Janesville, WI – Janesville Jets head coach Joe Dibble earned his 100th win with the franchise Saturday following a 5-3 decision at home over the Minnesota Magicians.
“My partners and I want to congratulate coach Joe Dibble on his 100th career win as head coach of the Janesville Jets,” said team president Bill McCoshen. “Joe is the ultimate “team guy,” so we also want to recognize assistant coach Erik Largen, goalie coach Larry Clemens, and our scouts, Brad Clayton and Lev Cohen, for their tremendous contributions to this achievement.”
Dibble took over the reins in May of 2012, replacing the resigning Dane Litke, who totaled 101 wins in the franchise’s first three seasons. Dibble, a Minnesota native, spent those three seasons with the Springfield Jr. Blues, working his way from an assistant position to head coach.
“When my partners and I hired coach Dibble three years ago, we asked him do something very few teams in the NAHL had ever done – win with younger players,” said McCoshen. “We also wanted to make sure we were developing and advancing as many of our players as possible to D-I programs each and every year. Coach Dibble’s 100th win as head coach of the Janesville Jets is a testament to his ability to execute and continuously improve our hockey model, as well as to his ability to recruit, develop, and advance high-end hockey players from around the globe.”
Dibble, who also serves as general manager, has worked to send 26 players to play NCAA Division I hockey in his three years in Janesville. 22 of those 26 have come over the last two seasons. Captain Drew Callin committed to Bentley University at the end of last year, and has played over 100 games under Dibble.
“Coach Dibble is dedicated,” Callin said. “He has a system he 100% believes in. Once all of us learned that his system will work, once we bought into it fully, we started winning games.”
This approach Dibble has taken – focus on player development and the wins will come – has worked. The Jets recently captured the NAHL regular season title, and, provided they win the final four games of the season, will set league records for both wins (49) and points (100).
“It’s a process that will be copied throughout the league now,” Largen forecasted. “Dibble put a focus on player development and advancement. It worked. He’s had amazing success getting guys to the next level, and it has translated into winning hockey games.
“Seeing those dynamic relationships he has built has been a lesson for me,” continued Largen, who at 28 years old is just beginning his career. “It’s a trait I want to have and carry with me along my coaching career, too.”
For all of the commitments he has secured, the records he has set, and the praise he has drawn, Dibble shies from personal credit.
“It’s nothing I’ve done, it’s what we’ve done,” Dibble said, proving McCoshen’s “team guy” label accurate. “The past and current players, Coach Largen, Coach Clemens, our scouts, our fans, everybody in the front office, this has been a group effort and without everyone that’s involved, I don’t know if this happens.”
Even the shortest conversation with Dibble about the milestone affirms what everyone around him sees: he believes in his players.
“There has been a lot of great young men that have come through Janesville the past three seasons,” Dibble said. “These players have worked their entire lives to further their careers in hockey, and I’m fortunate enough to be in a position to help them along the way. This year’s team is very special. Teams like this don’t come around every year in junior hockey. We’ve always felt if we put the players best interest first and do things the right way, everything else will fall into place, we have to work just as hard for them as they do for each other on the ice.”
With 100 franchise wins, nearly 30 Division I commitments, and now a regular season league title in his third year with the team, it certainly appears things have indeed fallen into place for Dibble.