Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs Announce 2019/2020 Head Coaches
Come
and Meet the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs' Head Coaches for the 2019-20 season....
Novice
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs would like to welcome back Dave Tarbutt to the
organization as the Head Coach for the Novice team. Dave is a local Hamilton
Fire Captain and is no stranger to hockey in Hamilton having coached for over
15 years. During his years of coaching Dave coached many skill levels from the
Atom age to Midget hockey.
Dave and the organization are both excited to have him back coaching
within the organization. The Hamilton
Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome Dave as Head Coach.
Minor Atom
Jack Fournel returns for his 2nd season with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs taking on the role of Head Coach for the 2010 Minor Atom AAA team while Bryan Drennan will be co-coaching with Jack for the 2019-20 season.
Jack has been coaching minor hockey for 10 plus season and brings experience and leadership which is important in shaping the early years of a young athlete. Jack’s mission for the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs’ Minor Atom Team is to develop and promote the ideals of responsibility, hard work, sportsmanship, teamwork, and fellowship in a safe, positive environment. Jack’s coaching philosophy is on skill development and overall team play as he believes that improvement in hockey skills will result in overall better team play.
Bryan Drennan will join Jack’s bench staff for the season and is a successful HJB Head Coach that brings with him many years of minor hockey coaching experience.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome back Jack Fournel as Head Coach.
Atom
A Hamilton native, Steven Santos played Division III and Jr. A following minor hockey. Steven has been on skates since he was 4 years old and is now a power skating and shooting instructor at the Oakville Hockey Academy. Steven played a 200-foot game during his playing career and was noticed in his final year of Junior winning the Top Defensive Forward in his conference. Steven brings an incredible amount of experience, knowledge, energy and motivation into his coaching.
Steven is a confident and passionate coach. Steven’s philosophy centres on playing as a team while developing his team into 200-foot players. Steven spent last season with the 2006 AA Flamborough Sabres.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome Steven Santos as Head Coach.
Minor Peewee
Geraldine Heaney is returning for her fourth season with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs 2008 hockey team. Geraldine played 18 seasons and over 1,000 games with the Toronto Aeros organization, won six Ontario provincial championships and was named Ontario Women's Hockey Association (OWHA) most valuable defenseman on three occasions. The Aeros retired her jersey number 91 in 2006. Internationally, Heaney was a member of the Canadian National Team in the first seven Women's World Championships, winning gold each time. She is a two-time Olympian, winning silver at the inaugural tournament in 1998 and gold in 2002. She became the coach of the University of Waterloo Warriors following her retirement as a player. In 2013 Geraldine was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, and then in 2014 the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
As a coach Geraldine expects the best possible effort from her players. She wants to make sure that they work hard and learn.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome back Geraldine Heaney as Head Coach.
Peewee
Bryan Drennan will be back for a 4th season with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs and this is combined with over 10 years’ experience in coaching both youth hockey and lacrosse. Bryan brings not only experience but strong leadership. Bryan believes a Coach can be a positive influence in a young person’s life. He states that working with the players on learning about TEAM work, accountability, responsibility and a strong work ethic will be a key to success while having fun.
Bryan’s emphasis for this age group will be to promote the individual growth of each player through a focus on skill development, TEAM concepts, and exposure to all game situations in a structured program.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome back Bryan Drennan as Head Coach.
Minor Bantam
Adam Syring will be back with the organization for another season coaching the Minor Bantam hockey team. Adam started coaching in the City of Hamilton in 2002 and has been involved in AAA hockey within the City of Hamilton for over 10 seasons, coaching various age groups. For the past 6 seasons he has been a coach with the Jr. Bulldog organization. In May 2018 Adam was an assistant coach with the OMHA team white at the OHL Gold Cup U16 team.
Adam holds his High Performance 1 certification, and is extremely excited to be able to work with this age group. His leadership, work ethic and attitude will create an environment that will not only allow players to develop and succeed, but also enjoy the process.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome back Adam Syring as Head Coach.
Bantam
Chris Gratton will be returning to the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs as the Head Coach of the Bantam team for the 2019-2020 season. Chris was the 3rd overall draft pick in the 1991 OHL draft, capturing Rookie-of-the-Year honours and was a member of the OHL All-Star team. Chris was a member of Canada’s Gold Medal Team at the 1993 World Junior Championship, en-route to being drafted 3rd overall in 1993 NHL Entry Draft to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Chris went on to play over 1000 games in 15 seasons in the NHL, and he also represented Canada in the World Championships.
Chris is a true leader within the organization, and his love for the sport is truly evident in the passion he brings to the teams he coaches. He believes in creating a positive learning environment and encourages his players to respect their teammates, opponents and their sport.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome back Chris Gratton as Head Coach.
Minor Midget
Joe Finelli and Justin Coddington grew up playing in the Hamilton AAA system from Atom to Minor Midget. After being granted their first AAA team at the age of 21, both continue to pursue their passion of coaching the last 8 seasons in the Hamilton AAA system. Joe attended Niagara University where he graduated with a degree in education, while Justin attended McMaster University, graduating with a degree in Political Science. Joe represented the NU Purple Eagles club team, while Justin continues to build his hockey resume in scouting and recruiting, having worked as Vice President of Pro Hockey Development, recruiter with the Hill Academy Prep School, and now current Boys Director for Draft Day Hockey Athletics. Both have worked with elite level talent from all over North America across a vast variety of age groups. We are excited to have added a tandem of young, accomplished, and passionate coaches to our organization.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome Joe and Justin to the organization for the 2019-2020 season.
Midget
Marc West will be returning with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs for his fourth season as the Midget coach. Marc was a former OHL player, playing both for Hamilton and Belleville. Marc was drafted in the 12th round of the NHL draft by the Boston Bruins. Marc played professionally in Italy, Germany, Sweden, the ECHL and AHL.
Marc’s main goals are to make sure the players are developing and preparing to make the jump to the next level at the end of the season. Marc and his staff come to the rink everyday ready to work and will have the same expectations of the players.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome back Marc West as Head Coach.
2019/2020 AAA Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs Coaches