Milan Dragicevic enters his 12th season as the head coach of the men's hockey team. Since his arrival in 2002, the Thunderbirds have qualified for the playoffs in eight of his 11 seasons at the helm. He is the ninth head coach in UBC men's hockey history.
The 'Birds finished 14-11-3 and fifth overall during the 2012-13 regular season. For a second straight year they went on the road to Calgary for the Canada West quarterfinals and for a second straight year lost in three games in the best-of-three series to the Dinos. Newcomer Neil Manning was named to the CIS All-Rookie team.
In 2011-12 UBC sported a 12-12-4 overall record in the Canada West, finishing 8-5-1 on home ice. They lost in the opening round of the playoffs to the Calgary Dinos in a tightly contested series, in which the Dinos prevailed, winning 3-2 in the third and deciding game. For his work Dragicevic was named the Canada West Coach of the Year.
Back in the 2010-11 season, UBC was 16-18-4 overall record and were an impressive 12-5-2 at home. The T-Birds were in the thick of the playoff race all season long and were battling for a spot right until the final weeks of the Canada West season. They put together a regular season record of 11-13-4.
In 2009, the T-Birds battled injuries all season long, however, they kept their playoff streak alive with a late season push before winning their opening round playoff series over Lethbridge two games to one. It was just UBC’s second playoff series victory in 40 years, both coming under Dragicevic. He also served as head coach of Canada’s 2009 FISU Games team that brought home a silver medal from the Winter Universiade in Harbin, China.
In 2007-08, Dragicevic led the T-Birds to as high as fourth in the CIS Top Ten poll early in the season but they weren’t able to capitalize on that early success in the playoffs losing in the first round.
The 2006-07 season has proven to be Dragicevic’s most successful at UBC, as the team finished .500 for the first time since 1989-90 and won their first playoff series in 38 years.
Prior to coming to UBC, Dragicevic was the first head coach of the Vancouver Giants in 2000, spending two seasons with the Western Hockey League club. His coaching career began in 1995 as an assistant for the Tri City Americans and took to the Drayton Valley Thunder of the AJHL where he was the head coach from 1997-99 and was named coach of the year in 1999.Â
He has also coached on the international stage as the head coach of Team Canada at the 2010 World University Games in China.
As a player, Dragicevic spent four seasons in the WHL, first with the Regina Pats and then briefly with the New Westminster Bruins and Tri-City Americans before landing with the Spokane Chiefs and Victoria Cougars. In total, he played 240 regular-season games in the WHL, amassing 109 points and 754 penalty minutes.
Dragicevic also played four years in the CIS with the Acadia Axemen, winning the national championship in 1993.
Born in Dakovo, Croatia, he grew up in Edmonton and attended O’Leary High School before moving on to Acadia where he earned his sociology degree and another in recreation management.
Coach Dragicevic and wife, Sheryl, live in Vancouver with their two children, Emily (10) and Lukas (8).Â
