Huskies Staff



	Huskies Staff

Butch Johnson - OWNER AND PRESIDENT

1998-99 will begin the fifth year for Butch Johnson's ownership of the Huskies. Butch Johnson had made it possible for the Husky organization to grow and continue to provide the fans of North Iowa an exciting hockey team and a great entertainment option for the community.
Butch has successfully owned and operated Johnson Timber Corporation in Hayward, Wisconsin and has brought his no nonsense approach to the Huskies. His motto is simple--Work hard and do the best we can and things will work! It is that approach the Huskies take from the office to the locker room to the ice.

In addition to operating Johnson Timber and the Huskies, Butch is also the President of the U.S.H.L. Board of Directors, a position to which he was elected prior to last season. Butch's vision and work ethic is definitely helping the U.S.H.L. into the 21st Century. Butch is committed to providing the best opportunity available for the players to advance themselves into college and professional hockey.

Butch and his wife Pat have four sons and two daughters and they reside year round in Hayford.

Steve Nelson - GM/HEAD COACH

Steve Nelson begins his first season as a head coach in the United States Hockey League. Steve arrives in North Iowa via the Des Moines Buccaneers where he served as an assistant coach for two seasons and in 1997-98 capturing a National Championship. Prior to Des Moines, Steve spent one season as an assistant coach for the Sioux City Musketeers. In 1996-97 Sioux City hosted the National Championships and finished runner-up to the Green Bay Gamblers for the championship.

Steve is originally from Robinsdale , Minnesota. He played his junior hockey for the Selkirk Steelers (MJHL) and the Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL). Steve played his college hockey at the University of Wisconsin Superior while earning a Bachelor of Science degree. During the off season Steve is involved with coaching the USA Hockey select programs. Steve embraces the opportunity to coach in the USHL and especially with the North Iowa Huskies.

Bob Fisher- PBP BROADCASTER/PUBLIC ADDRESS ANNOUNCER

Known as "SportsBob" to most of his listeners, Bob Fisher is back for his third year as the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Huskies. All away games can be heard on AM-1490 KRIB, while Bob sits down with Coach Nelson most Tuesday and Thursday mornings during the season for Huskie Talk on sister-station 106.1-FM KLSS.

Bob is a 1990 graduate of Mason City High School, attending the University of Iowa from 1990-1994. He was part of the play-by-play team for Iowa Hawkeye Women's Basketball as well as Men's Baseball during the 1993-94 season at KRUI in Iowa City. Bob came back to Mason City to be the broadcast engineer for Huskies games during their first KRIB/KLSS in July 1995 after a brief stint with a radio station in Decorah. When not on the road with the Huskies or at the arena doing the public address announcing, Bob can also be heard calling games on KRIB for Clear Lake High School, as well as reporting news and sport for the Associated Press and Radio Iowa.

Bob will serve a two-year term on the Iowa Sportscaster's Association Executive Board as Secretary from January 1998 until December 1999. He received the I-S-A's award for Best Sports Reporting in August.

Dave Larson - ASSISTANT COACH

Dave Larson joins the Huskies for his first year of coaching. Larson played two seasons of junior hockey for the St. Paul Vulcans of the USHL and was a member of their 1991-92 National Championship team. After St. Paul, he played four years of Division 1 collegiate hockey at the University of Minnesota of the western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) and was a key player in two Gopher NCAA Final Four appearances.

Larson continued his hockey career professionally competing for the Colonial Cup champion Quad City Mallards of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL) in 1996-97 and as an Assistant Captain for the Mobile Mysticks of the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) this past season.

David and his wife, Jennifer just had their first child, Jack David on the 12th of August.

Steve Nelson-GM/HEAD COACH
Dave Larson- ASSISTANT COACH
Chris Hormuth- ATHLETIC TRAINER