Vintage Minnesota Hockey - History

Dave Esse has been coaching for the Cloquet-Esko-Carlton hockey program the past 31 years.  He was head boy’s hockey coach for 18 years and varsity assistant for 8.  He spent the last 5 seasons as the varsity assistant coach for the girls program, coaching alongside his oldest daughter, Courtney Olin.  Under his tenure, the CEC boys earned four section 7AA state tournament berths, and in 2020 finished second place in the state while helping coach the CEC girls varsity team.  For the past 35 years, Dave has run youth hockey camps for all levels and worked in a variety of positions for CAHA, helping to grow the CEC Lumberjack hockey program.  He played collegiate hockey at UWS, serving as a four-year team captain. Dave was a three-time All Wisconsin State University Conference selection and received first team All Northern Collegiate Hockey Association and first team All-American honors.  In 1989, he was named the school’s most inspirational athlete.   In 2005, he was inducted into the UWS Athletics Hall of Fame.  Dave has been voted the Boy’s Section 7AA Coach of the Year five times and was also voted the AA State Boys Hockey Coach of the Year in 2017.  In girls hockey, he has been voted Section 7A Assistant Coach of the Year three times and State Class A Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020.  In 2012, Dave was also honored with the Dave Peterson award given to a coach who shows great leadership in developing youth hockey.  He continues to work for USA Hockey as the District 11 Coach-in-Chief, helping certify and educate current youth hockey coaches.  He has held this position since 2011.  Dave is married to his wife Christine, and together, they have two daughters, Courtney Olin, and Carley Roo, former BSU Women’s hockey player.  They reside in Cloquet, MN, where Dave works as a fitness and health teacher at Cloquet Senior High School.

• 46 years of successful coaching experience encompassing all amateur levels of the game.
• Adept at providing transformative leadership to developing programs.
• Accomplished at challenging talented players to refine skills and focus on team work.
• Trained in the art of communicating vision to individual players, the team and parents.
• Empathetic to the needs of a Head Coach while serving as an assistant.

Professional Experience – Varsity Head Coach 16 seasons:

• Hopkins High School Minnetonka High School Wayzata High School River Falls, WI High School 1999-02 1990-98 1989-90 1980-84
• Led Minnetonka to the 1994 State Tournament - 1994
• Led Minnetonka to Two Section VI Championship Games - 1994 & 1996
• Led Minnetonka to Two Conference Championships - 1994 & 1996
• Named “Coach of the Year “in District 1993, Section VI 1994 and Conference 1996
• Led River Falls to first winning season - 1984
• Coached 8 Division I players combined at Wayzata and Minnetonka
• Coached 6 NHL draft picks combined at Wayzata and Minnetonka

Professional Experience – Assistant Coach 24 seasons:

• Benilde St Margaret’s, Cooper-Girl,s Fridley Hamline University, Minnetonka, St Louis Park
• Conducted team chapel for BSM 6 times a season focusing on the value of pursuing God honoring purity.
• Coached in AA State Tournament in 2008 - 3rd Place Finish
• Coached in AA State Tournament in 2012 - State Champions
• Coached in 10 Section Championship games – 8 at BSM, 2 at Minnetonka.
• Contributed to 13 Conference Titles – 12 at BSM, 1 at Minnetonka.
• Attained solid understanding of college recruitment of High School players while assisting at Hamline U.
• Coached 11 Division I goalies – 3 were drafted by NHL teams.
Clinician and Training Experience
• Served as Assistant and Partner to Minnesota North Star Skating Coach – Dick Vraa for 14 summers.
• Served as assistant to Minnesota North Stars Head Coach - Glen Sonmor for 4 summers
• Served as assistant to Former NHL player - J.P. Parise – 3 summers
• Worked as an associate coach with Edina Coach Willard Ikola for 6 summers

Formal Coaching Education:

• Minor in Coaching – UW-River Falls 1985
• Attended 4 Clinics with the winning NCAA Champion Hockey Coach
1976 - Herb Brooks, Minnesota 1977 - Bob Johnson, Wisconsin 1978 - Len Ceglarski, Boston College
1979 - Don Calhoun Boston University *(Herb Brooks won NCAA but was preparing for 1980 Olympics)
• Attended 4 International Coaching Symposiums in Canada
1996 – Toronto 1998 – Saint John, NB 2000 – Vancouver 2002 – Montreal
• Refined Goalie Coaching skills watching Dave Tataryn coach 2 elite goalies in Ontario

Youth Hockey Experience Head Coach 4 seasons / Assistant Coach 2 seasons:

• Began to develop skills coaching Youth Hockey in Wayzata and Minneapolis 1972-75 & 1977-1980

Coming Soon!