Kevin Kaminski

Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations



Kevin Kaminski begins his second year on the bench of the CHL Northeast Division champion RiverKings, immediately making his mark following just one season in the Mid-South.

In his first season with the RiverKings, Kaminski guided his team to a 44-17-3 regular season record. The RiverKings followed that with a six-game victory over the Oklahoma City Blazers in the Northern Conference semi-finals, before being eliminated by Colorado in the Northern Conference finals.

Kaminski was named CHL Coach of the Year to recognize his efforts. The 44 victories immediately put Kaminski into sixth place all-time for RiverKings coaching victories and his .711 winning percentage has him tops all-time in the RiverKings organization.

This past season also saw Kaminski win his 200th career coaching victory in a 5-1 conquest of Rocky Mountain on February 8th, 2009.

Kaminski arrived in the Mid-South after two years as the head coach of the CHL’s Youngstown SteelHounds, leading them to the Ray Miron President’s Cup playoffs in both seasons.

He amassed an impressive 73-40-15 overall regular season record at Youngstown, including a 39-20-5 mark in his last season there. The SteelHounds finished second in the Northeast Division regular season standings in 2007-2008, one point ahead of the RiverKings and the Texas Brahmas. Youngstown was ousted in the quarterfinals of the playoffs by eventual league runner-up Colorado in five games of a best-of-seven series.

In Kaminski’s first season with the SteelHounds in 2006-07, he coached the franchise to a 34-20-10 ledger, which was good for third place in the Northeast Division’s regular season. Youngstown met Colorado in the Northern Conference quarterfinal playoffs that year, falling to the Eagles in six games of a best-of-seven series.

Prior to his tenure in Youngstown, Kaminski was head coach of the Missouri River Otters of the United Hockey League for two seasons. He began his head coaching career with the Long Beach Ice Dogs of the West Coast Hockey League. The Ice Dogs became a member of the East Coast Hockey League, now known as the ECHL, during Kaminski’s second year there.

Kaminski served as an assistant coach in 2000 with the Cincinnati Mighty Ducks of the American Hockey League under head coach Mike Babcock, who this season led the Detroit Red Wings to the Stanley Cup playoff championship. Kaminski worked under Babcock in Cincinnati for two seasons before his move to California and the start of his head coaching career.

Kaminski began his NHL playing career as a third-round selection of the Minnesota North Stars in 1987, but played only one game with Minnesota before a trade sent him to the Quebec Nordiques in 1989. Kaminski played six games with Quebec and spent time with the Nordiques’ AHL affiliates in Halifax and Fort Wayne before being sent to the Washington Capitals prior to the 1993-94 season. He played the rest of his NHL career with the Capitals, seeing time in all or parts of four seasons, finishing his NHL career with three goals and 13 points in 139 games played.

Kaminski probably made his biggest impact during his playing career as a member of the Portland Pirates of the AHL. In 113 career games with Portland, he scored 33 goals for 87 points and a franchise all-time high of 797 penalty minutes. Aided by Kaminski’s four goals and nine points in the playoffs, the Pirates won the Calder Cup playoff title in 1994. Three years later in 1997, Kaminski won the Most Popular Player award voted on by Portland fans and in 2000 was named to the franchise’s Hall of Fame.

Kaminski is a native of Churchbridge, Saskatchewan and lives in Southaven.