MacEwan Athletics
EDMONTON – After a successful season leading the MacEwan Griffins men's hockey team within a point of qualifying for the Canada West playoffs, Zack Dailey had the interim tag removed from his head coach title on Friday.
An assistant coach of the team since 2017, Dailey led the Griffins to a 9-18-1 record in 2022-23 as the squad's interim bench boss, filling in for Michael Ringrose, who was on a parental leave.
After Ringrose announced in February he was leaving his position, Dailey emerged as the ideal replacement out of a strong pool of applicants in the Griffins' head coaching search.
"After a fantastic season in the interim role, Zack definitely earned the head coaching title," said Griffins Director of Athletics Joel Mrak. "His calm demeanor and care for his athletes stand out from this past season, and he has a great vision for the program moving forward.
"While sad to see Ringer move on to take care of his family and other interests, the Griffins are certainly in good hands with Zack leading the team."
Dailey becomes the seventh head coach in the program's history, dating back to 1998. His tenure at MacEwan has already been filled with big moments as he was on Ringrose's coaching staff for two Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference championships (2018 and 2019).
Zack Dailey hoists the ACAC Championship trophy after the Griffins beat NAIT in the 2019 final (Len Joudrey photo).
"This opportunity means a lot to me," said Dailey. "I have been part of this program for six seasons and have put a lot of time and effort into it. I am very passionate about the university and the players, so I'm happy to have the department's trust to lead this team into the future.
"It will be a challenge, but I am looking forward to creating a competitive Canada West program."
A former two-time captain of the Western Hockey League's Everett Silvertips, the Healy, Alaska product also won two U SPORTS national championships in a five-year career as a member of the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
As he steps into his first U SPORTS head coach job, it's a matter of continuing to build the program at MacEwan, which took a step forward in its second Canada West season in 2022-23.
"Being the interim head coach allowed me to show the department, the players and myself that I could help this team and program grow," said Dailey. "There were ups and downs and I thought we handled them well as a group. I owe a lot of thanks to the players. They did a great job of buying into our shared vision, were committed to working hard, and were willing to be coached.
"The program is in a great spot," he continued. "Bram (Stephen, head coach from 2012-17), Mike and the previous players did a great job of laying a strong foundation and I look forward to building upon it. I believe I can move the program forward by fostering an environment that encourages growth, accountability, and resiliency."
