II hockey at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, where he served as team president. He has coached every level of the Rockford Hockey Club and holds USA Hockey Level 4 certification.
Assistant Coaches
• Tom Breitfuss. Breitfuss grew up in Chicago, playing AA with the Glenview Stars and AAA with the Chicago Young Americans before moving to Rockford to play for the Rockford Hockey Club and Rockford Icemen. He won two state championships with the Icemen, was voted a top-six player in the state his junior year, and captained his senior team to a state title at the United Center — leading the program to its first national appearance, where they placed third in the country. He later played Junior A in the Western States Hockey League with the Salt Lake City Moose, and has coached at the Rockford Hockey Club and Rockford Lightning for the past seven years.
• Dom Colombi. A Rockford native, Colombi played for the Junior IceHogs and Rockford Hockey Club before a three-year run with the Rockford Icemen, then played collegiately at Bradley University. He has coached across the U10, U12, and U18 levels and oversees the Lightning's off-ice training program.
• John Crowley. Crowley brings over 25 years in the game as a player and coach. A former Rockford Icemen defenseman, he won state championships in 2005 and 2006 and has coached nearly every level of the Rockford Hockey Club, earning USA Hockey Level 4 certification. In the inaugural 2024–25 Lightning season, he helped guide the JV team to a 26–5–5 record and a 3–2 win over Plainfield in the AHAI Combined School JV State Championship.
JV / U16
Head Coach: Joe Mazzuca. Mazzuca brings a lifelong Rockford hockey résumé to the Lightning bench. He came up through every level of the Rockford Hockey Club, winning an NIHL Championship with his Bantam team before joining the Rockford Icemen, where he was part of a State Championship program and captained the team his senior year. Since then he has coached at the 14U level and volunteered with the 6U and 8U Jr. IceHogs.
Assistant Coaches
• Will Thiede. A Rockford native, Thiede began playing at age seven and spent the majority of his youth career with the Rockford Hockey Club, where he was part of three consecutive NIHL Championship teams before a year with the Chicago Bruins. He went on to play ACHA hockey at Michigan State University.
• Steve Briggs. A lifelong Rockford hockey product, Briggs played for the Rockford Hockey Club from ages 7 to 14 before joining the Rockford Icemen, where he was part of the program's first three state championships. He has coached the past three seasons at the 12U level and last season at 14U. He also serves as a Member at Large on the Rockford Hockey Club Board.
Goaltending
Goaltending Coach: James Robbins, working with netminders across both programs. Robbins played five years professionally in the minors, with experience ranging from Single-A to the AHL. He holds USA Hockey Level 4 certification and brings over ten years of goaltending development experience. He has worked with Ben Vanderklok Goaltending (Nashville Predators) in St. Catharines, ON, served as goaltending on-ice coordinator for Heartland Hockey Camp in Deerwood, MN, and was a goaltending coach for ProCrease in East Berlin, CT. He is also the founder of Stick It To Cancer Hockey, a pediatric cancer fundraising organization.
Skill Development
Skill Development Coach: Eric Brown, working with skaters across both programs. Born and raised in Cherry Valley, IL, Brown played for the Rockford Hockey Club before advancing to the Madison Capitols AAA program, where he won multiple state championships. He went on to play at Illinois State University, earning All-Conference honors four times, setting the program's all-time point record, and earning induction into the ISU Hockey Hall of Fame. In over ten years of coaching with the Rockford Hockey Club, he has helped win multiple NIHL championships and an RHC state title, and assisted the U18 team to an NIHL championship appearance. He holds USA Hockey Level 4 certification.