Brett Wold, 32, is currently a hockey instructor at Notre Dame Hockey Academy in Red Deer
WESTLOCK – Westlock native Brett Wold continues to rise through the ranks of the hockey world and will be the head coach of Team Alberta’s U18 women’s hockey team at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.
Wold, along with the rest of the coaching staff which includes assistants Ally Bendfeld and Evan Vossen, was announced by Hockey Alberta on June 1. 2019 National Women’s U18 Championship team – this club was coached by Kendall Newell, who is director of hockey operations for the 2023 team. apprentice coach Shanya Shwetz.
Wold, who is also a hockey instructor at Notre Dame Hockey Academy in Red Deer, has spent the past four years as head coach of the U18 ‘AAA’ Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs and won the coach’s award of the Year in the Alberta Women’s Hockey League. last season. The 32-year-old married father of two was touched by the announcement and said it was an honor and a “privilege” to be named head coach.
“I applied and you’re hoping for the best, but you’re never sure. It was quite a news to receive, it’s quite exciting to be called, ”he said on June 7.
Wold, who coached for a year at the boys’ midget ‘AAA’ level before moving to the girls, said “he’s never going back because it’s been a great experience so far.
“I felt like I was going to have more opportunities to train and prove myself,” he said. “Honestly, I used to push for the next thing and try to get to the next level. But the last two years I’ve been really happy and I’m going to enjoy the moment and appreciate this opportunity. And everything what results, happens.
With the Games just eight months away, Wold and his coaching staff will soon start to crack as the first camp is scheduled to take place July 12-17 in Red Deer. This event will feature the province’s top 68 players, who will then be paired with 30 before the final cuts are made later in the year. Wold said that while the main focus will be on defending the gold medal they won in 2019, they want to make sure “these girls grow and become better people on and off the ice”.
“Time flies and we don’t have much interaction with the kids either. We really only have this July camp and then a few weekends before,” Wold said. “They are with their club teams during the season so we will focus on good habits like hard work, effort and hindsight. Our mindset with the girls is just to stay focused on the simple things and have fun.
Wold played his minor hockey at Westlock and then played one season with the NCAA Div. 3 for the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets and a year with the Red Deer College Kings in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference, where he earned a Bachelor of Education.
Looking back on his minor hockey career, Wold singled out coaches Ken Schuster, Terry Kloberdanz, Bryan Carnegie and Rob Waldner for helping him get to where he is today.
“I wouldn’t be where I am without these guys who volunteer their time and help make me the person I am today,” Wold said. “They were my only four coaches, from novice to midget. They were fantastic and giving their time was very important not only to me but to all the children they have been involved with over the years.
George Blais, TownandCountryToday.com