Coach Jim Arno Ready to Improve Mehlville Hockey Club

The has a new coach who wants to put the club front and center at the Mid-States Club Hockey Association. Jim Arno, Sr. has coached for more than 20 years in some of the area’s powerhouses and now takes his knowledge to Mehlville. 

The team hasn’t had an easy journey the past two years. After a varsity coach that quit seven games into the 2010-2011 season, . The team went 10-15-2 this season. 

Arno, 56, said he got involved because he wants to help the program develop into something better.

“It’s easy to coach at De Smet, it’s easy to coach at Vianney because they’re established schools,” he said. “You win championships but there’s more to this game than just coaching at those schools." 

The coach begins right away with the that started Monday. He said getting to know the players, their strengths and aptitude was his top priority.

In August, the club starts practicing on the ice.

“That’s going to be really crucial for me to visually see what we have, see exactly what they can do with passing and skating skills,” he said. ”I don’t know half the teams they play, but if we play our game, that doesn’t really matter." 

The team only lost three seniors to graduation and Arno has high hopes for the future of the club.

“If we don’t win, if we don’t do anything else, I want to see them on the map,” he said. “Mehlville’s been around since the beginning of Mid-States and people just don’t know about it.”

The coach has a long history with hockey. Starting at age 4, he played for Parkway West High School before moving to a AAA league and the National Roller Hockey Team.

As a child, his coach told him the most important thing is giving back to the game.

Arno’s two sons inspired him to coach. He got involved in the Kirkwood club hockey program and then coached at St. Mary’s High School. After coaching at Vianney for two years, he was with De Smet for eight.

“I just want to start over again and find a high school that wants to do something, the parents want something to be done and they’re all behind the kids,” he said.

Arno also spent three years as the Junior Varsity coach for the Oakville Hockey Club, who made it to the .

He and his wife, Patti, live in Town and Country.