Watertown, SD — The Watertown Shamrocks are pleased to announce that the organization has hired Brett Wall as an Associate Head Coach ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Wall, who previously served as the club’s Director of Scouting, brings a plethora of coaching and playing experience to the Shamrocks bench. The Huber Heights, Ohio native has over a decade of experience behind the bench, including six years of working in junior hockey. He is also a veteran of the North American Hockey League himself and has NCAA Division I and professional playing experience.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be in Watertown,” Wall said of joining the Shamrocks staff. “I had the opportunity to come up last summer and fell in love with the area and people in the community. When the opportunity came up to be here full time as a coach and community member it was a no brainer for me. The facilities, the way the organization supports its players and the way they are treated by our community is second to none. I’m looking forward to working with Coach Kirley and being back in the NAHL. Go Shamrocks!”
Wall began is coaching journey in 2015-16 when he was a player-assistant coach for the FPHL’s Dayton Demolition. He then stepped in to coaching full time the following season for the USPHL’s Hudson Havoc turning them into a perennial contender and winning 30 or more games in three of his five seasons while amassing a combined record of 136-68-16.
“We are thrilled to have Brett join our coaching staff,” said Casey Kirley, the General Manager and Head Coach of the Shamrocks. “Brett has a strong familiarity with our team and players after serving as our Director of Scouting this past season. He brings several years of head coaching experience at both the junior and collegiate levels, which makes him a valuable resource for everyone in our organization. Brett has done a tremendous job of developing players for higher levels of play and we are extremely fortunate to have him as a key figure in the growth of our players this season.”
Following his time with Hudson, Wall then spent two seasons as the Head Coach for NCAA Division III Lawrence University and a year after that as the head coach of the NAHL’s Janesville Jets in the 2024-25 season. Since then, he has been a fixture for the Chicago Fury AAA program working with a handful of their teams at the 15U, 16U and 18U level.
As a player, Wall was a standout prep player for Lake Forest Academy and spent a season in the NAHL as the captain for the Alexandria Blizzard (now the St. Cloud Norsemen). He played collegiately for four seasons at Lake Superior State University and graduating in 2013. He would go on to play parts of four seasons professionally from 2013 to 2017.
Alongside his duties behind the bench for the Shamrocks, Wall will also serve as the team’s Assistant General Manager.
The Shamrocks open the 2026-27 season with an exhibition series against the Aberdeen Wings on September 4th at the Prairie Lakes Ice Arena. The club will also be hosting an intrasquad scrimmage on Saturday, August 29th at 6:00 PM that is free and open to the public.