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"Paul Pearl and David Berard frequently comment about Castan Sommer’s instincts, understanding, awareness and attention to detail. Those are traits he developed growing up in hockey and especially being around his dad, former Worcester Sharks coach Roy Sommer.
The younger Sommer, who led Shrewsbury High to a Division 3 state title and starred at Holy Cross from 2012-16, embarked on his own coaching career four years ago as an assistant with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL). Now, he is returning to Holy Cross to join new coach Bill Riga’s staff.
“I really enjoyed my time at Holy Cross and I’m definitely excited to learn some new aspects of coaching and see college hockey from a different perspective,” Sommer said Tuesday morning in a phone interview from his family’s summer home in Montana. “I’m very excited.”
"Riga, a former assistant at Quinnipiac, succeeded Berard in May, and his first Holy Cross staff certainly has some Central Mass. flair. In addition to Sommer’s Shrewsbury ties, Riga is a Westborough native and new volunteer assistant Bobby Butler, who played for four NHL teams, was a record-setter at Marlborough High.
“In hockey there is one degree of separation, maybe two,” Sommer said. “Everyone is tight knit, especially in Central Mass.”
"Former Rivier University coach Eric Sorenson will also serve as a Crusaders assistant and recent Holy Cross graduate Blake Hailer as the team’s director of operations.
After graduating from Holy Cross, Sommer played professionally in Sweden. Since 2016, he has spent time as a skating coach at the San Jose Sharks Development Camp. He joined the Thunderbirds in 2017 and coached 10 players that were drafted or signed contracts with NHL organizations and nine players who have represented their countries in international competitions."
"“Castan will bring a variety of experiences from his background,” Riga said. “Having coached at a high level in the WHL, he will have an immediate impact on our program on the ice. He has a background growing up in the pro hockey environment and has countless ties in key areas for recruiting. Then, add on the fact that he is a Holy Cross hockey alum and it just made him the perfect fit for the program.”
With the Thunderbirds, Sommer worked with the forwards and the power play, did a lot of the statistical and analytical work, individual video with players and some scouting.
“I learned a ton,” Sommer said, “and it’s an awesome, awesome organization to work for.”
Sommer was on the Holy Cross campus a couple weeks ago.
He said his father, who is coach of the San Jose Barracuda, the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, is obviously a great supporter of his career path.
“He’s always been pretty easygoing,” Sommer said. “He’s never been very forceful on me. It’s always been stuff I want to do. He’s always been supportive, of course, and it’s nice to have someone to talk hockey with, but he never really forced it upon me, even at a young age when it came to playing. It was always my decision, but it’s always been a huge advantage to have him in my corner.”
Sommer was born in Roanoke, Va., and his childhood also included stops in Richmond, Va., San Jose, Calif., Lexington, Ky., and Cleveland, all places Roy Sommer coached. The family relocated to Shrewsbury in 2006 when the San Jose Sharks moved their AHL affiliate from Cleveland to Worcester."
"Castan Sommer’s love of hockey led him to pursue a career in coaching.
“I’ve wanted to stay in the game,” he said. “I can’t really see myself doing anything else.
“I’m young and I’m just trying to learn from good people along the way,” Sommer said. “I know Bill and Eric and Bobby and Blake all have good things to teach me and I’m hoping I can teach them some stuff, too, but that’s what it’s all about right now, adding some tools to my toolbox and learning from them. I’m happy to work with good people at a place that I really have pride in.”
Sommer and Butler used to work out together with Holy Cross strength and conditioning coach Jeff Oliver.
“I have nothing but respect for Holy Cross and obviously Jeff Oliver,” Butler said Tuesday. “He made me into the athlete I became and helped me grow as a person. I have nothing but good things to say about Holy Cross so it kind of made it easy (to join the staff).”
Butler, who recorded 284 points in 116 games at Marlborough High, was a standout at the University of New Hampshire, where he was the Hockey East Player of the Year and Walter Brown Award winner in 2010. Butler played for the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators and Florida Panthers. A three-time AHL all-star, Butler won a Calder Cup with the Binghamton Senators in 2011. He most recently played with the Hartford Wolfpack during the 2018-19 season. He was part of the 2018 U.S. Olympic roster.
Since he finished playing, Butler has been the director of hockey operations for the Junior Railers. He is a director of IceWorks Elite Hockey Training and he ran the Shoot to Score Hockey School.
Butler is looking forward to the college opportunity.
“They’re obviously motivated players,” he said, “and they’re all trying to get to the next level and win championships. I’ve played in pretty much every top league, been through highs and lows, and I just want to be able to help those players, especially in college, because those are the best four years of your life and to just take full advantage of it.”
Riga was one of Butler’s coaches on the Boston Junior Bruins.
“Bobby has NHL and Olympic experience that will have a tremendous impact on our forwards on day one,” Riga said. “His background in teaching at his hockey camps and clinics in the Worcester area give us great resources as well. This is home for him and he is highly respected in the hockey world. We are fortunate to have him join our staff.”