Hockey Operations

- Jim Montgomery, Head Coach / General Manager
- Joe Coombs, Associate Head Coach
- Mike Field, Assistant Coach / Director of Scouting
- Adam Micheletti, Director of Hockey and Business Operations
- Aaron Herbst, Athletic Trainer
- Douglas Jorgenson, Equipment Manager
- Jim Romagna, Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Grant Standbrook, Goaltending Consultant
- Brad Clayton, Scout
- Mike Cusack, Scout
- Rich Michalowski, Mid-America Regional Scout
- Patti Swartz, Housing Coordinator
- JoAnne Gibson, Academic Advisor

Jim Montgomery Head Coach / General Manager Email Jim Montgomery was named the Dubuque Fighting Saints Head Coach and General Manager in April of 2010. In his first season, he guided the Fighting Saints to a Clark Cup championship and was voted USHL GM of the Year by his peers. The Montreal native spent the four years prior to his time in Dubuque as the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, and played a critical role in upgrading RPI's talent level during his tenure. Montgomery began his college coaching career as a volunteer assistant under Jeff Jackson at the University of Notre Dame before moving on to RPI in 2006. Montgomery played college hockey at the University of Maine. He is one of only three players to have his jersey (No. 19) retired at Alfond Arena. Montgomery is the University of Maine's all-time leading scorer with 301 points on 103 goals and 198 assists in 170 career games. He captained the 1992-93 team to the school's first NCAA championship as the Black Bears went 42-1-2. That year, Montgomery was a Hobey Baker Award finalist, the annual award which recognizes the top NCAA men's ice hockey player. The winner of the award that year was his linemate and longtime NHL forward Paul Kariya. Prior to becoming a coach, Montgomery played professional hockey from 1993-2005. He spent parts of six seasons in the National Hockey League with the St. Louis Blues (1993-94 season), Montreal Canadiens (1994-95 season), Philadelphia Flyers (1994-95 and 1995-96 seasons), San Jose Sharks (2000-01 season) and Dallas Stars (2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons). In addition, he played professionally in Russia and Germany as well as in the American Hockey League, International Hockey League and United Hockey League. Montgomery resides in Dubuque with his wife Emily and sons JP and Colin.

Joe Coombs Associate Head Coach Email Coombs joined the Fighting Saints in 2010 after a very successful tenure as the Head Coach of the Dubuque Thunderbirds of the Central States Hockey League (USA Hockey Tier III Junior A). Over five years at the helm of Dubuque hockey, the Brantford, Ontario, native led the Thunderbirds to a regular season record of 151-23-4-5 and three Hurster Cup Championships (2007, 2008 and 2009). Prior to joining the Thunderbirds in 2005, Coombs served as the Head Coach of the Topeka Tarantulas of the Central Hockey League during the 2004-05 season. From 2001-2004, Coombs served as an Assistant Coach in the USHL - first for the Topeka Scarecrows and then for the St. Louis Heartland Eagles when the team moved to St. Louis prior to the 2003-04 season. Prior to beginning his coaching career in 2001, Coombs played professionally from 1996-2001 in the IHL, ECHL, CHL and WPHL. From 1992-1996, Coombs played in the Ontario Hockey League, one of the three major junior leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League - first for the Kitchener Rangers and then for the Belleville Bulls. Coombs lives in Dubuque with his wife Shannon, two daughters Regan and Rylan, and son Ritter.

Mike Field Assistant Coach / Director of Scouting Email Mike Field was hired as Assistant Coach/Director of Scouting with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in July of 2012. Field joins Dubuque from American International College where he has spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach. He joined the Yellow Jackets in 2009 after serving as a graduate assistant the year prior. During his playing days, Field spent four years at American International, skating at forward and tallying ten points in his collegiate career. He was named a four-time Atlantic Hockey all-academic selection, and was named the conference's Top Scholar Athlete his senior year. Field went on to briefly play professionally before turning to coaching in 2008. Field, a native of Marquette, Michigan, now resides in Dubuque with his fiancee.

Adam Micheletti Director of Hockey and Business Operations Email Adam Micheletti joined the Dubuque Fighting Saints in December of 2009. As Director of Hockey and Business Operations, Micheletti's responsibilities pertain to on-ice and off-ice issues. He works closely with the coaching staff, supporting them in scouting, recruiting, and player personnel decisions. He also helps oversee the overall budget and manages the day-to-day hockey administrative functions. On the business side, he is responsible for youth hockey and fan development initiatives, developing partnerships with local businesses, and he works closely with the sales and marketing departments of the Fighting Saints. Prior to joining the Saints, Micheletti interned with the Washington Capitals, where he worked closely with the Hockey Operations Staff, including General Manager George McPhee. He was involved in many different areas, including data analysis, salary cap analysis, organizing contract violations that occurred throughout the NHL, and other areas that pertain to the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. Micheletti graduated from Boston College in 2007 with a B.S. in Business Management and Leadership. Upon graduation, he worked as an account manager for two and a half years for the Tom Lange Company, a fresh-produce distributor. He is the son of former NHL player and coach Joe Micheletti, who is currently the New York Rangers' television analyst. Micheletti and his wife Rachel reside in Dubuque.

