Okanagan Hockey Academy announces new head coach lineup

April 23, 2010

The Okanagan Hockey Academy (OHA) announced their head coach lineup for the 2010 - 2011 hockey season today. Within the six teams operated by the OHA, two coaches will be returning from previous seasons while four are new.

OHA President Andy Oakes believes this year’s coaching lineup is the strongest yet.

“We feel we have built a staff of Head Coaches that is second to none in our industry,” said Oakes. “This group of individuals will guide our teams for the 2010 - 2011 season and each player that plays for them will have the best coaching available to them at this level. They really encapsulate the qualities we look for in our coaching staff, including hard work, proven track records and a desire to achieve excellence.”

Below are the OHA head coaches for the 2010 – 2011 hockey season.


Evan Marble
Head Coach & GM, Penticton Lakers
Evan Marble played six seasons in the WHL and won a Memorial Cup as a 16-year-old with the Swift Current Broncos. He won the Spengler cup as a member of Canada's National Team and played professional hockey in North America and Europe. In 2006 Evan retired from playing and became assistant coach for the Westside Warriors before working as Head Coach and GM for the Pursuit of Excellence’s Bantam ‘AAA’ team in Kelowna. He also holds a degree in Kinesiology from the University of Calgary.

“I feel this is a great chance for me to learn and teach at a different level,” said Marble. “I’m very thankful for this opportunity.  The Okanagan Hockey Academy is a fantastic organization, very professionally run.  There are so many great things that they’re associated with and I’m honoured to be a part of it.”


Rob McLaughlin
Head Coach, Bantam Team

Rob joined the Okanagan Hockey Academy last season. Prior to that, Rob had been involved with the Okanagan Hockey School in various capacities for 25 years. Rob has previously coached in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) as well as been involved in the BC High Performance Program for the past 16 years. He is currently the head district evaluator for BC Hockey’s Best Ever program, as well as a Certified Power Skating Instructor. Rob has coached many players that have moved on to having professional careers, including NHL players Duncan Keith and Chuck Kobasew.

“I’m thrilled to coach the Bantam team in its first year, and looking forward to seeing the development of players in this age group,” said McLaughlin. “They’re going to learn so much and seeing the players grow and develop as players from September to June will be amazing.“


Rebecca Russell
Head Coach, Female Midget Team

Rebecca Russell started playing hockey in Clarenville, Newfoundland at the age of seven. She started playing for team Newfoundland at the age of twelve at the Canada Games in 1995 and again in 1999. At the age of sixteen she left home to attend Berkshire High School in Massachusetts, USA. She then played four years of Division 1 university hockey at St. Lawrence University in Upstate, NY. There, Rebecca was nominated as a top ten Patty Kazmaier finalist (Top female player in college hockey, 2005); played for the U-22 Canadian National Team in 2004 and Attended senior national team camps in 2005 and 2007. She has played four seasons for the Calgary Oval X-treme in the WWHL, winning the National Championship in the 2006-2007 season.  Most recently Rebecca has worked as Assistant Coach for the University of Calgary women’s team and Team Canada’s National U-22 women’s team.

“I’m very excited to join the team at Okanagan Hockey School and to be a part of the new female program there,” said Russell. “It will be a great thing for women’s hockey and I’m very happy that they’re willing to start this new women’s program. I’m proud to be a part of it and I can’t wait to get started.”


Robert Dirk
Head Coach, Prep Team

Entering his third year with OHA, Robert Dirk joined the Okanagan Hockey Academy after a nine-year career in the NHL as well as 10 years coaching experience in the UHL, WCHL and the ECHL. Dirk spent his NHL career playing with the Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks. His coaching philosophy has always been that the development of players is achieved through the development as people both on and off the ice.

“I’m looking forward to working with kids that want to become hockey players who have the drive and desire to play at higher levels, as they climb the ladder to the NHL,” said Dirk. “I was fortunate to have the experiences I’ve had and I want to help others reach their dreams.”


Randall Weber
Head Coach, Varsity Team
Randall Weber was born in Fort St. John BC and moved to Nottingham in the early 1980’s where he made his debut for the Nottingham Panthers at the age of seventeen in 1985. He would play with the Panthers for his entire professional career, breaking the club record for number of appearances and becoming the club's longest serving player, appearing in 845 games. His number 10 jersey was retired by the Panthers following his retirement in 2002. An Okanagan Hockey School alumnus, Weber comes to Penticton from Edmonton, where he has been working as Camp Director of the Oilers Hockey School and Senior Operations Manager at Rexall Place.

“This is a great opportunity that I couldn’t pass up,” said Weber. “I’ve been so impressed with the product of the Okanagan Hockey School and it’s an organization with which I see a really good fit for the long term. I really look forward to the opportunity of joining the team.”


Josh Dixon
Head Coach, Junior Varsity Team
Josh Dixon began his coaching career in Oakville, Ontario working in AAA hockey. In 2002, he became an associate coach with Carleton University Ravens men's hockey team. Josh has spent the past four years in Calgary, two as assistant coach for the University of Calgary Dinos men's and women's teams, and two as assistant coach for Mount Royal University’s men’s team.  Dixon also holds an Honours Arts degree in political science and history.

“I’ve heard nothing but great things about what a first-rate, professional organization Okanagan Hockey Academy is,” said Dixon. “I’m ecstatic to work with the staff there and be a part of the fantastic tradition that they’ve built.”



For more information contact Steve Taylor, Director of Website and Media Services at (250) 809-9715 or stevetaylor@hockeyschools.com.