Vaughan – May 27, 2019 - On behalf of the National Ball Hockey Association of Canada (NBHAC) and the Team Canada High Performance Director, Steve Dockerty, we are proud to announce the 2020 Junior Team Canada staff for the World Junior Championships to be held in Rovaniemi, Finland the week of June 30-July 5.
Canada has had incredible success at international competitions over the years and the U16 program will be sending 22 players along with staff members to defend our World Championship gold against the best of the rest of the world.
The Junior Team Canada staff will be very busy in the coming months including attendance at the CanAm Junior Championships in Brampton from which Junior Team Canada 2020 players will be selected. The CanAm’s offer elite level competition at which players with prior international experience compete alongside their peers battling for one of the available roster spots.
Team Canada High Performance Director, Steve Dockerty who has represented Canada in 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2016 is now once again spearheading the entire Junior program, and had the following to say about how the program has taken shape. “Our 2020 squads will definitely be competing for the gold again. Even though Canada has won in the past, we continually work hard to improve and advance the program. We have established a success process for building a team of strong individuals and players from across the country.”
Dockerty continued, “In addition to finding and developing the best players, we are also proud of the strength and quality of of our team executives, support staff and group of coaches who all bring with them years of success in their respective minor programs for numerous years.”
It is with great pleasure to introduce the following selections for the 2020 U16 Junior Team Canada program:
General Manager: Scott Jacobi
Jacobi has been looked upon in the ball hockey world as a builder, from his local association to provincial, national, and international teams. The NBHAC JTC High Performance team knew he was the right person for this program. His long list of achievements include coaching at four Nationals coming home with three gold and one silver. Internationally he was bronze as the head coach while with the U16 team in 2012, and World Championship gold in 2014, 2016 & 2018 as head coach of the U18 team and general manager of both the U16 & U18 teams. His coaching abilities and experience has transitioned to a management role with ease and he will once again be responsible for the U16 & U18 JTC programs.
Head Coach: Nelson Lajeunesse
Nelson has a great understanding of the international style of play and an appreciation of what it will take as a player to compete at the World level. He was a player on Men’s Team Canada as was a mentor with the 2008 U20 team. Nelson has 10 years of ball hockey coaching experience along with 18+ years playing the game. His greatest strengths are to lead by example and these young men will learn and prepare under his guidance and coaching. Nelson returns in 2020, and as a tactician, motivator and leader he will once again give the U16 JTC team the opportunity to defend their World Championship title, all the while offering his players the experience and opportunity of a lifetime.
Assistant Coach: Joe Cochrane
Joe returns to the U16 bench in 2020 after making his successful International debut in 2018. The 2016 OBHA Minor Coach of the Year, “Grocery Joe” as he is known to his players for his inventory of snacks to help then off the floor, is every bit the players coach on it. Joe brings years of local and Provincial coaching experience to the team and looks to build on the foundation he set in 2018 with the U16 program
The JTC U16 Coaching staff’s will be complimented with a Championship level professional support team including:
Bobbi Jo Turner, RMT U16
Bobbi Jo returns to the U16 bench in 2020 once again as the team trainer and RMT, and brings with her the ability to put her players at ease, and seek treatment when necessary and before an ailment becomes and injury, keeping all of the players in her charge ready for play throughout the Championships.
These individuals together will select and direct the best ball hockey players in the World and by volunteering their time and skills will have an enormous impact creating the environment necessary for success at the 2020 U16 World Championships. Together they will find a way to bring a collection of individual players together, elevate their play, and build the team chemistry necessary to repeat as Champions. And while our stated goal is clear, to bring home gold at every Championship, as a staff we also measure success in creating a life lasting experience for all that offers new friendships that lead to shared memories and moments, both on and off the floor, that will endure for many years to come.
#wbhf2020rovaniemi #WeReady #WeAreTeamCanada #BeTheStandard
