St. Cloud State announced Thursday the addition of R.J. Enga to the Huskies’ coaching staff as director of operations and video coordinator.
Enga replaces Nick Tomczyk, who was named head coach for Purdue Northwest’s ACHA team this week.
Joining the SCSU coaching staff with 17 years of coaching experience at the collegiate, amateur and professional levels, Enga most recently served a seven-year stint as an assistant coach at his alma mater, Colorado College.
“We are very fortunate to add a highly-accomplished collegiate coach of R.J.’s caliber to our St. Cloud State hockey program,” said Huskies head coach Brett Larson in a statement. “His experience as a player and a coach at nearly every level of hockey will be a valuable commodity in the ever-important role he will play within our program. We can’t wait to welcome R.J. and his family to the St. Cloud community.”
“I’m so excited to join the St. Cloud State staff and be part of this great program,” Enga added. “I am truly honored and humbled to be with this staff and team. Coach Larson is an incredible coach and an even better person, and has built an amazing staff and culture here at St. Cloud. I will do whatever I can from my position to help this team attain the goals they have set out to accomplish. Coach Larson and I go way back and to be able to work together again is amazing.”
Prior to his time in Colorado Springs, Enga spent three seasons (2011-14) as an assistant coach and director of player development with the USHL’s Chicago Steel.
Enga joined Larson on the coaching staff of the 2012 USA National Team at the World Junior A Challenge, where the pair helped lead Team USA to a gold medal. Enga led all video operations for the team, collaborated to select the team’s roster, and assisted with all on-ice practice planning and execution.
He also spent time as an assistant coach with the NAHL’s Topeka RoadRunners (2009-11), as a volunteer assistant at Colorado College (2008-09) and as the director of hockey for the Colorado Springs Amateur Hockey Association (2004-09).
Before entering the coaching profession, Enga was a 10th-round selection by the New York Islanders in the 1990 NHL Draft and enjoyed a 10-year professional hockey career at virtually every level. He totaled 779 points in his playing career (324 goals, 455 assists), was named to the East Coast Hockey League All-Rookie Team in 1996, won the West Coast Hockey League’s Taylor Cup as a member of the San Diego Gulls in 2003, and became the Colorado Gold Kings all-time leading scorer with 387 points (165 goals, 222 assists) in just four seasons.
Enga played in 158 games for Colorado College from 1991-95 where he was a member of back-to-back WCHA champion teams (1994-95) and one NCAA tournament team (1995). He was a two-time WCHA All-Academic selection (1994-95), an All-WCHA Team selection in 1994 and a member of Colorado College’s Century Club with 142 points.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in International Political Economy from Colorado College in 1995.
