Gregorich Prioritizes Head Coaching Role For M1 Griffins

It’s not often that you get the opportunity to be a head coach for your alma mater and that is exactly what Waterford Sharks former captain Alex Gregorich plans to do full-time this season. 

Our own “Voice of the Waterford Sharks” John Ott caught up with “Grego” to discuss his new coaching role, talk what’s next with the Sharks and dive into a hockey career filled with a multitude of learning experiences.

Gregorich is a graduate of Berkley High School and was the assistant coach of the M1 United program underneath Paul Fox last season. The same season he ended up winning the championship with the Sharks over the Muskegon Voyagers.  

“I decided to step down from being the captain of the Sharks because with that role you need full commitment,” Gregorich said. I’m putting all of my energy and effort into the younger generation and really try to help and benefit these boys because there is a lot of potential and I really like what’s there now.”     

Officially, M1 Griffins United is a consolidation of the Berkley, Clawson, Ferndale and Royal Oak school districts… so there is a large pool of talent that Gregorich can draw from to compete with schools like Novi Detroit Catholic Central. United had a 16-8 season last year but lost to the Shamrocks in the regional finals. But this group has been in that exact spot for three years in a row now and Gregorich is excited for the challenge to take them even farther. Fox chose Gregorich because of the vast amount of hockey knowledge and life experience that he possesses.  

Alongside Nick Papandrea, Jarrett, Brendan, Cameron Pfeiffer and Frost… “Grego” knows that the process of starting a program from scratch just as he first did with Indiana Tech is difficult and you can only learn by going through the growing pains. 

“We got there in 2014-2015, it was just a bunch of guys that didn’t know each other… a band of misfits,” Gregorich said. 

“All of us played juniors, and we came in there and thought we would be pretty good… and I think we won eight games that year! It was a pretty eye-opening… and a fantastic learning experience to what it actually took to be a part of a team, learn what culture means, and learn what it takes to be a part of something bigger than yourself.”   

The team went just 8-25 in their inaugural season… but as the group bonded, enjoyed college life, started stacking talent and developing a culture on the ice it didn’t take long for the program to enjoy success. By 2018-2019, Indiana Tech (34-3-0, 8-2) had a 26-win improvement and two championship appearances in over four years’ time. That 34-win team ended the season with a 29-game winning streak and claimed the NAIA title.   

Just two years later, after a stint with the Port Huron Prowlers in the Federal Prospects Hockey League… Gregorich got a phone call from Jon Stonehouse and Nick Parrott to discuss the thought of playing in Waterford. That knowledge that Gregorich carried over with him (and his teammates) from college made the building process of what eventually became the Sharks much easier.  

“Spencer Boman and Michael Kavlakian were alongside as the core group trying to figure out the team’s name, colors and where we were going to play,” Gregorich said. “Now I have this feeling of getting to be the foundation of something again. Using that experience at Indiana Tech of how we were able to gain players, and make sure we had nothing but good people in that locker room… it’s all about the same process, we just got to learn faster because of our experience.”      

Waterford made the finals for a couple of seasons and had players on the roster that would become pillars, but the Sharks were still missing something. There wasn’t a voice on the ice to guide players through strategies and tendencies. Alex gave an excellent breakdown of what this looks like in real-time trying to compete for a championship! 

“Two years ago… Chad, Dirk (Thur) and I were all players at this time and agreed that we needed a coach on the bench. Organization was crucial. We had to be pushed in the right direction,” Gregorich said. 

“When I’m on the ice, I can’t also focus on line matchups, what other coaches do and their systems. I just have to focus on my job. Not having anyone on the bench to dictate that… we didn’t stand a chance in the nitty-gritty of the playoffs and couldn’t perform at the level we needed to without that. That is where Chad got the start behind the bench amid some back issues and we saw how it improved the team.” 

Gregorich is very self-aware and can take almost any situation and turn it into a positive learning experience. It’s one thing to have such a healthy mindset, but to actually put that methodology into practice so often is something drastically different that sets him apart, it’s one of the many reasons he was selected captain.   

Throughout our conversation there were a lot of thanks to everyone involved inside the Sharks organization and mentioning of past players like Brandon Contratto and Nikolas Langley-Rogers who were all on staff together during the 2022-2023 season at Grosse Pointe South. They have since left to explore other opportunities… but it was there that Gregorich got involved in coaching at the prep level and really took a shine to it.  

Gregorich was also able to shine a light on what his future role with the Sharks will be.  

“I’m still going to be a part of the Sharks,” Gregorich said. “I’m still going to play when I can, I’m going to hop in the front office, conduct business operations and be wherever Nick needs me. How do we keep the Sharks on top? That’s the new mission.”  

Alex has experienced every high and low when it comes to his hockey career, but he has always surrounded himself with good people. That wealth of experience that he gets to share with the next generation of young adults will make them better prepared in athletics and life in general. “I never played high school hockey and I always regretted it,” Gregorich said. The world works in funny ways when it all comes around.”  

The entire organization would like to wish “Grego” the best of luck in his new role with M1 United and look forward to the next chapter of Sharks hockey under his continued leadership.   

The team is still working to announce a new head coach and captaincy on the ice. We will be passing along updates when they become official.  

THANK YOU FROSTY! 

—  The Sharks media circle published a story on the journey of former bench boss Chad Frost, if you missed it… see the story here. (https://tinyurl.com/5a7nk88b)