Meet the coaches

Following successful coaching roles with the 16U and 18U State College Icers, State College High JV and Middle School Teams, and most recently as an assistant with the 18U Keystone Wild, Hayden will now step in as Head Coach of the 18U team, taking over from Matt Erlichman. A Long Island, NY native, Hayden played AAA hockey with the Long Island Royals before earning a spot at the prestigious Shattuck St. Mary’s in Minnesota. He had the distinct honor of representing the U.S. overseas, returning as a Gold Medalist, and later retired from competitive play due to shoulder injuries before earning a B.S. in Sociology from Penn State.

Hayden’s background as an older sibling has shaped his natural ability to connect with and teach younger players. Known for his passion, high hockey IQ, and commitment to player development, he has become a central figure in the State College hockey community. His approach combines intensive film study and ongoing research, allowing him to find new ways to translate skills and strategies that help players and teams reach their full potential.

Julia, a Penn State Class of 2023 alumni, brings a wealth of hockey knowledge and a passion for growing competitive girls hockey in Central Pennsylvania as a new head coach. She aims to provide a competitive, fun, and rewarding environment by focusing on discipline and team-oriented coaching. Julia played as a winger on the Women’s Club Hockey team for four seasons and has since continued to be a friendly face at pickup and adult league games.

Prior to college hockey, Julia was a captain and top goal scorer for her Tier II Reston Raiders 19U Girls team. Playing competitive girls hockey in high school and college was an integral part of her hockey career and she is very excited to give back to the hockey community in State College and help grow the girls’ game. She is committed to cultivating a group of driven players; her philosophy revolves around hard work and dedication in tandem with growing skills, on-ice awareness, and hockey IQ. 

Megan returns for her fourth year as Head Coach of the 14U Keystone Wild team, having led the group to a strong and successful start this season. She brings energy, passion, and a deep love for hockey as she transitions from playing at a high level to coaching local youth athletes. Megan emphasizes skill development and skating, using modern strategies and trends to elevate her players’ performance.

A former four-year defenseman at Saint Anselm College, Megan played 113 NCAA games and tallied 70 points. Her playing background also includes time with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Tier 1 AAA program, the State College Icers, and her local varsity and middle school teams. In addition to coaching the Wild, she serves on the Penn State Nittany Lion Development Program staff, helping young players grow through small-area games and skill-focused practices, giving back to the programs that shaped her.

Jim coached in SCYIHA from 2012-2020, when his son Cam was playing. He has been a head coach at the 10U/12U level and was an assistant at 14U and 16U multiple seasons.

Jim's goals for the kids on my teams have always been, in order:

1. Have fun
2. Learn life lessons about hard work, being part of a team
3. Become a better hockey player
4. Win games

Jim is a strong supporter of USA Hockey’s station-based practice model and has a Level 4 certification.

Davis, a native of State College, PA, brings extensive hockey experience and passion to his new role as Head Coach of the Keystone Wild. He began playing with the Altoona Trackers at the Mites level and advanced through elite programs, competing in top events like the Brick Tournament, Quebec Pee-Wee Tournament, and STX 68 (now CCM 68). By age 14, he joined top Tier 1 teams, helping lead them to major successes including a runner-up finish at the Tier 1 National Championships.

He continued his development at Cushing Academy, playing a key role in their Elite 8 Runner-Up campaign. Davis then played two seasons with the Johnstown Tomahawks in the NAHL, earning PA Lottery Player of the Week honors twice. After his junior career, he returned home to pursue his degree while continuing to play hockey at the club level.

Bryan started playing hockey when he was 7 after watching the Penguins win back-to-back cups and was obsessed. Bryan played 5 seasons ('04 - '09) for Penn State's roller hockey team (D1 & D3), losing his last playing career game in the national championship. In 2010 he came back as head coach and lead PSU to it's first and only National Championship.

Bryan teaches at Penn State and is passionate about building teams by growing the bottom. The bottom pushing up pushes the top to be that much better. Bryan has two sons who have played in the organization and lives and breaths hockey, still playing men's league usually on multiple teams.

Mike started playing hockey as a youth in the mid seventies, continuing to play through high school and finishing his competitive playing days at Millersville University. Mike began to give back to the game as an Icers coach and State College High School Varsity coach when his son was playing.

He is excited to coach at a level where he can focus on skill building and hockey IQ while fostering a profound love for the sport that drives players to want to continue as they get older. 

Mike is a husband and father of four from State College, PA. He grew up in West Chester, PA and started playing hockey as a mite. He played in the DVHL from squirts through midget major and also for Bishop Shanahan from 4th-12th grade. He was a three sport varsity athlete in high school (hockey, lacrosse and rugby) and is a big proponent of kids playing multiple sports. The only time Mike spent away from hockey was for four years in college when he played rugby for Penn State. Since college he’s played in men’s leagues and started coaching with the Icers in 2022.

Mike is a cyber security engineer with a masters in systems engineering from PSU. His favorite teams to watch are the Philadelphia Eagles, PSU Hockey and the Philadelphia Flyers.

Stefan Lewellen grew up playing hockey in Austin, TX before the city had an NHL-sized rink. When his young son became interested in hockey, Stefan decided to give coaching a try. He now enjoys coaching as much as his day job (finance professor) and is excited to help our 8U players develop both as athletes and as little human beings. 

Stefan believes fun is the most important ingredient in hockey, especially at the 8U level. Without fun, children will not develop a passion for hockey, and without a passion for hockey, what child in their right mind would get up and try again after falling on their bottom for the 43^rd time while trying to run backwards and sideways on skates? Given this, Stefan tries to build fun into everything the team does. Along the way, he also hopes to teach some lessons about how to fail, how to succeed, how to support others, and how to be good teammates and good citizens while playing the greatest game on earth.