MACON, Ga. — The Macon Mayhem have made a decision for the team’s next head coach.
Former Quad City Storm head coach Dave Pszenyczny agreed to join the Mayhem as their next head coach.
“We are thrilled to welcome Dave for many reasons, but most importantly, he fits and portrays the vision we have for the culture of this team moving forward,” Mayhem owner and CEO Chuck Norris said. “He is not only an experienced coach with a proven track record in the SPHL, but he is also a great person.”
Pszenyczny joined the Storm as their first ever head coach. He was on the sidelines for Quad City’s inaugural season in 2018.
He coached the team for five seasons and was with the team for six years — the 2020-2021 season was canceled due to COVID.
He brought them to the playoffs twice. Once in the 2021-2022 season and most recently in the 2023-2024 season.
His best record as a head coach was in the 21-22 season, where his team went 32-15 and lost in the second round of the playoffs. He hasn’t made it past that point in the SPHL post season.
Pszenyczny has been a coach in the SPHL for six years, but have been in the league since the 2015-2016 season, where he joined the Peoria Rivermen as a player.
He played with them for the last three years of his career before trading in his pads and skates for a suit and clipboard.
During that time, he was league runner-up every year and was the Defenseman of the Year in the 2017-2018 season.
The Sterling Heights, Michigan native played for 14 different teams across his 17 year professional hockey career.
He played in several leagues including the NAHL, the OHL, the UHL, the AHL, the ECHL, the CHL and the SPHL.
His best career performance was in the 2011-2012 season, where he had a career high in 14 goals and 36 points.
Pszenyczny will serve as the team’s sixth head coach in Macon’s history.
The Mayhem have been through several coaches over the past few years.
After a disappointing season, which saw its former head coach being fired, missing the playoffs completely and its interim head coach leaving the team at the end of the season, Pszenyczny said he knows how much fans want consistency and to find some success in the 2024-2025 season.
“There has been a lot of changes and uncertainty around Macon hockey in the past couple of years,” he said. “In my many visits to Macon as both a coach and player, it’s clear that the team has great support from the community – starting with a passionate fan base. Through my conversations recently, it’s clear we also have support from the venue and the city, which is crucial. My goal is to bring it all together on the ice and I am working every day towards building a team that I know we can all be proud of, both on and off the ice.”
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