The Little Caps are pleased to announce that Coach Lyon Messier will return to coach the 2004 group, building on last season’s success in the critical Bantam Major season.  “This season is all about the transition to the elite game.   My goal is to get this group ready to advance to play Tier-1 Midget hockey, and hopefully beyond.”  The Club is pleased to have the right man for the job. 

Messier grew up in the Washington area, and played youth hockey with the Northern Virginia Ice Dogs and the Little Caps.  He then played junior hockey for the Texas Tornado in the North American Hockey League (NAHL), where he won a national championship, and later with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL). He played major junior hockey in Canada for the Kelowna Rockets (WHL) and Erie Otters (OHL), before moving on to play pro hockey for the New Mexico Scorpions of the Central Hockey League (CHL). “Then I went to the New York Rangers main camp, played an AHL game, and then went down to the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and won the Kelly Cup with the South Carolina Stingrays. I feel confident my experience can help our players,” stated Messier.  

After his playing career was over, Lyon moved right into coaching. “I was assistant coach for the U18 Connecticut Wolfpack, and then head coach of the U16s Wolfpack team that was ranked #5 in the nation.  During that time, we moved 12 kids to Division 1 scholarships,” he says.  He moved back to Washington and has been coaching in the Little Caps organization for three years now.  “It’s great to be back and give back to the community where I got my start.  There’s a lot of talent here now.  My goal is to help the kids get the recognition they deserve and help them do good things.”