The USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks have announced that Colten St. Clair is the seventh head coach in franchise history.

St. Clair joined the organization in February as an associate head coach, helping the team to its first Clark Cup title last week.

A Gilbert native, St. Clair joined the Muskegon coaching staff with 16 games left in the 2024-25 season and saw the team finish 12-3-1-0 through the stretch. In the post-season, St. Clair and the Jacks went 11-2-1 on the way to the Clark Cup title.

“We are very excited to announce Colten as our next head coach,” said Lumberjacks president Steve Lowe. “We are very confident he will continue with our development model, empowering players to become better players and men while balancing the level of competition we are accustomed to.”

Previously in the USHL, St. Clair spent three seasons playing with the Fargo Force from 2008-11. His time in Fargo included three runs to the Clark Cup playoffs and a pair of appearances in the finals in 2009 and 2010.

For his college career, St. Clair played five seasons of NCAA Division I hockey at North Dakota, which included helping the Fighting Hawks win a national title in 2016. St. Clair was an alternate captain on that championship squad.

As a coach, St. Clair returned to the USHL in 2021-22 as an associate head coach for the Sioux City Musketeers, helping them to a Clark Cup championship. Following his two years in Sioux City, he moved to Minnesota, becoming the head coach for the NAHL’s Minnesota Wilderness.

Four games into the 2024-25 campaign, St. Clair took over the head coaching role for the Omaha Lancers and led the team to a 6-10-2-0 record in 18 games before parting ways with the organization.

When asked about his new role with the Lumberjacks, St. Clair said, “I’m incredibly grateful to Pete Herms, Steve Lowe, Jimmy McGroarty, and the entire Muskegon Lumberjacks organization for believing in me to lead this team as the next head coach.

“I would also like to thank Parker Burgess for showing me the way about what makes Muskegon so special. It’s an honor to be entrusted with carrying forward the winning culture that has been built here, one driven by passion, hard work, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.

“Together, we will continue to develop leaders of men, fostering a team-first mentality and being relentless in our pursuit of growth – both on and off the ice.”

St. Clair added that he’s excited to see what the Lumberjacks can accomplish going forward.

“Our success isn’t just measured in victories, but in the strength of the culture built here, and the standards we set,” said St. Clair. “I am honored and excited to work with the organization and players that I care deeply about.”

In Phoenix, he started as an assistant coach and skills instructor in 2016-17 with the WSHL’s Phoenix Knights before being promoted to head coach the following season. In his first campaign as a bench boss, St. Clair took a team that won five games the year before to 28 wins in 2017-18. That turnaround, when he was only 25 years old, made history, as it earned him the distinction of being the youngest coach ever to win the WSHL’s Coach of the Year award.

St. Clair also spent time working with the Arizona Hockey Union youth hockey program.

Photo/Muskegon Lumberjacks

— With files from Muskegon Lumberjacks Staff

(May 26, 2025)