Jeff Andrews comes back into the role of head coach for the U18 male Pembina Valley Hawks with both optimism and high hopes.
This is his second stint with the U18 Hawks, as he coached them from 2018 until the pandemic shut them down during a deep playoff run in 2020, and his thought is you should always go into a season with championship aspirations.
“I think by the end of the year, we’re going to be looking at a successful season,” he said last week while preparing for tryouts over the weekend. “Any time I coach at this level, I’m always big on the team goal of winning a championship … you create that positive karma with your approach day in, day out … you prepare and you work to get better.”
Over the past 17 seasons, Andrews has coached at all levels of minor hockey from U7 to U18, including coaching in the Zone 4 high school hockey league with the Morden Thunder and W.C. Miller Aces.
He was also the head coach of the U18 female Hawks from 2011 to 2015 and guided them to three provincial league championships and the ESSO Cup national championship in 2012.
He takes back the reins of a male Hawks team that finished in seventh place last season but then took down the number two Southwest Cougars with a dramatic 2-1 overtime victory in game five that gave the Hawks a 3-2 series victory.
Their season then came to an end at the hands of the top-ranked Brandon Wheat Kings.
“They had some tough luck there at times, but I think as the year progressed and after Christmas, they kind of found their legs and their footing,” said Andrews. “I think that made the season feel more successful.”
He was really excited about having the opportunity to lead the Hawks again.
“I’ve put together a really experienced coaching staff, and I’m just really excited to get the year going,” he said. “We had lots of kids register … by all indications, on paper, the year’s rounding into shape and looking really good.”
He saw there being good prospects as the team held its tryouts over the weekend.
“There are a few returning guys up front, and there’s a returning goaltender and a returning defenseman, but other than that, it’s pretty much wide open,” he said. “We’re really excited to kind of see how these kids push for spots and opportunities to make our hockey team.”
Andrews said his thought was he wants a player to basically let them know they would be making a mistake to not put them on the team.
“I think a big thing for me is just work ethic and being able to kind of push the pace and play fast,” he said. “We’ll be looking for the players’ ability to be skilled but also work hard and show their understanding of the position they’re playing and how to be effective.”
He noted the fact the Hawks almost always ice a competitive team says something about the level of talent in the area.
“We’re a big region … and there’s lots of really good minor hockey programs within our region,” he said. “Based on that, the fact is that we’re getting lots of good kids … you see a really good on ice product.
“We also want to put as many of these kids from the Pembina Valley into junior hockey,” he added. “We want to help these kids develop the skills they need so that they can move forward and continue their hockey journey.”
