Local female hockey program seeks coaches for upcoming season

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The only female hockey program in northeast B.C. is on the hunt for new blood behind the bench.

The Northeast BC Predators female hockey program is seeking a new head coach and assistant coach at various levels, according to a Facebook post.

The program’s vice-president Len Potvin said the 2024-25 season wasn’t as successful as previous years, with all the Predators’ teams failing to register a win at the BC Hockey provincial championships, mostly due to turnover and graduating players.

Potvin was a coach at the U-18 level for the past five years. While he will take a step back from coaching in the 2025-26 season, he will remain on the board.

“We didn’t perform as well as we normally do,” said Potvin.  “But we also had younger, younger teams recently, as recently as [2023-24] and the [2022-23], we were very successful in provincials.

“This year was a little bit of a different year, but [we] definitely should see some better hockey moving on next year.”

Coaches are sought at the U-13, U-15 and U-18 levels. Potvin pointed out a highlight of the U-18 teams’ 2024-25 season was a silver medal win at the Wickfest tournament in Calgary.

Other accomplishments included a bronze medal for the U-13s in a December tournament in Olds, Alberta and a strong performance in the U-15 KIBIHT tournament in Kamloops in which goaltender Olivia Thompson was named to the tournament’s all-star team.

“We would like to get some female coaches for [the] female teams that we run,” said Potvin. “We’re looking for experienced coaches, coaches that have played higher-level hockey themselves and proper qualifications.

“We’re also trying to target coaches that don’t have players on the team. So we’re not looking for parent coaches, but we’ll definitely entertain those applications also.”

Candidates are encouraged to look at the job description and apply through the club’s Facebook page. The deadline for applications is July 1st, 2025.

More information about the Northeast BC Predators female hockey program is available on the club’s Facebook page and website.