Brian Wierson is originally from Ames, Iowa, and grew up playing in the Ames Minor Hockey Association where he started as an eight year old. During his senior year of high school, he, along with five of his teammates were selected to play in the league All-Star game held in Waterloo that year. At the conclusion of his high school career, he, along with fellow AMHA alums, Fred Van Bergen & A.J. Sanders played for Team Midwest at the 1992 Chicago Showcase.
Upon graduating from Ames, Brian went on to play two years for the Fargo – Moorhead Kings of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League. In the second year, he Captained the team for Head Coach, Scott Sandelin, who has been with the University of Minnesota Duluth since 2000 and with the University of North Dakota for six years prior to that.
As Brian exhausted his junior playing eligibility, he continued his playing career and education at Iowa State University with Head Coach, Dr. Alan Murdoch, and the Cyclone Hockey team. The next four seasons, the Cyclones finished the ACHA National Tournament 3rd, 2nd, 2nd, 3rd, with either Penn State or Ohio University ending the run. Brian’s freshman season, the team traveled internationally over the Holiday break to Russia, visiting St. Petersburg and Moscow where they played two games in each city. Teammates on that Murdoch led trip were AMHA alums, Russ Crawford & Mike Ogbourne. Also on that trip, a young teenage player named Andrew Murdoch. Brian’s senior season at ISU saw the team host the ACHA National Tournament in Ames, at Hilton Coliseum, where they finished in 3rd place. Wierson served as an Assistant Captain his sophomore and junior years before being named Team Captain his senior season.
At the conclusion of his playing career, Brian began coaching with former teammate, Doug Borud, for the Des Moines Oak Leafs of the Iowa High School Hockey League. Since 1998, Brian has been coaching either youth, high school, or college hockey. He was the Head Coach for Team Midwest of the Chicago Showcase in 2002 & 2003 and Associate Head Coach with Dr. Murdoch and Cyclone Hockey from 2007 – 2011. The years between 2003 – 2006, Wierson worked under Head Coach, Scott Oliver in Roseau, MN and the Roseau Rams high school team. The 2005-06 season saw Roseau earn a trip to “the X” in St. Paul where they lost in the first round to eventual runner-up Grand Rapids. Oliver would return the next season and earn Roseau’s 7th State Championship. That team was loaded with future college and professional players, whom Wierson was able to work with as they were coming up. In addition to coaching in-season teams, he has experience as a Manager and Coach with International Hockey Schools (founder of the Squirt International in Fargo, ND), East Grand Forks summer camps, Cyclone Hockey summer camps, and USA Hockey select camps. In 2015, Brian established Top Shelf Hockey and has been conducting both on-ice & off-ice camps and clinics for youth players across central Iowa.
In 2015, Wierson succeeded Brendan Sheehan as the Head Coach for his high school alma mater, Little Cyclone Hockey. In his second year at the helm, the team earned enough points to qualify for the year-end Championship weekend where they were knocked out in the first round. Wierson was rewarded by his fellow Head Coaches for his and the team’s efforts by earning the MHSHL Coach of the Year in 2017.
Brian resides in Ames, IA with his wife, Annie and their children. Josie graduated from Ames High in 2017 and is also a Little Cyclone Hockey & AMHA alum and is entering her 2nd season as a youth coach with AMHA while helping with Top Shelf summer teams. She continues her work toward an undergraduate degree. Charlie will be a 2nd year Pee Wee with AMHA. Since 2011, Brian has been employed with the Ames-based Renewable Energy Group as a biodiesel and fuel sales representative.
- 1998 – 2000 - Des Moines Oak Leafs - Assistant Coach
- 2000 – 2001 - West Fargo Packers - Assistant Coach
- 2000 – 2006 - International Hockey Schools - Manager and Instructor
- 2001 – 2003 – Iowa State Cyclone Hockey - Assistant Coach
- 2002 & 2003 - Team Tri-State - Chicago Showcase – Head Coach
- 2003 – 2006 - Roseau Rams - Assistant Coach
- 2006 – 2007 - Des Moines Oak Leafs - Assistant Coach --- MHSHL Champions
- 2007 – 2011 – Iowa State Cyclone Hockey - Associate Head Coach ---- ACHA M1 National Tournament - 2nd Place Finish
- 2011 - Iowa State Cyclone Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee
- 2017 - MHSHL Coach of the Year
- 2011 – Present - AMHA Youth Coach and High School Assistant and Head Coach
- 2015 – Present – Top Shelf Hockey – Owner & Director
