Matt Niskanen talks about his job in Rock Ridge, his experiences in the locker room and his expectations

In 2018, Virginia native and UMD graduate Matt Niskanen won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals. They had just defeated the Golden Knights 4-1 to win their franchise's first championship.

Click on the video box below to watch the full interview between Niskanen and WDIO's Alicia Tipcke.

Today, after a 13-year career in the NHL, the man known as “Nisky” is the head coach of the Rock Ridge boys hockey team.

“The school decided to make a change. When the position was advertised, I applied, went through the interview and was offered the position. I jumped at the opportunity,” Niskanen said. “It's really exciting. This is my home and I'm excited to get back into hockey after a two-year break. We have a good group of kids here who really love the game and want to compete and get better. I'm excited to create an environment where they can do that and compete in state tournaments.”

Niskanen himself helped Virginia-MIB to its first state tournament in 2005 and then played two seasons for UMD.

In 2005, he was drafted in the first round by the Dallas Stars. He later played for the Stars, Penguins, Capitals and Flyers.

In this career, the new coach learns a lot about how to manage a locker room.

“I was fortunate enough to play for a long time after high school and played for a lot of different coaches, some good, some bad, and there were different team chemistry between the organizations I was with. I learned what a good locker room looks like, what a culture looks like. Hopefully I can instill that in the kids. Kind of building a culture of competition, coaching well, always striving to get better. High school hockey should be the best time of your life and it was for me. I want the kids here to experience that too.”

Niskanen retired from the NHL in 2020.

He takes over the Rock Ridge program from Ben Johnson, whose contract was not renewed.

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