Rebuilding a program
Charlottetown’s Kyle Dunn named NSU18MHL coach of the year
“It’s not just me making the decisions; it’s all the staff. It’s like the turtle on top of the fence post, you don’t get there alone.” Kyle Dunn
Head coach, Cole Harbour Wolfpack
It was a coaching assignment and challenge like no other Kyle Dunn has faced.
Dunn, who is from Charlottetown and now lives in Halifax, stepped in, provided strong leadership and authored a feel-good story with the Cole Harbour Wolfpack. Dunn’s efforts and work have not gone unnoticed as he was recently named the 2023-24 Nova Scotia Under-18 Major AAA Hockey League coach of the year.
“It’s obviously exciting when you get an award like that,” said Dunn. “The coaching staff and general manager deserve recognition as well. … It’s not just me making the decisions; it’s all the staff. It’s like the turtle on top of the fence post, you don’t get there alone.”
This was anything but an ordinary year for Dunn and the staff.
The league had revoked the franchise and agreed to oversee its operation for the 202324 season. Andre Lefebvre, a scout with the Charlottetown Islanders of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), was named interim general manager.
“They weren’t even going to have the team at one point,” Dunn told SaltWire in a phone interview. “We were brought in to keep the team in Cole Harbour and keep the league running with eight teams.”
BENCH BOSS
Lefebvre’s first order of business was to appoint a head coach, and he immediately contacted Dunn, who had spent eight years as head coach of the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild major under-18 program and two seasons as an assistant coach with the UPEI men’s hockey team. He was also head coach of the Team P.E.I. male hockey team at the 2019 Canada Winter Games.
“It was a weird situation where, ‘I’d love you to be my coach but it’s only going to be for one year,’” Lefebvre told Dunn. “I’ve known for Kyle a long, long time. One thing I’ve always known about Kyle is that his teams always played properly and, as I got to know him more and more as a person, I knew exactly these kids were not only going to get a wealth of coaching knowledge, but they were also going
to be treated properly and the kids are going to love playing for him.”
Dunn understood the situation and welcomed the opportunity. Dunn and staff guided the Wolfpack to a fourth-place finish in the eight-team league with a respectable record of 19-16-3 (won-lost-overtime losses). That’s not too shabby for a team featuring 19 new faces and 12 first-year under18 players.
“The job he’s done – not only with the hockey part of things but having the kids wanting to come back to the rink and having such a great experience,” said Lefebvre, who noted the Wolfpack could have returned 14 players from last year’s team that lost in the league final to Pictou County. “They love playing for each other and they play hard. … It’s a real good group of kids and it’s a direct result of the job Kyle and the other staff have done.”
QUALITY PEOPLE
An immediate priority for Dunn and Lefebvre was to surround themselves with players and staff featuring strong character who wanted to wear the Wolfpack jersey.
“I had so much fun with (owner) Mike (Gallant), Gonzo (equipment manager David Bernard) and (assistant coach) Duane (Richards) in Kensington, so we wanted to make it fun for the players,” said Dunn.
Cole Harbour, which finished three points behind the third-place Valley Wildcats (20-14-4), will face the Cape Breton West Islanders (13-205) in the opening round of the playoffs starting this weekend.
Dunn was not surprised with the Wolfpack’s continued development.
“As the year went on, guys started to find their role, settle in and we were in a battle for third place all year and finished fourth,” said Dunn.
CHANGE CULTURE
Lefebvre said the new staff understood the importance of recreating a new culture around the team. Lefebvre said the Wolfpack made the decision that if players didn’t want to play in Cole Harbour, the organization would grant them releases, reiterating Dunn’s comment the team wanted players who want to be there.
“We want kids who want to work, and we’ll give them opportunities,” said Lefebvre. “We dubbed them the Bad News Bears really quick, but those Bad News Bears were pretty good hockey players and had a ton of compete and high battle level. They came to play every night and we started to see it turn around quick.”
FUTURE
Regardless how this year turns out, it’s been one Lefebvre and Dunn, who hopes to coach with another team next season, will not soon forget. The league has selected a new ownership group, which is expected to bring in its own management and coaching staff.
“I have to admit, it’s one of the stranger (situations) I have ever been involved with, but it’s probably one of the most enjoyable ones I have been involved with,” said Lefebvre.
“Long story short, they have picked themselves a group, and when the fairy tale is over (this year), we’ll transfer everything over (to the new group).”
“The job he’s done – not only with the hockey part of things but having the kids wanting to come back to the rink and having such a great experience.”
Andre Lefebvre
Interim GM on coach Kyle Dunn