Trent Vogelhuber's career on the ice was marked by smart, selfless play. He boasts a relatable personality, one that is approachable yet focused and intense.
In other words, he's exactly the kind of person who seemed like a shoo-in to become a coach at the end of his playing career.
Yet...
Vogelhuber ready for opportunity to lead Monsters
Dublin native, former player in the CBJ organization has learned the ropes along the way
"I never thought once about coaching when I was playing," Vogelhuber said. "Not one time."
Wait, really?
Yes, despite seemingly possessing all the attributes of a leader, the Dublin native -- the first local product drafted by the Blue Jackets and the
new head coach of the Cleveland Monsters
, the top farm team of the Blue Jackets -- never thought he'd be behind a bench.
"I was, as I'm sure most players are, so laser-focused on what you're doing on a day-to-day basis, I wasn't thinking at all about what I wanted to do after (playing)," Vogelhuber said. "I was just trying to be the best every day. You have to be so narrowly focused on getting your body and your mind in the right spot to perform 80, 90 nights a year, so I never thought about it at all."
Yet it's fair to say the coaching thing has worked out for Vogelhuber. He was first approached by the CBJ brain trust at the start of the 2018-19 season to go from Monsters player to assistant coach, with his seven-year career as a pro -- whether he knew it or not at the time -- coming to an end.
He had signed with the Monsters -- who he played for in 2015-16 when the Jackets' minor-league team won the Calder Cup -- as a player that season, but with the team boasting more than enough veteran options and playing time likely to be sparse, the Blue Jackets thought Vogelhuber might be better suited to a different role.
There was an opening on the Monsters' staff as the start of the season neared, so CBJ assistant general manager Bill Zito came to Vogelhuber with the idea he go from on the bench to behind it.
"I probably wasn't going to play a whole lot," Vogelhuber says now. "I hadn't thought about coaching before, but it was an opportunity to get into the pro game that I figured if I didn't take it now, it might not come again. So I decided to try it, and I fell in love with it. It turned out to be a huge passion for me.
"I'm obviously glad that I made that decision and grateful they saw something in me I didn't see in myself to give me the opportunity."
Vogelhuber spent the first season on staff with then-Monsters coach John Madden, then was retained on staff when veteran college coach Mike Eaves took over in 2019-20. But a true curveball came this season when Eaves was hurt in the days leading up to last fall's NHL Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Mich.
Vogelhuber quickly became the bench boss of that CBJ squad that went on to go 4-0 and win the tournament, and when Eaves' had health issues that popped up throughout the season that largely kept him from getting back behind the bench, suddenly he was on the spot all year.
"That's what pro hockey is all about is being ready for unexpected opportunities and taking them when they come," he said. "I certainly wouldn't have wanted the year to go the way it did with Eaver's health concerns. It was a tough year because he was in and out all year long. I've said this a few times, I would not want to do that year again the way that we did it, kind of flying by the seat of our pants there.
"But at the same time, I'm really glad I went through it because it was a crash course in being a head coach. I learned the ins and outs of what you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis without any preparation or organization ahead of time. I wouldn't want to do it again, but I'm glad I went through that experience."
Vogelhuber attacked the opportunity like he did his playing career, including his being chosen in the seventh round of the 2007 draft by the Blue Jackets after starting his career with the AAA Blue Jackets. That gave the Dublin native the distinction of being first central Ohioan chosen in the draft by an NHL team since the league came to town, and Vogelhuber went on to play four seasons at Miami University in Oxford before signing with the CBJ organization.
He spent four seasons with the Jackets' AHL team in Springfield and one with the squad once it moved to Cleveland, then two with San Antonio in the Colorado organization before his fateful return to the Monsters. His most productive campaign was the Calder Cup season of 2015-16, when he posted 11 goals and 27 points in the regular season and played in all 17 postseason games for the champs.
His travels have made him someone who has become a critical piece of the fabric of the hockey community all throughout Ohio, including Cleveland and Columbus. He credits coaches like Madden, Eaves and CBJ head coach Brad Larsen for helping build his skills behind the bench, and as the current youngest head coach in the AHL at age 33, he's appreciative of the chance that he's been given.
"It's not lost on me that there's probably a lot of other candidates that would love this job that are more experienced than I am, so I am humbled and incredibly grateful to Chris Clark and Jarmo and the front office for putting their faith in me," Vogelhuber said. "I think it's a credit to the organization. They do a great job of developing not only players but coaches and people and staff as well. You can see that with Lars and Steve McCarthy, who have come up the ranks in the organization in the AHL and now are on the staff of the big club there in Columbus.
"I think it's the right way to do things. You gain loyalty that way. You learn the ins and outs of the organization. You become comfortable and trust each other, the people that you are working with. I'm humbled and honored that they trust me to take the responsibility, but I am just blown away by them. I think they are doing it the right way by developing their staff along with the players."
