Ian Herbers canceled plans for a brief trip to visit his family in Saginaw, Mich.
The Johnstown Chiefs coach had no choice.
Herbers was named as one of the American Conference coaches for the ECHL All-Star Game based on the combination of a vote by his fellow coaches and the Chiefs’ .647 winning percentage. The 17th annual all-star game will be on Jan. 21 at the Reading Sovereign Center. The skills competition will be on Jan. 20.
“It’s a great honor, especially being selected by my peers,” Herbers said Tuesday. “There are some outstanding coaches in this league. It will be an exciting couple of days.”
Herbers will share American Conference coaching duties with Wheeling’s Greg Puhalski. The Nailers lead the North Division and are three points ahead of the Chiefs.
“It will be a nice change for us being on the same bench rather than always opposing each other,” Herbers said. “We’ll enjoy our time together. He’s done a great job with the Wheeling team and the organization. It’s well-deserved on his part.”
Johnstown defenseman Jon Landry and goaltender Kris Mayotte each were voted as starters for the all-star game. The duo will be only the second pair of Chiefs to start in the same all-star game, with the others being Derrick Walser and Joel Irving in 2000.
“It makes the decision easy. They’ve got the starters all picked for us,” Herbers said. “That takes one question out of the coaches’ hands. I know quite a few of our guys from coaching against them. I know what they can do on the ice. It will be nice to get to know them personally and get to know them individually.”
Dayton defenseman Greg Labenski and forwards Oliver Latendresse of Cincinnati, Kevin Baker of Florida and Travis Morin of South Carolina are the other starters.
The Chiefs are 21-11-2 with 44 points. The 21 wins are tied for most in the conference. The Chiefs became the fastest team in Johnstown ECHL history to win 20 games by reaching the mark on Dec. 28.
Herbers has 57 regular-season wins nearly midway through his second season with the Chiefs. He joins former coach Toby O’Brien (2004) as Johnstown’s all-star game coaches.
“It should be pretty fun, especially having your coach behind the bench and your goalie in net,” the Chiefs Landry said. “Ian is a real good guy. He’s a communicator. He’ll always be up front with you. If you need to go talk to him, he’s not going to BS you. You can see the success he’s had in a short time coaching. We’ve been in or near first place most of the year, and obviously some of that has to do with his coaching.”
Mayotte, a Pittsburgh native, said Herbers brings a calming influence to the bench.
“He communicates with the guys. He deserves it,” Mayotte said. “He’s really even keeled. He doesn’t get too rowdy. He doesn’t get too high. He lets us play the game. He makes the adjustments that need to be made. He knows the other team.
“Guys buy into his game plan. He lets guys know exactly where they stand on the team. All the guys know what is expected of them and their roles. Coach Herbers doesn’t leave anything to be questioned. He has all the guys on the same page. He’s instilled a winning mentality here.”
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Chiefs coach Ian Herbers will coach the American Conference in the ECHL All-Star Game. Tribune-Democrat File Photo
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