Alex Drulia is moving from the NA3HL to the USPHL Premier League.

On Friday, the Twin City Thunder announced Drulia as its next Premier League coach, replacing Doug Friedman, who will be the organization’s National Collegiate Development Conference coach next season.

Drulia familiar with the Lewiston-Auburn area. The past two seasons he served as the coach of the Cape Cod Islanders (NA3HL), who played in the Coastal Division, the same division as the L/A Nordiques.

Dan Hodge, who is a co-owner of the Thunder, used to own the Islanders but has since sold the team.

In Drulia’s tenure with the Islanders, which started in Nov. 2017, the team went 15-58-3.

Despite the record, Thunder co-owner Ben Gray said that what made Drulia the best candidate is the way he goes about coaching the game.

“The (coaching) systems he wants to put into place along with his hockey background and pedigree, his ability to recruit, he knows the game,” Gray said. “He wants to continue to grow and he’s eager about that. We aren’t really worried what his record was last year. In my mind, that’s a tough league to be in, in terms of recruiting. It’s lopsided scores and things of that nature.”

Prior to his time with the Islanders, Drulia was an assistant coach with the Great Falls Americans of the NA3HL for a few months at the start of the 2017-18 season before taking the Islanders coaching job. He also was an assistant coach with the Della Ducks of the USPHL Elite League in 2016-17.

The 24-year-old of Fort Erie, Ontario, spent parts of four seasons playing midget and junior hockey from 2011-2015.

Other staff additions to the Thunder staff include Paul Vincent as a senior adviser in player development. He has worked in the NHL since the 1999-00 season as a skills and skating coach.

He is currently in his second stint with the Florida Panthers, which has spanned the past eight years. He has coached with the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks (on the staff during the 2009-10 season when the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup) and Tampa Lightning. He also worked with Boston College and Rensselaer in the 1980s.

Ken Hodge, Dan Hodge’s father, who helped the Bruins win the Stanley Cup in 1970 and 1972, will also be a senior adviser.

Bill Desmarais, who has been a coach for the Maine Moose the past seven years will be an assistant coach for the Thunder along with Dan Condon, who also be the video coach for the organization. They will assist with the Thunder’s NCDC and Premier League teams.

“The nice thing with our coaching staff, when it comes to our this assistants this year, they will be bouncing back and forth and doing double duty,” Gray said. “They might be on the Premier bench one game or vice-versa, they might be on the NCDC (bench). Alex will be the primary constant on the Premier bench, with Doug being the constant on the NCDC bench. You might see Dan and I time-to-time (on the bench).”

Gray’s uncle, Joe Clark, will serve the organization’s goaltender consultant. He has been an assistant coach for the University of Maine and Denver University in his career, along with being a scout for the New York Islanders and a general manager in the North American Hockey League.

Dan Needham will be the director of scouting. He was the Northeast Generals head coach in the 2016-17 season.

Eric Fenton, who played for North Yarmouth Academy and the University of Maine from 1989-1993, will be a scout based in Wisconsin for the organization. Matt Lavallee and Matt Johnson have also been named scouts for the organization.