Isaiah joined the Royals in May 2023 for their inaugural season as a varsity program, joining the first official coaching staff in history for the men’s hockey program at Redeemer University.
Before joining the program, Thornback made a lasting impact on the Royals Athletics community, spearheading and supporting a shift from a previous club-style, student-led hockey program to its elevated varsity status with AAU Division 2 membership. Thornback was the captain of the student-led program for two seasons, utilizing his position and influence to propose larger and more ambitious avenues for hockey at Redeemer University. In the spring of 2023, he graduated from university and was hired on as Assistant Coach and Head Recruiter to the Royals Hockey program. In just 2 seasons, Thornback has helped the club team transition to AAU Division 2 college hockey and compete against top schools south of the border in upstate New York.
In the winter/spring of 2024, he began to piece together the Royals’ first recruiting class in program history. Thornback managed to secure talent across the PJHL (Junior C) (2), AAA (2), and AA (2), bolstering the lineup heading into the 2024-2025 season. As the season began, Thornback spearheaded elite operational components for the Royals Hockey program, including nutritional advisement, mental performance training, film study/breakdown, scouting report preparation, and more. The result was the Royals’ best record in a decade, club or varsity, including piecing together a season-best 8-game win streak to secure first place in their division. This secured the Royals their 1st Metro Division Championship in just their 1st season in AAU Division 2 college hockey.
The following spring, Thornback set to work piecing together the best recruiting class in school history. Through relentless scouting and recruiting efforts, he was able to garner talent from the NOJHL (1), GOJHL (1), GMHL (1), AAA (3), ACHA D3 transfer (1), and AA (1). In the summer of 2025, he was promoted to Head Assistant Coach of the program. Since then, he has developed a scout team, helped lead various summer development camps, and has taken over full operations of the Royals' special teams units. The Royals are poised to make waves on the national scene in 2025-26, built on the preparation and poise of their coaching staff, including Thornback.
Thornback played varsity volleyball at Redeemer University while heading up the then club-hockey program. After four years with the Royals, Thornback graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education and Youth Ministry in 2023. He has since been a Youth Pastor at his local church while pursuing coaching opportunities through his role at Redeemer.
Thornback is a certified NCCP Development 1 Trained coach with specialization in Mental Performance & Film.
Isaiah and his wife Hannah reside in Mount Hope, south of Hamilton and attend James North Baptist Church in the north end of Hamilton.
