Vaughan – June 19, 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 U18 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 U20 Junior Team Canada program:
U20 General Manager: Mauro Cugini
Cugini passion for the junior program is what drives him since 2008. He returns after finishing second in 2018 and under Cugini, the U20 program has only lost one game since 2008 tying a game once in 2008 and twice in 2012 and going undefeated in 2010, the first time that occurred in this division of play.
He looks forward to this new challenge in returning gold to Canada with a new group of players and staff. The general manager is an extension of the staff and reflection of the Junior Team Canada program and he hopes to blend the combination to win gold for a sixth time.
Cugini stated, '“I am eager and excited to get started with the process and scouting at the CanAm Junior Championships, as well as working with the newly appointed staff."
He continued, "I’m hoping to utilize my experience from nearly two decades in athlete development and improve the NBHAC JTC player experience as we have the best players and program in the world."
"Cugini is an important and invaluable to the program said Dockerty.". “He’s incredibly knowledgeable and passionate, and it shines through in all he has already done in the game and couldn’t ask for a better person to lead our team in Finland."
U20 Head Coach: Daniel Ranalli
‘The General’ returns to international competition and is regarded as the sports best coach of all time. His philosophy and success comes down to three core pillars - culture, talent, and the system of play/game style. He stresses great culture as a must-have ingredient at the elite level, regardless of how good the other two factors are. Without this there is nothing.
He was the captain and perennial leader of the Fernview Rangers and was selected to five League All-Star selections and he moved the ball with dexterity and precision, amassed over 400 regular season points at the AAA level of competition while capturing titles in three different OBHA leagues.
He was the longest standing member of the Rangers Ball Hockey Club, arguably the most established (1977 - 1996) and celebrated organization in OBHA history, whose personal and team accomplishments at all levels of competition are a testament to his commitment and dedication to the game as a player throughout the years.
Ranalli officially retired along with the storied Ranger franchise in 1996. "The General", who was the recipient of the prestigious 'Golden Jet' Award for a lifetime of excellence in the game, capped off his illustrious 20 seasons of ball hockey that year by commandeering Canada to the Gold Medal at the inaugural World Championships of Ball Hockey in Bratislava, Slovakia as the coach of the team.
Ranalli is a student of the game with a masterful ability at team dynamics and group building. He will teach, guide and elevate players to their potential.
Oh and the best story teller in the sport, the program welcomes, ‘The General’.
U20 Assistant Coach: Quinn Syrydiuk
Quinn 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 Junior 2016 gold medal winning team and 2018 Men’s Team Canada that won silver in Moscow.
Quinn’s greatest strengths will be to teach these young men and prepare under his guidance and coaching. The tactician, motivator and leader will give the 2020 team an opportunity to win gold, but the bigger message will stay with the young men they coach for rest of their lives.
The program welcomes CQ!
Amanda Spence, Registered Massage Therapist
Amanda returns to the U20 bench where she has been since 2012 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.
She added, “representing Canada at any sporting event is a huge honor and responsibility and am pleased to be a part of the 2020 JTC U-20 program and look forward to meeting the staff and players.”
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 U20 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
