The Fort Frances Lakers did not look very far for a replacement for former head coach Tyler Miller.

General Manager Luke Judson is adding the role to his responsibilities.

Judson was an assistant coach for the past three seasons, the last two with Miller at the helm.

Miller announced his decision to step down earlier in April for family reasons.

Judson is looking forward to the new duties.

“My focus is on structure, culture, and professionalism – creating an environment where players can grow, compete, and represent this community with pride,” says Judson.

“Thank you to Tyler Miller for laying the foundation. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made as a staff, and I’m excited to keep raising the bar for Junior hockey in Fort Frances.”

Judson’s past coaching experience stretches into the Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association’s AA program and as assistant for Team Hockey Northwest Ontario for the 2017 OGC-16 tournament.

As a player, Judson played a season in the SIJHL with the Thunder Bay Bearcats, scoring 38 points in 37 games.

He later joined the Belleville Bulls for five seasons after being selected in the fifth round of the 2007 OHL draft.

Judson captained the team in his final three seasons and was a teammate of NHLers Shawn Matthias, Matt Belesky and Eric Tangradi, and former NHLer P.K. Subban on the team that appeared in the Memorial Cup tournament in 2009.

He would play a season with the Lakehead University Thunderwolves before heading to the ECHL stints in San Francisco, Tulsa, Idaho and Bakersfield.