STATELINE, Nev. – The Knight Monsters’ new head coach Connor Jones is bringing vital lessons he learned as a player to the Tahoe team—accepting nothing short of hard work and having both joy and respect for the game.
“I’m excited to get behind the bench and lead these guys,” Jones said, “and have a fast-paced team that works hard and wants to win every night.”
The former professional hockey player expressed his vision and goals at a fan meet-and-greet on Friday, Aug. 14, at the Tahoe Blue Events Center, where he shared that the fans are in for a determined team who carry themselves with respect on and off the ice, have a willingness to play the game the right way, and do whatever it takes to win.
He steps into the leadership role as former head coach Alex Loh joins the Henderson Silver Knights as an assistant coach. As the team’s inaugural head coach, Loh led the team to 76 wins in 144 regular-season games and to back-to-back Kelly Cup playoff appearances in the team’s first two years.
Jones plans to build on Loh’s strong foundation, while also bringing his own leadership to the team, crediting the former coach with instilling a robust work ethic and selecting smart players.
“That’s a big part of being a hockey player,” Jones said, “if you can’t think the game, you’re going to have trouble, so just building on that.”
Jones comes to Tahoe after spending two seasons at Princeton University as an assistant coach.
In his collegiate career, Jones served as an alternate captain in his final two seasons at Quinnipiac University, competing in 153 NCAA games.
Professionally, Jones competed in four National Hockey League games with the New York Islanders during the 2016-2017 campaign. He also has 290 American Hockey League games with the Oklahoma City Barons and Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and 79 ECHL games for the Bakersfield Condors and Fort Wayne Komets under his belt.
Jones previously served as a college scout for the Vegas Golden Knights organization from 2022 to 2024 and is excited to be back with the Knights’ affiliation.
This will be Jones’ first time serving as head coach, and is looking forward to the leadership role.
“The opportunity to work here for Tahoe, be a part of this team as a head coach,” he said, “it was an opportunity I couldn’t turn down”
Fans expressed excitement about his well-rounded resume, having both player and coaching experience, as well as college, professional and scouting experience.
“I think he’s going to be a nice addition for the team, so looking forward to the next season,” Carson City resident James Smack said, a dedicated fan repping a Knight Monsters’ Grateful Dead jersey.
To get to the Kelly Cup, Coach Jones says the Knight Monsters need a strong start to the season, winning games early. He said it’s also about keeping the players healthy and the roster set, although he explained that some roster movement is inevitable and requires having players who can step up when needed.
“I think that’s the most important thing,” he said, “is if we have a group of guys that really know their jobs and know what their identities are and roles on this team,” adding that it builds trust, comfort and ultimately makes work a lot of fun each day.
Coach Jones is looking forward to calling Tahoe home. “I mean, it’s got to be one of the best areas to have an ECHL team,” he said, describing Tahoe as a big place with a small community that wraps itself around the players, coaches and team.
The Knight Monsters’ first home game in the upcoming season takes place Friday, October 23, as they take on the New Mexico Goatheads at Tahoe Blue Event Center.
