Spring Lake Park Schools, MN - District 16






Boys' Hockey
 



Head Coach: Tom Benson

    Coach Benson is in his 16th season as Head Hockey Coach and Senior High Physical Education teacher at Spring Lake Park. His coaching record at SLP is 181-164-6.
     After graduating from Dunsmuir high school in his hometown of Victoria, British Columbia, Benson played three years of Junior Hockey in Kelowna & Summerland of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League before accepting a hockey scholarship to attend the University of North Dakota.
     At North Dakota, Benson played four years as a defenseman, helping the Fighting Sioux win the WCHA & NCAA Division I Championship in 1987. He also served as the captain at UND his senior year in 1987-88. He graduated from UND with a Degree in Physical Education/Health and was a member of the All-American Academic team for three years at UND.
    Benson was inducted in the UND Athletic Hall of fame in 2006 as a member of the ‘87 team. After a short stint playing pro hockeyin the IHL and ECHL, Benson began his teaching and coaching career in Grafton, North Dakota in 1989.
    From 1990 to 1993, he was an Assistant Coach at Mankato State University where he helped the Mavericks to two NCAA Tournaments and a second place finish in the NCAA National Tournament in 1991.
    Coach Benson's wife's name is Stacey and they have 3 sons, Christopher (17), who plays for the Panthers, 11 year old, Zachary a Coon Rapids Pee Wee and 7 year old Nicholas, a Coon Rapids Mite player.
 

Head JV Coach: Heath DeBoer
 
 
Coach DeBoer will be starting his 3rd season at SLPHS as the very successful Head Junior Varsity coach. Previously to SLP, Coach DeBoer coached in the Anoka Youth Hockey program for 10 years, before returning back home to Spring Lake Park.
 
Coach DeBoer has a long history with Spring Lake Park hockey. He played in the Youth Hockey program from Ponies (age 5) through Bantams. After youth hockey, Coach DeBoer played for Spring Lake Park’s Varsity team for three years (grades 10-12). He was All Conference in grades 11 and 12, and All Metro Honorable Mention in grade 12. After graduating from SLP in 1988, Coach DeBoer continued his hockey career after high school playing in the USHL for the North Iowa Huskies '88-'89 and '89-'90 (National Champions '88-89'), and at U of W-Superior '90-'91. He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues (NHL) in 1988, but his career was cut short because of injuries.
 
Coach DeBoer owns an interior construction subcontracting company based in Brooklyn Center, MN. He lives in Coon Rapids with wife Sue, son Blake, who plays for the Panthers, and two daughters, Casey and Miranda (both hockey players in the Anoka Association). Coach DeBoer’s hobbies include hunting and fishing.
 


 
Assistant Varsity Coach: Dave Turbitt