The new bench boss for the Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs is a familiar face in the local hockey community.
Brett Wold, 29, after three seasons as an assistant with the team, has taken over for Bob Rutz as head coach of Red Deer’s top Midget Female AAA group. The announcement was made earlier this spring.
Wold has deep ties to hockey in Red Deer, all the way back to his days as an assistant working with the Midget AAA Optimist Chiefs.
He’s been involved on the coaching and skill development side of hockey for more than a decade and is excited for the challenge of taking over the Sutter Fund Chiefs.
Thanks Coach Bob for your years of dedication to the team and to the girls who passed through the program. Hard to imagine how many hours you put in but we thank you for every one of them! Best wishes to you... https://t.co/1f7YYgOg7h
— RED DEER SF CHIEFS (@rdsfaaachiefs) April 4, 2019
“It’s a lot of work, I know Bob put in a ton of hours over the last three years. It’s going to be a lot of work but and I’m looking forward too it,” said Wold, who made sure to thank his family and the Red Deer Minor Hockey Commission for the opportunity.
“I’m just looking to build a culture. With that, I’m looking to build a place where the rink is a fun place for the girls to come to every day. A culture where we get our alumni involved. We want them to be proud that they used to be a Sutter Fund Chief. So all the girls that I’ve coached over the past couple years and all the ones that came before. I want to involve them.”
Last season, the Sutter Fund Chiefs finished with a 9-18-3 regular season record and two years ago, they won provincial bronze on home ice.
Over the last three seasons, the team has been really strong at pushing players to the next level, with 27 players getting some opportunity to play post-secondary hockey. Wold hopes at the very least to keep that steady and potentially grow it each year.
“We’re going to develop our girls. We’re going to straight to a development model. Obviously, we want to win and we want to win an Esso Cup but our main focus is to develop these girls to the next level– the collegiate level and that’s our number one step,” Wold said.
“I truly believe, we have plans of becoming one of the top Midget AAA female programs in all of Canada. I know it’s going to take a lot of work. I’m going to surround myself with the best people I know. I know there’s lots of people in the community that will help us get there as well.”
Congratulations Brett Wold @whereswoldo08 on becoming the new Bench Boss of the Midget AAA Female Program. #TheWorkStartsNow #ChiefsPride https://t.co/JaYXesKpnT
— RED DEER SF CHIEFS (@rdsfaaachiefs) April 9, 2019
Wold said that after talking with all the returning players for next season, his focus turned to recruiting. The first chance to check out potential players comes on May 26, when the Sutter Fund Chiefs will host an identification camp for players throughout the region.
“They get to know our program, I believe our program is one of the strongest in terms of development and what we have going with the hockey academy. If we can spread that word, that’s our biggest thing,” he said.
Overall, Wold is thrilled to be at the helm of the group and has high hopes for what the future holds, including putting in work to grow and expose the female game to the widest audience possible.
“Build a culture where the girls give back to the community by inspiring young girls on the ice and in the classroom. My big plan is to grow the women’s game in Red Deer,” said Wold.
“I want to showcase them and inspire those young athletes to join hockey or get involved.”
Email sports tips to Byron Hackett
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