Aaron Herbst Athletic Trainer Email Aaron Herbst joined the Dubuque Fighting Saints in August of 2012. Prior to joining the Saints, Herbst worked as a graduate assistant athletic trainer while completing his Masters of Science in Exercise Science at the University of Iowa. He attended Clarke College, now Clarke University, to complete his Bachelors of Science degree in Athletic Training. Following graduation he twice worked at Clarke as an assistant athletic trainer, as well as Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA, as an assistant track and field coach. Herbst has been a member of National Athletic Trainers' Association and an Iowa licensed athletic trainer since 2007. Herbst is a native of Dubuque, where he currently resides.

Douglas Jorgenson Equipment Manager Email Douglas Jorgenson joined the Dubuque Fighting Saints in August 2012. He spent the past three seasons with the University of Minnesota, working as an Assistant Equipment Manager for the Golden Gophers. With Minnesota, Jorgenson was a staff member for the team's McNaughton Cup championship season in 2011-12, and was able to work at the 2012 Frozen Four in Tampa Bay, Florida. Jorgenson is a 2012 graduate of the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities with a Bachelor of Science in Sports Management. With the Fighting Saints, Jorgenson's duties will include the day-to-day operations in the equipment room, including skate sharpening, equipment repair, laundry, and ordering of equipment. Jorgenson is a native of North Branch, Minnesota and currently resides in Dubuque.

Jim Romagna Strength and Conditioning Coach Jim Romagna enters his third season with the Fighting Saints as an established Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach (National Strength and Conditioning Association) and a Certified Personal Trainer (American Council on Exercise). Romagna is the Department Head at The University of Dubuque in the Health Wellness and Sport program and owns and operates Natural Fit Fitness Training and Consulting, and Romagna Performance with his wife Jennifer. Romagna has competed nationally in more than 20 bodybuilding competitions, appeared on the cover of Muscle and Magazine, free-lance writes for many national magazines, and is currently the face of Labrada Nutrition's ad campaign. A Loras College alumnus, Romagna worked as the Strength and Conditioning Coach at Loras College from 2000 to 2007. He and his wife Jennifer and four children, Jade, Angelo, Ava and Beatrice, reside in Dubuque.

Grant Standbrook Goaltending Consultant Grant Standbrook returns for his third season with the Fighting Saints organization, serving as the team's goaltending consultant. Standbrook has been on coaching staffs that have won five NCAA Championships and been in the title game three other occasions. A native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, he is a 1961 graduate of the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he averaged better than a point-per-game for the Bulldogs hockey team, while also competing in track and field.

Brad Clayton Scout Brad Clayton joined the Dubuque Fighting Saints in November 2009 with the responsibility of scouting future USHL talent. Prior to joining the Fighting Saints, Brad coached five seasons of youth hockey in Grand Rapids, MN at the Pee Wee level, and he remains a coach with the Iron Range All-Stars at the Pee Wee and Bantam levels, as he has been for the past three seasons. Brad ran cross country, played baseball and hockey at Grand Rapids High School. After high school he attended HCC where he played hockey and was the team's leading scorer, play-off leading scorer, voted to the all-tournament team and was also awarded the Frank Catani MVP award. Brad, his wife Amber and their son Dylan reside in Northern Minnesota.

Mike Cusack Scout Mike Cusack joined the Dubuque Fighting Saints in September 2012 with the responsibility of scouting the New England area, and placing a primary focus on the NE Prep Schools and Midget AAA leagues. Mike runs the Boston Junior Whalers AAA Elite Spring/Summer Hockey Program, compiling tournament teams at all age groups to compete in showcases spanning across North America. He also serves as an Assistant Coach of the Boston Bandits in the EJHL and the new EJ Under-16 League. Prior to joining the Saints, Mike has served as the Director of Scouting for the New Mexico Renegades and the Brockville Braves. Originally from North Andover, Massachusetts, Mike currently resides in Bridgewater, Mass.

Rich Michalowski Mid-America Regional Scout Rich served as a varsity high school head coach in the Pittsburgh area for 15 seasons. After a 5 year hiatus, he assisted at the ACHA level for Duquesne University. Four years ago, Rich started to pursue a career in scouting which is his true passion. He was named as the USHL contributing scout for The Scouting Report, which is an on-line site that provides insight and scouting reports on NHL prospects. Some of his prospect reports have been referenced by various NHL and NCAA team websites. Most recently, Rich served as a scout for the Kalamazoo Jr. K-Wings of the NAHL. In addition, he has assisted IHC Hockey Management in the capacity as an advisor in helping identify prospective clients. Rich currently resides in the Pittsburgh area.

Patti Swartz Housing Coordinator Patti Swartz returns for her third season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints organization as housing coordinator. Swartz has been involved with housing players for 10 years starting with the Dubuque Thunderbird Organization. Swartz is a registered nurse employed at Medical Associates Clinic. She has two married children and five grandchildren. She resides in Dubuque.

JoAnne Gibson Academic Advisor JoAnne Uthe-Gibson joined the Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2010 as the Academic Advisor for the team. JoAnne received a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She taught at Dubuque Senior High School from 1975-2008 and is currently an adjunct faculty member at the Northeast Iowa Community College. Her job is to assist the players in preparing for the next level in their educational careers. Players are in high school, taking online classes or attending college while here in Dubuque so school is important. She enjoys working with the Saints players to be academically ready when they leave Dubuque. JoAnne resides with her husband, Don in rural Hazel Green, Wisconsin.