TRENTON – The humidity was back in the Downriver area on Wednesday, but it was a chilly evening at Kennedy Recreation Center, where local high school hockey teams continued into week four of the annual local summer league.
It was an evening of coaches with a plethora of hockey knowledge when the teams from Brownstown Woodhaven and Grosse Ile took to the ice in their respective games.
After finishing with a 20-5 record last winter, Grosse Ile bid farewell to longtime coach Jason Durbin before welcoming in Scott Sebastian.
A former player and head coach at Riverview Gabriel Richard, Sebastian played junior hockey in the USHL before returning to coach his alma mater, leading Richard to a state runner-up finish in 2003.
“(Hockey’s) been in my blood,” Sebastian said. “I didn’t have any plans to get back into coaching when I moved back from Florida in February, but I took some calls and said, ‘let me see if I can put a staff together.’
“Once I got the staff that I did, it was a green light to go.”
Inheriting a Red Devils club that graduated only one senior last year, Sebastian has quite a bit to build with already.
“We’ve got a great mix of kids but I’m really excited about my seniors,” Sebastian said. “Everything here is about culture and all the great championships and I’m leaning heavily on them to reset the culture.
“(Durbin) did an amazing job here,” Sebastian continued. “The level of coaching that I’m bringing in is just raising the bar across the entire organization.”
For Woodhaven, Pat Jesue is back for his second year after a hiatus from coaching, at least at the high school level.
After a tough four-win campaign last winter, the Warriors come back with more experience in hopes of making another big step forward. And though they saw six players graduate and move on, Jesue said he is optimistic about the future of the program.
“It’s getting an opportunity to see the young guys and seeing the older guys that are returning and watching their leadership and seeing their confidence,” Jesus said. “We had (Van Kitchen) last year named (all-News-Herald) and I think he’s finding himself. He’s going to be a really dynamic hockey player.”
In addition to Kitchen returning, Woodhaven also figures to have healthy competition and depth in net with three goaltenders on their roster for the upcoming season.
For Jesue, without being able to mandate the games and being without players, the summer league is all about enjoying the game together.
“I try to allow them to play the way they want to play here,” he said. “I think this is the pond hockey that they don’t get and they get to have their creativity. It’s tough that you don’t have all the guys, but I think it’s good for the guys that come.”
As a new coach, Sebastian is grateful for the summer league simply to learn names and faces, along with resetting the culture.
The Grosse Ile ice hockey team, red, squared off with longtime local rival Gibraltar Carlson in a summer league exhibition at the Kennedy Rec Center in Trenton on July 16, 2025. (SAMANTHA ELLIOTT — For MediaNews Group)
“One of the challenges is you’ve got to be able to set a tone and set a course that you want and close the door on the previous regime,” Sebastian said. “(Durbin) left us a great opportunity to continue the success that he had and we’re putting a lot of emphasis on building off of what he did, but our sights are set higher.
“We’ve gotten a clear idea of why we’re using the summer,” Sebastian continued. “It’s all about getting ready for February.”
Meanwhile for Woodhaven, Jesue is excited to see his Warriors get rewarded for their efforts as they set out on the upcoming 2025-26 season, saying the hard work is going to show in both sides learning from each other.
“I’m happy just to learn about them really and hope they’re excited to learn about an old coach,” Jesue said. “It’s so unique. They’re probably teaching me more than I’ll ever teach them
“I just hope they’re willing to listen and be willing to learn some of that old school meat and potatoes of hockey, along with their creativity that they learn from summer.”
Grosse Ile will wrap up their summer league slate in one week on July 24, while Woodhaven will play their last game on the 28.
Sebastian and his crew are eager to get started and already have a few games circled on the winter calendar.
“There is a school over on (Pennsylvania Road) that we’ve got our eye on,” Sebastian said, talking about former Richard teammate and current Pioneers coach Rick DeSana.
PHOTOS: Ice Hockey – Summer League w/ Grosse Ile and Brownstown Woodhaven
Originally Published: July 17, 2025 at 1:10 AM EDT