Kelusky to helm NLL expansion team
Hall of Fame player gets first head-coaching gig with Fort Worth squad
Tracey Kelusky more than earned his first National Lacrosse League head coaching opportunity.
For a decade, the NLL Hall of Fame player has apprenticed in various assistant coaching roles from junior to senior to two NLL franchises.
On Monday, he was named the inaugural head coach of the NLL expansion Panther City Lacrosse Club of Fort Worth, Texas.
The Peterborough native spent three seasons as an assistant to Mat Giles with the Merit Precision Jr. A Lakers, five years as Mike Hasen’s assistant with the Century 21 Lakers, four seasons as assistant to Blaine Harrison and Glenn Clark with the New England Black Wolves and two with Paul Day for the Philadelphia Wings.
“I certainly was a student of the game when I played,” Kelusky said. “I love competing and being around the guys and I love our sport. As you get older, you start thinking, ‘What is life after playing?’ I certainly started to wrap my head around that and jumped on a junior bench, which was very important because it doesn’t always translate from being a player to a coach.
“I was fortunate to work with great people like Matty Giles, who I looked up to and is now in the NLL.”
He learned from all the coaches he worked with and fellow assistant coach Jim Milligan and New England GM Rich Lisk, who gave him his first pro job, and he’s grateful to all those who mentored him.
He played on expansion teams in Columbus and Montreal, joined Calgary in Year 2 and assisted Day in building the expansion Wings. Those are all experiences that will help in building a team in Fort Worth with general manager Bob Hamley. The team expects to debut in 2022.
“One of the things I prided myself most as a player was building that culture and team component,” he said. “When my coaching time came, I moved to New England, which was the old Philly team, but really a new start for the organization. Then I went back to Philly, which was a brand new start. I don’t know if that’s something that is following me around or I’m following it around, but it’s something I’ve learned a lot about as a player and a coach.
“I’ve been able to work alongside some unbelievable leaders in the management and player side, which has taught me a ton about this process. As a player and coach, this is something that is not new to me.”
He worked with Hamley for Canada’s national box team and appreciates the opportunity.
“I’m very thankful for the opportunity and humbled by it,” Kelusky said.
Hamley said it was a proud moment for him to introduce Kelusky.
“Tracey has a rich history in our game and is a talented coach,” Hamley stated in a news release. “Tracey has a proven ability to develop players and maximize their abilities. For these and many other reasons, we are thrilled to have him represent Panther City Lacrosse.”
As Wings offensive coach, Kelusky oversaw the league’s highest-scoring offence during the 2019-20 season.
“Paul (Day) in particular knew it was my dream to be a head coach and he certainly helped me,” Kelusky said.
In a 14-year playing career, Kelusky found the back of the net 383 times, dished out 440 assists and racked up 823 points in 195 games playing for the Columbus Landsharks, Montreal Express, Calgary Roughnecks, Buffalo Bandits and Philadelphia.
He was named the 2000-01 NLL Rookie of the Year after being drafted out of the University of Hartford. Kelusky was the NLL all-star MVP in ’05 and won two Champion’s Cups in ’04 and ’09 in Calgary. He’s also won seven Mann Cup rings with the Lakers, four as a player and three as a coach.