Meet alumni who won on and off the ice
Frank Serratore
Air Force Academy, Men’s Hockey Coach
After playing goalie for four years in college at Western Michigan University and Bemidji State University, Frank Serratore earned his master’s degree in athletic administration and physical education from the University of North Dakota. While in school, Serratore spent his summers coaching at Minnesota Hockey Camps from 1981 to 1995.
Currently in his 12th season as head men’s hockey coach for Air Force Academy, Serratore has led the team to back-to-back league championships and NCAA Tournament appearances. In the 2008-09 season, Serratore led Air Force to 21 wins; the most Division 1 wins in the school’s history.
Tony Granato
Pittsburgh Penguins, Assistant Coach
Tony Granato attended Minnesota Hockey Camps in the 1980s, training between his college, Olympics and NHL seasons. He is now an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. His coaching history also includes six seasons with the Colorado Avalanche, where he led the team to the Northwest Division title in 2003.
Granato played 13 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers (1988-90), Los Angeles Kings (1990-96) and San Jose Sharks (1996-2001).
He says attending Minnesota Hockey Camps as a player helped him learn the work ethic and conditioning training it takes to be a professional hockey player.
Ty Eigner
Bowling Green State University, Men’s Hockey Coach
Growing up, Ty Eigner and his two younger brothers, Trent and Troy, spent their summers at Minnesota Hockey Camps. Since money was tight, their mom worked as the camp cook and aerobics instructor while the boys did odd jobs around camp and eventually became camp counselors to pay their dues.
Chuck Grillo introduced the family to hockey in 1980. All three Eigner boys played Division 1 college hockey and now, 30 years later, and assistant coach at Bowling Green State University, Ty Eigner continues to spend his summers at camp.
"Minnesota Hockey Camps introduced me to the game, showed me a lot of hard work and effort pays off as a player and now as a coach,” he said. “I don’t know of another place/camp in North America that compares to Minnesota Hockey Camps."
