NA3HL Wilderness hire Rock Ridge’s Paddie Elsmore-Sautter as assistant coach
After Ben Johnson’s promotion to head coach, the NA3HL Minnesota Wilderness have hired another former Rock Ridge coach in Paddie Elsmore-Sautter as their assistant coach.
Elsmore-Sautter has a highly decorated coaching and playing career. She most recently spent two seasons as the head coach of the Wolverines girls hockey team. Prior to that, she also spent five years on the staff of the College of St. Scholastica (CSS) women’s hockey team, and also spent time with Cloquet-Esko-Carlton, Duluth Marshall and Roseau’s teams.
As a player, Elsmore-Sautter shined as a goaltender for the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD) helping them win a national championship in 2002 and 2003. She also backstopped Switzerland in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Elsmore-Sautter becomes the first woman to be a part of a NA3HL coaching staff since it came under the umbrella of the North American Hockey League in 2010. Her first time behind the Wilderness bench will be Friday night, when Minnesota hosts Alexandria at the Eveleth Hippodrome at 7:05 p.m.
This however also means Rock Ridge girls hockey needs a new bench boss for the 2024-2025 season.