The Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs are happy to announce that Chad Taylor has signed an extension to remain with the organization as the AAA Yaks head coach and Pontiacs assistant coach.
"I want to build off the successes of last season," said Pontiacs assistant and Yaks head coach Chad Taylor. "I am ready to put even more work into these programs to make them both successful. Entering my second season behind both benches, I'm ready to take the good and bad of my first year here and apply those lessons to year two.
"With our hard working mentality, both the Yaks and Pontiacs will be tough teams for our opponents to play against this year."
From the brand new AAA Yaks program to a series of changes with players and coaching personnel, Taylor came to the organization last year amidst a season of change for hockey in the Lakeland.
But that didn’t stop the U13 Yaks and coach Taylor from coming out of the gate swinging in their first season.
"There were so many positives that came from the inaugural season for the AAA Yaks and now there are expectations in place of what this region can do in the province," said Taylor. "My job will be to continue that success.
"On the Junior A front, I believe this season will be different for the Pontiacs as well. With more returning players and with Merc [Chad Mercier] behind the bench, I think it's going to be an exciting year at the RJ. I'm extremely excited to work with the other two Chads and get the season started."
The Yaks finished their first campaign in sixth place with a record of 11 wins, 13 losses and six ties. That enabled the Yaks to finish ahead of city teams like Edmonton's South Side Athletic Club and Grande Prairie's Minhas Storm to name a few, but it was this year's playoffs where coach Taylor and his Yaks surprised everyone.
"After a successful year leading the expansion Yaks AAA U13 Club and being a contributing staff member with the Junior A Pontiacs, we are excited to have Chad Taylor committed to our programs for another season," said Pontiacs vp of operations Neil Langridge.
"Chad beat all expectations with the Yaks partnership with BMHA (Bonnyville Minor Hockey Association) and took the smallest regional draw zone team to a top 4 finish in the AEHL’s U13AAA league," said Langridge.
"The growth the program saw was something to learn from and continue to build off of as we enter the second year of our partnership with BMHA. You can expect another hard working detailed team at the U13 AAA level but also for Chad [Taylor] to have a larger impact with the Junior A Pontiacs alongside newly announced head coach Chad Mercier."
With spring camps completed and a contract freshly signed, what's next for Chad Taylor this offseason?
"I might have to drive down another street other than main street now," Taylor Laughed. "I will be heading back to Manitoba at the end of June for the rest of summer, so I have some downtime until then to see more of Bonnyville and what it has to offer. Now that I know I am coming back next year, I am excited about being a part of the community and exploring more.
"The other thing I am probably most excited for and to work on this offseason, is the U13 program and continuing to build the premier team in the region for these kids."
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