Minotauros announce coaching change

Cody Campbell takes over as head coach of the Minot Minotauros.

The Minot Minotauros of the North American Hockey League (NAHL) are proud to announce that Head Coach and General Manager Shane Wagner is departing Minot for a soon to be announced NCAA head coaching position.  Cody Campbell will immediately join the Minotauros to take over as the fourth Head Coach and General Manger in franchise history.  First year Assistant Coaches Darren Banks and Jake Howie will remain in their roles within the organization.

Wagner first joined the Minotauros ahead of the 2017-18 season as Marty Murray’s Assistant Coach and helped the team to a 28-26-6 record and an appearance in the National Championship Game.  After three seasons as Murray’s Assistant Wagner took the helm ahead of last season after Murray departed to take over the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede.  Last season, his first as Head Coach, Wagner led the Tauros to a 23-25-8 record and nearly the biggest playoff upset in league history when the Tauros took the record setting Aberdeen Wings to overtime in Game Five of the Central Division Semi-Finals.

While the Tauros saw several successes with Wagner behind the bench it is his overall body of work in Minot that he finds pride in. “I’m just proud of the work that we have done here to make the Minotauros the Minotauros.  I’m proud to have coached all these great kids from years past and hopefully I made an impactful influence on them for their future,” said Wagner. “From day one I watched and learned from Mr. Porter and Marty that there is a right way to do things, and a certain professionalism that is needed to progress as a coach.  I learned a lot from Marty on how to get the most out of players, and I learned a lot from Mr. Porter on hard work and dedication.”

Campbell comes to the Tauros after an NCAA DI playing career and eight years behind the bench.  A goaltender during his playing days Campbell started with the Fargo Force and the Cedar Rapids Roughriders in the USHL and then for Niagara University.  Immediately after his college career ended Campbell began a coaching career in the NAHL with the Odessa Jackalopes as their Goaltending Coach for the 2013-14 season.  By the next season Campbell was promoted to Assistant Coach and Assistant General Manager.  The next season Campbell served as the Assistant Coach for the Janesville Jets.  In 2016-17 he started the season with his first Head Coaching job with the Colorado Springs Tigers 16U team before returning the Cedar Rapids as an Assistant in November.  The next two seasons saw Campbell return to the Jackalopes, this time as Associate Head Coach.  Finally, Campbell has spent the last two seasons as the Head Coach of the Walpole Express in the EHL and a scout for the USHL’s Dubuque Fighting Saints.  In his first season with Walpole Campbell earned EHL Coach of the Year honors.

At just 29 years old Campbell’s journey has seen him quickly advance both his career prospects and several players to the NCAA DI and DIII levels.  Over his two seasons as Walpole’s Head Coach Campbell complied a 54-23-7 record.  Aside from his own hard work Campbell attributes the Head Coaches he has worked with in the past for influencing his coaching style. “Matt Cressman, Greg Gatto, Joe Dibble, and Mark Carlson all had huge impacts on my growth as a coach and I am grateful for the experience each of them allowed me to gain,” said Campbell. “Minot has been a top organization in the NAHL for a long time now. The combination of the support from the owner, Mr. Porter, the facilities, the support and passion of the Minot community and the reputation of the organization has made Minot a destination for players hoping to continue their development and pursuit of playing NCAA hockey. I cannot express how excited I am to have the opportunity to be a part of the Tauros.”

Just as Campbell is thankful for the opportunity to join the Minotauros organization, Wagner is thankful for his time in it.  Before departing the Magic City Wagner had many people he wanted to credit with helping him reach his goal.

“First, I have to thank my wonderful wife Megan and my son Willy for supporting me all these years and going above and beyond and never once complaining.  I would like to thank the Minotauros staff for being my family for all those years.  I would really like to thank Marty Murray for giving me the opportunity to be his assistant and most importantly, Mr Porter.  I was very fortunate to be able to work for an owner like him.  He cares so much about the players and them receiving a scholarship.  He works from 8:00 am to 8:00 p.m. every day to make sure those players have that place to play, and the fans of Minot are able to experience it.  The Minotauros will always be a special organization and it will always be because of Mr. Porter.”

Campbell will meet the team this afternoon in Watford City and step into his new role immediately.  As he takes the next step in his coaching career Campbell had many people to thank for his success.

“I’d like to thank Mr. Porter for the opportunity he has entrusted me with as the Head Coach and GM of the Minotauros. I’d also like to thank the entire Walpole Express organization, Rob and Chrissy Barletta, and Todd Stirling, for giving me my first opportunity as a head coach at the Jr level. Most importantly I want to thank my wife Jessica for her unwavering support to allow me to continue to chase my dream while being an incredible mother to our daughter Keaton. We couldn’t be more excited to immerse ourselves in the Minot Community.”

The Minotauros season kicks off on Wednesday at the NAHL Showcase when the Tauros take on the Lone Star Brahmas.