Less than two months ago, Rochester Knighthawks general manager Dan Carey solidified his coaching staff for the upcoming season with the return of head coach Mike Hasen and assistant coach Pat O’Toole on two-year extensions. Rounding out the staff is Kyle Kallay, who was elevated to assistant coach after previously serving as a video coach and scout, and former Knighthawks defenseman Dylan Evans.
While Hasen and O’Toole both have become household names in professional lacrosse for their work in the field, most notably in Rochester, Kallay has climbed the ranks in a quick fashion.
Kallay replaces Gavin Prout, who will not return to the organization.
“I am extremely excited for the opportunity,” said Kallay, who began the 2019-20 season as the team’s Eastern Conference scout. “I am grateful to Dan Carey and Mike Hasen. They are two people who have given me a ton of opportunity in this organization, and I could not be more excited to get working with the offense.”
The Orangeville, Ontario, native enjoyed a four-year collegiate career at Mercyhurst University from 2009-2012 while also earning a degree in sport management. In 80 career games with the Lakers, he scored 80 goals and notched 26 assists for 106 points while recovering 52 ground balls.
After recording a career-high 35 goals, 11 of which were on the man-up, in 2011, Kallay tied for the team lead with 25 goals and finished second in both points (36) and shots (75). Following his final season, he was named a Second Team All-East Coast Conference selection.
Kallay and Carey’s paths originally crossed while coaching at The Hill Academy, and they stayed in connection with one another.
“The opportunity came up after a few years when Dan was looking for someone to do some scouting. I think it was through a mutual friend, where Dan needed someone to watch junior and senior games during the summer.”
Kallay spent his first season, despite it being a shortened one due to the COVID-19 pandemic, before moving into a video coach role the last two campaigns with the team.
“The scouting work I was able to provide to the coaching staff and Dan helped me transition into the video role I had the last two seasons. I really enjoy doing the video stuff and I appreciated the opportunity to do that for the organization.”
“Video work is so crucial to our preparation week in and week out, especially in our game,” Kallay continued. Working with video and with the team really helped me add some tools into my toolbox as well.”
Now after spending time as a video coach, Kallay will continue working alongside two of his greatest mentors, Hasen and O’Toole.
“Those two have a wealth of knowledge,” admitted Kallay. “First and foremost, they are great human beings and wonderful people. They treat everyone as humans first and I think that goes a long way when it comes to our players. As a group, we can collaborate, and we each bring our ideas into the mix.”
While the season is still nearly three months away, Kallay and company are looking forward to continuing from last season’s first-ever playoff berth.
“We are a young team, but you can see our growth each of the last few seasons. We have grown each of the last few years and then from the success we tasted this past spring, we are excited about it.”
