The Rochester Americans announced today that the team has named Chuck Weber and Brad Tapper as the assistant coaches on Head Coach Dan Lambert’s staff.
Weber returns to Rochester for his second stint with the Amerks after serving as the team’s head coach during the 2010-11 season. Prior to joining the Amerks, Weber spent four seasons (2006-10) as Vice President of Hockey Operations and Head Coach of the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, where he guided the team to Kelly Cup championships in 2008 and 2010 while compiling a regular season record of 177-92-19. A native of Lockport, New York, Weber won 45 postseason games in his four seasons, the most by an ECHL coach in a four-year period. In 2007-08, Weber was named the ECHL Coach of the Year.
After guiding Rochester to a 31-39-0-10 record in 2010-11, Weber continued as head coach, and later as associate coach and director of hockey operations, with the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage from 2011 to 2014. Prior to joining Cincinnati as head coach in 2006, Weber served as an assistant coach and assistant director of hockey operations with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL). Weber began his coaching career during the 1999-00 season as an assistant with the Orlando Solar Bears (IHL). In his second season (2000-01) as an assistant coach, he was part of the Turner Cup championship team in the league’s final season. The following year (2001-02), Weber was the assistant coach with Trenton (ECHL), and in 2002-03, Weber served as an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Admirals (AHL). He has also had coaching stints in Russia’s KHL and in Great Britain.
Tapper spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves, helping lead the club to a postseason appearance in 2014-15. Prior to joining Chicago, Tapper served as an assistant coach with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades from 2011 to 2013 and with the Orlando Solar Bears during the 2013-14 campaign. In 2012, Tapper helped guide Florida to the ECHL’s Kelly Cup Championship.
A native of Scarborough, Ontario, Tapper enjoyed a nine-year professional career as a player. He appeared in 71 career NHL games with the Atlanta Thrashers, recording 25 points (14+11) and 72 penalty minutes. He also registered 83 points (36+47) in 132 career AHL games with the Chicago Wolves and Binghamton Senators and spent his rookie season with the IHL’s Orlando Solar Bears in 2000-01 where he won a Turner Cup Championship. He was then a part of Chicago’s Calder Cup-winning team in 2002. Tapper went on to spend his final three seasons in Germany. He also played three seasons of college hockey at RPI before beginning his pro career.
