JOHNSTOWN, PA- Mike Letizia has tendered his resignation from his position as the Head Coach of the Johnstown Tomahawks which ownership accepted. The Chicago, Illinois native has been behind the bench for all 12 seasons of Tomahawks hockey. Letizia spent his first two seasons as the assistant coach to former Johnstown Chiefs enforcer Jason Spence before taking over the head coaching duties for the 2014-2015 NAHL season.
In ten seasons as the Tomahawks head boss, Letizia collected 338 regular season victories in his tenure and his most successful season concluded with an NAHL East Division title and a trip to the league’s championship tournament during the 2018-2019 season before ultimately falling in the national semifinals. Letizia was named the NAHL Coach of the Year after the 18-19 campaign. Other coaching accolades include the NAHL East Division Coach of the Year for three consecutive seasons (18-19, 19-20, 20-21). Letizia has also guided close to 100 Tomahawks players to NCAA Division 1 commitments.
Letizia’s contribution to the local hockey community extends well beyond the X’s and O’s. As a valued leader, Letizia created a culture of community pride that permeates throughout the locker room and all of 1ST SUMMIT ARENA. The Tomahawks have been heavily involved in the local community since their inception in 2012. One of the most honorable contributions of Letizia’s community efforts came in 2019 when became an ambassador of the American Cancer Society’s Real Men Wear Pink campaign and raised over $10,000 for breast cancer research and awareness in honor of his wife, Alana.
Letizia’s resignation comes after the Tomahawks’ 2-0 series loss to the New Jersey Titans in the first round of the 2024 NAHL Robertson Cup playoffs.
John Koufis, CEO of the Tomahawks commented, “Fellow owner Craig Saylor and I would like to thank Mike for his 12 years of service to the Johnstown Tomahawks and the Johnstown community. We wish him and his family the best of luck in their future endeavors.”
Koufis further noted, “A short transition period will allow hockey operations staff, led by Assistant Coach Nick Mish and Director of Scouting Chuck Linkenheld, in the interim, to coordinate specifically the upcoming tryout camps and scouting plans in advance of our NAHL draft in June. The search for a new head coach will begin immediately. All interested parties should submit their resumes for consideration to hockeystaffjobs@johnstowntomahawks.com”