Coaching Staff

The 2026-2027 season marks Andrew’s 18th year of coaching at Benet Academy. Three time state finalist, twice with Benet, and a Chicago Catholic League Coach of the Year. Andrew is an Anoka, Minnesota native. Coach Schlie played youth hockey for Coon Rapids in Minnesota, Philadelphia Little Flyers, and Valley Forge Colonials in Pennsylvania, and locally with the Huskies. He played for St. Rita High School and DePaul University, where he was a two-time league point leader and was part of the founding of the ACHA and finished 3rd in the first ACHA National Championship with DePaul. Coach Schlie has coached boys and girls hockey for various local organizations, including Chicago Mission, Chicago Fury, Darien Hawks, Chicago Blues, St. Jude Knights, Glenview Stars, and DePaul University. Andrew is a Level 5 USA Hockey coach, has participated as a coach in Central District Regional development camps, and is a long-time referee (38+ years). Coach Andrew is a certified personal trainer with specialization in high school strength and conditioning, a certified nutrition coach, and a mindset performance coach. Andrew is a management consultant and resides in Hinsdale with his wife Kate and their three children, all of whom graduated from Benet.

Coach Connor grew up playing central states in Illinois, moved to Pennsylvania and played tier 1 hockey, and played junior hockey in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Connor finished his hockey career at Illinois State University playing for the ACHA D1 team. For the 2024-2025 season Connor was an Assistant Coach for the Nequa Valley Varsity team. He joins Benet Academy for the fall 2025-2026 season. Coach Connor and his fiancé live in Downers Grove and are getting married in July of 2025!

Coach Craig enters his third season coaching at Benet for the fall 2025-2026 season. Coach Craig is a Benet Alum (class of ‘93) who is passionate about the game of hockey and maintains a strong connection to the Benet community. Craig values dedication, integrity and teamwork as much as “winning” and establishes this culture to any team he coaches. Coach Craig grew up in Naperville, played youth hockey for the Naperville Sabres and Illinois Selects. After his senior year of high school, he was invited to tryout for the U.S Under-18 Men’s Select Team in Colorado Springs. Coach Craig played college hockey at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. Craig is an SVP at Bank of America, lives in Naperville with his wife Christine (Benet class of ’94) and 3 children and still finds time to play Men’s league hockey.

Chicago native and Montana-raised, Cal’s hockey journey began on the frozen lakes of Whitefish. His first exposure to hockey beyond house league was playing AAA in Canada, and after moving back to the Midwest he rose through the AAA ranks with the Chicago Chill and Madison Capitols before a transformative senior season at Benet Academy. Under the guidance of the Red Wings then-new coaches Jon Grzbek and Andrew Schlie, Cal earned Illinois West Goalie of the Year honors and a nomination for All-State. But more importantly, he rediscovered the value of being a teammate and community as a core tenet of the hockey experience. 

Cal played three years of Jr. A hockey, earning MnJHL Goalie of the Year honors before moving to the NCAA D3 level at Hamline and Lawrence University. He finished his playing career at New York University, where he helped backstop the Violets to an ACHA D2 National Championship in 2017 and a promotion to ACHA D1 in his senior season. 

His first goalie coaching jobs were under Coach McKay with the Chicago Hawks and Benet’s goalies, and Cal started his post-collegiate coaching journey as the goalie coach for the Sandburg Eagles at Coach McKay’s recommendation. 

Since then, he has built a reputation for program turnarounds, leading Fenwick’s JV team to their first CCHL championship in a decade in his first season as a head coach and spearheading the successful launch of Purdue Northwest’s ACHA D2 program in year 2. Most recently, Cal served as the Hockey Director for the D230 Saints, where he focused on building a high-end development community and oversaw its transition as a combination of the Sandburg and Cobras programs. 

A disciple of Mitch Korn (Nashville Predators Director of Goaltending), Coach Cal brings a professional, detail-oriented approach to his coaching practice. He believes that a championship process is the only way to achieve championship results. Cal lives in Naperville with his wife Adrianne and stepson Ethan.

Coach Gill played youth hockey with the Glen Ellyn Flames. He continued his playing career in high school level with the AWF Renegades, coached by Coach Grzbek and Coach Schlie, building strong fundamentals and a team-first mentality that led to success both on and off the ice. Coach Gill played club hockey at Lewis University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Maintenance Management.

Coach Gill began his coaching career with the Chicago Flames, and in 2024, he joined the coaching staff at Benet, reuniting with his high school coaches and excited to teach grow the next generation of both players and individuals. Coach Gill dedicates his summers to volunteering with Hockey Ministries International, mentoring youth in both their faith and hockey skills. He also serves as a religious education teacher at his local parish and works for United Airlines. Patrick resides in Villa Park with his wife and two daughters.

Coach Mitch returns for his sixth season coaching Benet Hockey, his third as JV head coach. Mitch is a 2016 Benet graduate and 202 St. Mary's University of Minnesota grad. At St. Mary’s, he played four seasons of ACHA hockey, served three years as team captain, and two years as club Vice-President. Mitch played youth hockey for the Naperville Sabres and three seasons of varsity hockey for Benet, winning a Kennedy Cup in 2015. In 2016, he was Awarded the Blue Line Award as the team’s top defenseman. Mitch lives in Chicago with his fiancée and is in his final year of law school.