Fort St. John Flyers name Campbell as head coach for 2025-26

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Fort St. John Senior Flyers new coach Reid Campbell played for the team during their 2017-18 championship season. (Fort St. John Senior Flyers, Facebook)

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — In naming their new head coach, the Fort St. John Senior Flyers are delving into the team’s past successes.

The club named Reid Campbell their new bench boss for the 2025-26 North Peace Hockey League (NPHL) season, according to a Facebook post.

He’ll be joined behind the bench by assistant coaches Troy Hunt and Alex Keeley.

Hunt is a former veteran goaltender for the Flyers, with 13 seasons in that department, and Keeley has coached in the North East Recreational Hockey League (NERHL).

Flyers general manager Lee Hartman said he is “optimistic” about the upcoming season, and the decision to hire Campbell came after a months-long search.

“We reached out to a few ex-Flyers after the season ended,” said Hartman. “It took quite a while before we could stir up some interest.

“Reid has become super excited about it, and [he’s] very player-driven. He is very interested in what we could possibly put together for a team this year.”

The 36-year-old Campbell is the third head coach of the team in two seasons. Craig Faulkner and Eric Nystoruk split coaching duties during the 2024-25 NPHL season.

A native of Haines Junction in the Yukon, Campbell is no stranger to Fort St. John. He initially came to the city as a member of the North East BC Trackers program back in 2005.

He also had stops in the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III, both on the amateur side, and a professional career which took him to the ECHL (formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League) and Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL).

Following this, Campbell returned to Fort St. John and starred for the Flyers for two seasons, including four goals and eight assists for 12 points in 11 playoff games as the team captured the 2017-18 NPHL championship.

Campbell last played for the Dawson Creek Canucks in the 2019-20 NPHL season.

The Flyers started out with nine straight losses last season before their first win in mid-December.

They finished the last NPHL season with a record of five wins and 15 losses, being swept in the first round of the Campbell Cup playoffs by the Dawson Creek Canucks.

Elsewhere off the ice, Hartman said the team has secured a major sponsorship deal with AMA Energy Rentals, replacing former sponsor Chances Casino Fort St. John.

The team opens training camp on October 1st. Visit the Flyers Facebook page or NPHL website for further details.