A former Swift Current Bronco is back on Saskatchewan soil after spending much of his professional career playing in Germany.

It was announced last week that Dustin Friesen had been hired as U17 Prep head coach and Director of Strength and Conditioning at the Prairie Hockey Academy in Moose Jaw.

The Waldheim Saskatchewan born defenceman spent four years with the Broncos from 2000 to 2004 before attending the University of New Brunswick and then embarking on a lengthy professional career in both the American Hockey League and the German Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).

"It was a bit of a transition but my family and I, we were excited about moving here to Caronport and settling down a little bit.  (They) did really good at transitioning back and forth between Germany and Saskatchewan.  But the family is getting older and it was a really good opportunity here."

After 6 years with ERC Ingolstadt in the top tier DEL, the opportunity to return to Saskatchewan full time came as Friesen said that the current pandemic would have forced him to spend more time away from his family had he stayed.  While the thought about moving to a coaching career had been something he had been considering for a couple of years, the opportunity to do so and the impetus to make the final decision was something that came about largely because of the difficulty that his family would have in transitioning back and forth to Germany during COVID-19.

The urge to teach is what led him to a double degree from the University of New Brunswick; holding a Bachelor's in Education and in Recreation and Sports Studies.  Something that Justin Simpkins, the president of the Prairie Hockey Academy, said would be an asset.

"He has an incredible passion for young student-athletes and helps them develop in the classroom, as individuals, on and off the ice.  This will be evident in his character, work ethic and preparation."

Playing on both sides of the ice as both a forward and a defenseman, as well as having experience on both the international-sized ice surfaces as well as the traditional North American surfaces is something that he felt could be an asset.

"You have more space there.  So just some different technical stuff as far as defending and how to create offence.  In Swift, I played both forward and defence, so I think that'll help me a little bit from the coaching side of it, seeing both sides of the game."

In his time playing in the WHL, Friesen scored 26 goals and 55 assists in 258 games.