Following a playing career in the minors, McIlvane began his coaching career at just 26-years old with the Danville Dashers of the now defunct Federal Hockey League. The following season, he would join Drake Berehowsky’s staff in Orlando of the ECHL for one season.
His first opportunity with EC Red Bull would come when his former coach, Don Jackson, invited him to Salzburg. After one season, both coaches would move to Red Bull’s sister franchise in Munich of the DEL, where they built a dynasty that would capture 3 consecutive league titles.
Then in 2019, at the age of 33, McIlvane would move back to Salzburg to become the head coach of EC Red Bull.
In addition to his club duties, he was a member of Germany’s coaching staff during their cinderella run at the 2018 Winter Olympics, where they captured a Silver medal. He was also recently a part of Germany’s entry at the 2021 World Hockey Championships, where Germany advanced to the final four.