North Kingstown High School named Howie Rosenblatt its new head boys hockey coach last week, and the hockey veteran will be tasked with taking over a Skippers program that will be essentially completely rebuilt from a bygone era by the time winter rolls around.
Rosenblatt's hiring ends the search for a suitable replacement for former head coach Cody Sellers, who led the team to a Division II championship in 2021-22 but had a combined record of two wins, 29 losses and one tie in the two seasons since moving up to Division I. The Skippers will drop down to D-II next season along with Cumberland, with only a few seniors remaining from the championship-winning team.
Rosenblatt, a former NHL draft pick, is a big-name hire. Born in 1969, Rosenblatt played hockey at Shea High School in Pawtucket. The forward played four years of collegiate hockey at Merrimack, scoring a total of 62 points, 59 of which came in his final two years with the Warriors. He was drafted 25th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 1990 NHL Supplemental Draft, which was designed to select ineligible college players separate from the traditional NHL Entry Draft. He never made it to the NHL, but he played in several different leagues, including the ECHL and AHL (with the Providence Bruins), until his retirement in 2002.
Rosenblatt, who currently works as a firefighter in Pawtucket, will bring a wealth of experience to the Skippers. He previously served as an assistant coach for URI hockey and was the head coach at Warwick Vets High School before joining the Rhode Island Hitmen, a youth hockey development program. In North Kingstown, Rosenblatt will lead the Skippers as they attempt to make a comeback in RIIL hockey.
