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Cory Lonke has been hired as the new Austin Bruins goalie coach and assistant coach, the team announced on Wednesday.

Lonke will fill a void left by Keegan Asmundson who opted to pursue other opportunities outside of hockey.

“We are so grateful for the work that Keegan Asmundson put in this past season developing our goalies and coaching on the bench. We respect his decision to follow a new path outside of hockey and wish him the best of luck,” said head coach Steve Howard in a press release. “We’re also extremely excited to bring in a guy with as much experience as Cory [Lonke]. He’s a guy who knows what it takes to get players to the Division I level. His experience, his knowledge, and proximity to the Austin Bruins and Rochester Grizzlies makes him a perfect fit for us and is exactly what we were looking for when we set out to find the next member of the coaching staff.”

For the past two seasons, Lonke has served as head coach of the New Prague Trojans. In addition to coaching the Trojans, Lonke also acted as U.S. scout for the Lloydminster Bobcats of the AJHL in 2019-20.

Lonke is no stranger to the NAHL or the NAHL Central Division, having begun his coaching career as a volunteer goaltending coach with the Minot Minotaruos in 2011, the team’s inaugural season. Throughout six seasons with the Tauros, Lonke rose up the ranks serving as a scout and as assistant coach.

As a player, the Proctor, Minnesota native played two seasons with the College of St. Scholastica (NCAA Division-III) between 2001-2003.

In addition to Lonke, the Bruins have announced that another assistant coach has been identified and hired with an official announcement expected in the coming weeks.

The NAHL regular season kicks off on Oct. 9, 2020, as the Bruins embark on their eleventh year in Austin. Season tickets are available now by calling the front office at 507-434-4978 or emailing TJ Chillot at tj@austinbruins.com.