Program announces 2024-25 head coaches for youth teams
February 22, 2024
The Ohio AAA Blue Jackets have announced its head coaching lineup for the 2024-25 season for its youth teams, which includes Todd Ehrie (2012), James Nash (2013), Dale Jordan (2014) and Gino Ori (12U Girls).
"We are thrilled to have such an accomplished and passionate team of coaches," said president Ed Gingher. "These coaches are high character people that are committed to the every day process of development. They are great role models and teachers for our young players and will challenge them to be the best they can be both on and off the ice."
Coaching assignments for our national bound teams (18U, 16U, 16U Girls, 15O, 14U, 14U Girls and 13O) will be announced following the completion of the district tournament in March.
12U (2012) Head Coach - Todd Ehrie
Todd Ehrie returns for his 16th season coaching in the program and second consecutive year with the 2012 age group. With more than 30 years of coaching experience, he has been an integral part of the growth of our program and the entire Columbus hockey market. Next season will mark the 6th season as a head coach at the 12U level. In 2014, he led the 2001 birth year to a championship at the prestigious Quebec International PeeWee Tournament.
Ehrie has coached nearly every player that has come through the program at some point, highlighted by the 1997 team that included future NHLers Jack Roslovic, Kole Sherwood and Carson Meyer for several years. He has also spent time as an assistant coach at the 15O, 16U and 18U levels and was the head coach of the 2006 team at the 15O level.
12U Girls (2012/2013) Head Coach - Gino Ori
Gino Ori enters his first season as head coach in the program after serving as an assistant coach for the 12U Girls during its inaugural season in 2023-24. Ori has been instrumental in the growth of girls hockey in Central Ohio in recent years. From 2018-2022, he served as a head coach at EYHA and coached for the Central Ohio Girls Hockey program. In 2022-23, he led the EYHA Lady Dragons to a championship at the Silver Stick Tournament in St. Clair Shores, MI and a runner up finish in the International Silver Stick in Toronto.
A native of Niles, IL, Ori grew up playing AA hockey in the Chicago area. Following his youth career, he attended Miami University in Oxford, OH where he played four seasons for their club team, helping lead the team to the ACHA National Championship during his sophomore year.
11U (2013) Head Coach - James Nash
James Nash enters in his ninth season coaching in the program and sixth as a head coach. For the past three seasons, Nash has served as head coach at the 13U level. In all, he has more than 10 years of coaching experience and has spent considerable time as a professional skills coach working with elite players of all ages.
A native of Brampton, Ontario, Nash grew up playing AAA hockey in Toronto for the Mississauga Rebels of the GTHL (formerly MTHL). He also won an all-Ontario championship with the Brampton Maroons. Nash went on to play his junior hockey for the Mississauga Chargers (OPJHL) and college hockey for Humber College.
10U (2014) Head Coach - Dale Jordan
Dale Jordan enters his 19th season with the program and will once again serve as head coach at the 10U level. As the program's hockey director, Dale assists with the oversight of the administrative aspect of the program and is responsible for managing teams in the 10U-12U age groups.
Dale has over 20 years of coaching experience at all different levels and has been a head coach in our program since 2007. Prior to joining the AAA Blue Jackets, he served as the varsity coach at St. Charles High School for 5 seasons from 2002-2006. During that time he also was a head coach for multiple bantam and pee wee AA travel teams at CCYHA. Jordan also spends time as a private hockey instructor and helps manage the program's camps, clinics and on-ice skills training sessions.
A native of Pittsburgh, PA, Jordan played his junior hockey for the Columbus Crush and has playing experience at both the Junior A and Junior B levels.
Tryouts will occur between April 8-16, 2024. To learn more, visit our boys tryouts and girls tryouts pages.
If you are interested in applying to serve as an assistant coach, please email us at info@aaabluejackets.com.
The Ohio AAA Blue Jackets program prides itself on being the premier youth hockey program in Ohio. With an every day mission to develop our student-athletes to reach their potential on and off of the ice, the program aims to provide a healthy and safe environment for the elite player to grow as a player, person and teammate through the great game of hockey.