Tim Wallace is AIB MK Lightning’s Player Head Coach
We are pleased to confirm that Tim Wallace will be returning to All In Black Milton Keynes Lightning as Head Coach, Player and Director of Player Personnel and Development for the 2022/23 Season. Tim is sponsored by 123 Internet Group and we are hugely grateful for their support!
The move to a Player Coach model follows a review of our hockey structure as MKL Director Jon Payne explains: “We have restructured our coaching team so that we can focus more heavily on player development and on-ice performance. Having a player coach of Tim’s calibre allows us to combine his extensive experience as a player at the highest level and as head coach at the Elite level with two teams where he won the Elite Series. He has played both with and against the best players in the world and has learnt from some of the best coaches in the game. Not only that, Tim is an all round great guy who is well known and well loved by the MK fans and has a real passion for engaging with the community which we as a club will have more opportunity to do now that the world is a little more normal”
37 year old Tim is a native of Anchorage Alaska, and has extensive experience playing and coaching at the highest levels of the sport. He left home at the age of 16 to play for the USA National Development Team in Ann Arbor Michigan where he won Gold medals at the Under 17 World Championships and Under 18 World Championships.
He went on to graduate from The University of Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Arts, Double majoring in Sociology and Computer Applications. At Notre Dame he won The Iron Man Award, playing in 153 consecutive games, never missing a game in 4 years.
His professional hockey CV speaks for itself. 101 NHL appearances for Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes. 439 AHL appearances across Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Bridgeport Sound Tigers and The Charlotte Checkers. 82 ECHL appearances with Alaska and Wheeling. And in Europe, extensive experience in the DEL and SHL, including a top scoring season for Örebro HK in the SHL in 2013/14.
Tim first came to the UK in 2017/18 to begin his Elite League career for Sheffield Steelers before joining MK Lightning in the 2018/19 season where he moved into a Player-Coach role mid-season. After that Tim took the Head Coach position at Nottingham Panthers from summer 2019 until early 2022.
Tim joins us immediately to continue our preparations and building of the team for 2022/23 as MKL Director Tom Roberts explains: “We’re already busy building out our team for next year and will share more of our signings over the coming weeks. Our goal is to put a team on the ice which has an identity – a team which plays well organised, disciplined hockey and aims to perform at a consistently high level. Tim’s appointment reflects this ambition as he has worked with some of the best hockey organisations in the world and knows what good looks like. We are looking forward to working with him as Head Coach, and more broadly to build stronger talent pathways through the MK hockey family. We want to work more closely with Storm and Thunder to develop the next generation of Lightning players, as well as helping grow overall participation in the sport. Add to that the massive contribution Tim will make on the ice and it’s an exciting time. Tim topped the playoff scoring charts with 14 points in 8 games and is raring to go in his playing role too.”
Tim said this about his return: “Milton Keynes has always been a special place for my family and I. It’s a well run organisation with a plan for the future that I am excited to be a part of. The potential in Milton Keynes both on and off the ice is what excites me the most.
We have already signed some key players and have more in discussions. I am excited to help develop the talent we have in that locker room. We also have plans for the youth hockey community with announcements coming soon.
Playing this year with a great group of guys and in front of those amazing fans made it an easy choice and ignited the fire I still have for this game. I look forward to a full year back on the ice doing what I love. ”
Tim will wear the number 28 jersey for which the Own and Loan is now available. Please email dave@b2promodesign.com.
Why not sponsor Tim on the kit grid, with options starting at just £10.
