St. Cloud State Men’s Hockey’s Enga Elevated to Assistant Coach
5/20/2022 10:11:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Enga joins the bench after one season as director of operations / video coordinator
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Men's Hockey head coach Brett Larson announced the promotion of R.J. Enga to assistant coach, as announced on Friday. Enga joins the SCSU bench after one year as the team's director of operations and video coordinator.
He replaces Nick Oliver, who recently took the head coaching position of the USHL's Fargo Force.
"We are so fortunate to have a highly qualified coach of R.J.'s stature already on our staff and we know he'll make the transition to our bench seamlessly," said Larson. "His experience speaks for itself, as he has made coaching stops in the NAHL, USHL, national level and in our very own conference at Colorado College. Having him on our staff this past season was a blessing, as he was crucial to our operation and immediately earned the trust of our student-athletes and staff. We are excited for the future, and grateful to have R.J. on our bench moving forward."
"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to continue to be on the coaching staff in my new role as an assistant coach," said Enga. "I am truly honored and humbled to be part of such an amazing program and university! St. Cloud State has such a rich history of success and I will do everything that I can to continue this tradition. To be able to work closely with Coach Larson and Coach Shyiak is an incredible opportunity. The players, staff and community have all made it a very welcoming place to be and I can't wait to get to work!"
In his first year with the St. Cloud State, Enga helped lead the Huskies to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five seasons and 16th overall in 2021-22. St. Cloud earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Allentown and ended the season with a 18-15-4 record overall, while two earned All-NCHC honors, 13 earned academic all-conference honors and seven signed professional contracts.
Prior to SCSU, Enga spent seven years as an assistant coach with his alma mater, Colorado College (2014-21). With the Tigers, Enga led the Tigers recruiting efforts (domestic and international), worked with both forwards and defensemen, and assisted with on-ice practices. He helped mentor numerous student-athletes to professional careers while with the Tigers, including 2018 NCAA Second Team All-American and Hobey Baker Award nominee Nick Halloran.
Prior to his time in Colorado Springs, Enga spent three seasons (2011-14) as an assistant coach and director of player development with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he helped the team improve from nine to 29 wins.
Enga joined SCSU head coach Brett Larson on the coaching staff of the 2012 USA National Team at the World Junior Challenge, where the pair helped lead Team USA to a Gold Medal. Enga led all video operations for the team, collaborated to select the team's roster and assisted with all on-ice practice planning and execution.
He also spent time as an assistant coach with the Topeka RoadRunners (2009-11) in the NAHL, as a volunteer assistant at Colorado College (2008-09) and as the Director of Hockey at the Colorado Spring Amateur Hockey Association (2004-09).
Before entering the coaching profession, Enga was a 10th-round selection by the New York Islanders in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft and enjoyed a 10-year professional hockey career at virtually every level. He totaled 779 points in his playing career (324 goals, 455 assists), was named to the East Coast Hockey League All-Rookie Team in 1996, won the West Coast Hockey League's Taylor Cup as a member of the San Diego Gulls in 2003, and became the Colorado Gold Kings all-time leading scorer with 387 points (165 goals, 222 assists) in just four seasons.
Enga played in 158 games for Colorado College from 1991-95 where he was a member of back-to-back WCHA champion teams (1994-95) and one NCAA Tournament team (1995). He was a two-time WCHA All-Academic selection (1994-95), an All-WCHA Team selection in 1994 and a member of Colorado College's Century Club with 142 points. He earned his bachelor's degree in International Political Economy from Colorado College in 1995.
Enga is married to his wife, Jessica, and is the proud father of two daughters, Kaelin and Makenna.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Season tickets for the 2022-23 season are available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
He replaces Nick Oliver, who recently took the head coaching position of the USHL's Fargo Force.
"We are so fortunate to have a highly qualified coach of R.J.'s stature already on our staff and we know he'll make the transition to our bench seamlessly," said Larson. "His experience speaks for itself, as he has made coaching stops in the NAHL, USHL, national level and in our very own conference at Colorado College. Having him on our staff this past season was a blessing, as he was crucial to our operation and immediately earned the trust of our student-athletes and staff. We are excited for the future, and grateful to have R.J. on our bench moving forward."
"I am extremely excited for the opportunity to continue to be on the coaching staff in my new role as an assistant coach," said Enga. "I am truly honored and humbled to be part of such an amazing program and university! St. Cloud State has such a rich history of success and I will do everything that I can to continue this tradition. To be able to work closely with Coach Larson and Coach Shyiak is an incredible opportunity. The players, staff and community have all made it a very welcoming place to be and I can't wait to get to work!"
In his first year with the St. Cloud State, Enga helped lead the Huskies to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five seasons and 16th overall in 2021-22. St. Cloud earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Midwest Regional in Allentown and ended the season with a 18-15-4 record overall, while two earned All-NCHC honors, 13 earned academic all-conference honors and seven signed professional contracts.
Prior to SCSU, Enga spent seven years as an assistant coach with his alma mater, Colorado College (2014-21). With the Tigers, Enga led the Tigers recruiting efforts (domestic and international), worked with both forwards and defensemen, and assisted with on-ice practices. He helped mentor numerous student-athletes to professional careers while with the Tigers, including 2018 NCAA Second Team All-American and Hobey Baker Award nominee Nick Halloran.
Prior to his time in Colorado Springs, Enga spent three seasons (2011-14) as an assistant coach and director of player development with the Chicago Steel of the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he helped the team improve from nine to 29 wins.
Enga joined SCSU head coach Brett Larson on the coaching staff of the 2012 USA National Team at the World Junior Challenge, where the pair helped lead Team USA to a Gold Medal. Enga led all video operations for the team, collaborated to select the team's roster and assisted with all on-ice practice planning and execution.
He also spent time as an assistant coach with the Topeka RoadRunners (2009-11) in the NAHL, as a volunteer assistant at Colorado College (2008-09) and as the Director of Hockey at the Colorado Spring Amateur Hockey Association (2004-09).
Before entering the coaching profession, Enga was a 10th-round selection by the New York Islanders in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft and enjoyed a 10-year professional hockey career at virtually every level. He totaled 779 points in his playing career (324 goals, 455 assists), was named to the East Coast Hockey League All-Rookie Team in 1996, won the West Coast Hockey League's Taylor Cup as a member of the San Diego Gulls in 2003, and became the Colorado Gold Kings all-time leading scorer with 387 points (165 goals, 222 assists) in just four seasons.
Enga played in 158 games for Colorado College from 1991-95 where he was a member of back-to-back WCHA champion teams (1994-95) and one NCAA Tournament team (1995). He was a two-time WCHA All-Academic selection (1994-95), an All-WCHA Team selection in 1994 and a member of Colorado College's Century Club with 142 points. He earned his bachelor's degree in International Political Economy from Colorado College in 1995.
Enga is married to his wife, Jessica, and is the proud father of two daughters, Kaelin and Makenna.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Men's Hockey, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Season tickets for the 2022-23 season are available for purchase at www.scsutickets.com, downloading the St. Cloud State Huskies app or by calling 1-877-SCSUTIX / 320-308-2137.
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