Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs’ 2020-21 AAA Coaching Team
The Hamilton
Jr. Bulldogs are very proud to announce our AAA Head Coaches
for the upcoming season. Come and Meet the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs' AAA Head Coaches for
the 2020-21 season....
Novice – Tyrone Garner
Ty has been with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs’ organization for the past five seasons as our Goalie Development Coach and recently facilitated to the role of Assistant Coach for our 2019-2020 Novice Bulldogs team.
Ty brings with him a wealth of knowledge for the game of hockey as he played 11 years of professional hockey as both a Goalie and a Forward. Ty was born and raised in the Stoney Creek / Hamilton area where he played his minor hockey before moving on to Major Junior Hockey with the Oshawa Generals of the OHL. Ty was subsequently drafted to the New York Islanders in 1996 and went on to play for the Calgary Flames while also spending time with the Atlanta Thrashers and Florida Panthers organizations of the NHL. During his career Ty also played in the American Hockey League, East Coast Hockey League as well as both the German and Norwegian Elite Hockey Leagues. Ty was fortunate enough to win three major championships throughout his career in the OHL, ECHL and Norwegian Elite League.
Ty’s main focus over the past 6 years has been developing athletes both on and off the ice. He is looking forward in continuing to pass on his knowledge and experiences to the young minds of the game as well as installing his positive, winning attitude and an all-around respect for the game with everyone involved.
The Jr. Bulldogs Hockey Organization would like to welcome Ty as Head Coach for Novice next season.
Minor Atom – Andrew Whalen
Andrew has been involved with coaching and player development for the last 7 years. He has experience coaching at all levels from Jr. A to AAA and lower. Andrew brings a considerable amount of knowledge, passion and experience to the organization. He is a firm believer of developing a fun, positive and competitive culture to any team he has been involved with.
Andrew has over 25 years of competitive hockey under his belt ranging from professional in Europe, Senior Canadian, Junior and all levels of minor hockey. He was also part of the Grimsby Peach Kings team which won back to back Provincial Championships.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome Andrew to the organization for the 2020-2021 season.
Atom – Bryan Drennan
Bryan Drennan will be back for a 5th 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 Peewee – Steven Santos
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.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs are pleased to welcome back Steven Santos as Head Coach.
Peewee – Geraldine Heaney
Geraldine is returning for her fifth 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.
Minor Bantam – Kevin Elkins
Kevin has been involved in coaching for 20+ years, having worked with many levels of hockey from Minor Peewee AAA to Junior A. His main focus is individual player development and to provide players with the tools and confidence necessary to continue to grow and reach their goals both on and off the ice.
His coaching experience includes many levels of Rep Hockey, U17 Team Ontario regional Programs, Appleby College and JR A with the Milton Ice Hawks and the Bramalea Blues.
Kevin has passion and love for the game which is instilled in his players as they come to the rink with the purpose of becoming a better hockey player. The 2020/2021 hockey season will be an exciting year for him and his coaching staff as they look forward to the opportunity to lead the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs AAA team into their Minor Bantam season. With player development, good team play, and creating a fun environment, Kevin believes in everyone working hard together to achieve the team goals while each player achieves their individual goals.
Kevin looks forward to meeting all the players at Try-outs and want to wish each of you the Best of Luck.
The Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs would like to welcome Kevin to the organization for the 2020-2021 season.
Bantam – Adam Syring
Adam will be back with the organization for another season coaching the Bantam 2006 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 12 seasons, coaching various age groups. For the past 7 seasons he has been a coach with the Jr. Bulldogs organization. For the past 2 years Adam has been part of the OHL Gold Cup (U16 Team) both as an Assistant and Head Coach.
Adam holds his High Performance 1 certification, and is extremely excited to be able to work with this age group for another season. 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.
Minor Midget – Chris Gratton
Chris will be returning to the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs as the Head Coach of the Minor Midget 2005 team for the 2020-2021 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 Bulldogs 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.
Midget – Marc West
Marc will be returning with the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs for his 5th 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.
2020/2021 AAA Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs Coach Contacts