The calibre of coaching has always been high for the Jets Hockey Development (JHD) team at hockey for all centre. But the recent selection of two JHD coaches to the coaching staff of the Manitoba boys U16 Program of Excellence, has added even more credentials to the coaching team.
Despite working together for the past several years, Devin Himpe, JHD Head Instructor, and Andy Kollar, Head Instructor of the Esso Ice Lab, have never coached a team with one another. Now they’re coming together to coach the U16 team that’s headed to the 2025 WHL Cup this October.
“It’s been a goal of mine to work my way to a point where I feel comfortable and confident to go for the head coach role,” said Himpe, who was an assistant coach and video coach for the U16 team before being selected as head coach this year. “It was a great accomplishment for myself, and as much as I want to celebrate it as much as I can, once I knew I got it, it was straight to work for me.”
Himpe’s first task was rounding out his coaching staff, and when it came to finding a goalie coach, choosing Kollar was a no-brainer.
“I know he works hard for these kids, and I know he’s going to do as much as he possibly can to help in our goalie selection,” said Himpe, who noted how difficult it will be to choose only two goalies from the many talented goaltenders trying out. “We’re lucky to have his expertise and I’m excited to be able to work with him.”
“I really respect Devin as a coach and a human, so when he asked if I would help, it was a pretty easy decision for me to make,” said Kollar, who is coaching the U16 goalies for the first time. Kollar spends most of his time running sessions at the Ice Lab, making his availability to coach teams rare. However, he’s already got a connection to the team in working one-on-one time with many of the goalies who will be trying out.
“Through the Ice Lab I’ve gotten to work with a lot of these kids on their own and have seen them grow to where they’re at right now,” said Kollar. “I’m very honoured to be a part of this and I hope with my experiences, background and knowledge, I can give the kids an advantage or some help in their journey for them to be as successful as they can.”
Getting the team ready for the WHL Cup this October is going to be a long process. Tryouts begin in April with 116 players from across the province coming to hockey for all centre. Participants will be split into teams so the coaching staff can assess who they are as players on and off the ice before selecting the top 40 going on to the next round.
As someone who was once in their shoes, Himpe wants to help players get to the next level.
“It was always something that I wanted to strive for, to get to a point where I feel that I can be effective and helpful with these players getting to the highest level possible.”
One of the ways he plans to do this as head coach is through forming relationships with each of his players to help them reach their goals and develop to the best of their ability.
“I’m a very personable coach. I like to know my players and see their journey from top 100 all the way to Team Manitoba,” said Himpe. “As a head coach I don’t want to be standoffish, I want to talk to my players and get to know them and see their progression and development from start to finish.”
During a few weekends in the summer, players will participate in practices, games, interviews, and team building events until the final team is narrowed down for this October’s WHL Cup in Red Deer, Alta. The WHL Cup happens every year, with the exception of Canada Games years, and includes teams with the top players from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia. Many of the players participating will be scouted by the WHL, which has produced some of the top players in the NHL.
Both coaches are looking forward to competing in the tournament.
“I’m excited to see how the mindset changes, or doesn’t change, at a high-level tournament,” said Kollar. “I think one of the biggest aspects I can add to our players’ toolbox will be the mental side of it. I think that’s the biggest part that changes through a high-level tournament, where pressure or mindset could take over in a negative or positive way and affect their skill set.”
“I’m just excited to see how the players develop and how we can see them go from good to better players within a system and a higher level of competition,” said Himpe. “It will be exciting to see how we do against other provinces.”
While it may be their first times in these specific roles, coaching with Jets Hockey Development has prepared Kollar and Himpe to take on the challenge.
“I think working at the Ice Lab has helped me prepare to partner up with whoever the goalies are and create a strong bond,” said Kollar. During the past 11 years he’s spent at the Ice Lab, Kollar has learned to tailor his coaching to how each player learns and reacts.
“Being able to learn from and talk with the really good coaches that we have here and to be in hockey day in and day out has only helped me understand what we need to do for these players to help them develop further,” said Himpe. “We’re skills coaches, but at the end of the day we’re trying to build ourselves up and have a better understanding of how we can be an effective coach for the players, whether it be from a skills development side or from a team systems side.”
Along with coaching the provincial team, Kollar and Himpe will be running a variety of JHD and Esso Ice Lab camps and programs this summer. To learn more about different options for summer training, visit hockeyforallcentre.com
