New St. Cloud Norsemen Coach Arrives With Remarkable Backstory

The St. Cloud Norsemen announced Joe Exter as its new head coach on Monday morning. Exter replaces Corey Millen, who coached the team for the last three seasons.

Exter joins St. Cloud after a stint with the ECHL's Iowa Heartlanders where he was an Associate Coach and Assistant General Manager. Prior to coaching in the ECHL he spent time with Ohio State University and Michigan State University as an assistant coach.

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“I am thankful for the opportunity that Chris has given me to lead the Norsemen. St. Cloud is an ideal junior hockey location. This a great opportunity for me to help develop and impact the lives of young men. Our organization will be driven by a team first environment that will be the foundation we lean on to achieve all goals throughout the season, Exter said on the Norsemen Instagram account.

Having spent four years coaching at the USNTDP followed by eleven years coaching in the Big Ten I understand how important these years are for players seeking to play at the college level and beyond. For the past two years I’ve coached at the professional level. I’m excited to host all upcoming camps as these camps will give me the opportunity to reconnect with the junior age group. These camps will be an important first step as we build the team we want to have in St. Cloud.”

Exter played goaltender collegiately at Merrimack. In the 2003 Hockey East Tournament Exter collided with Patrick Eaves and ended up in a coma for ten days.

He had a pair of skull fractures that caused a hemorrhage but remarkably returned to skate on the ice less than three months later. He eventually played two seasons in the ECHL before transitioning to coaching.

The St. Cloud Norsemen play their home games at the Municipal Athletic Complex in St. Cloud. They finished the 2023-24 season with a 26-21-6-7 record in their third season in St. Cloud after moving from Brookings, South Dakota.