Derek Sweet-Coulter’s first season of coaching junior hockey was in 2005-06 with the Onion Lake Winterhawks. He’s coached in 783 career games at the Junior B and A level combined – including in the BCHL – and has earned 468 wins. His coaching resume also includes being involved with Hockey Canada for the World Junior A Challenge, initially as a guest coach for Team Canada West (TCW), then a video coach winning gold in 2017 and bronze in 2018. In 2018-19 he was named the Coach of the Year in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
The Victoria native is in year one of three as head coach-general manager of the Sicamous Eagles. One of the things that intrigued him to go for the position is the support.
“When you get on the phone with an organization, there’s either passion or there isn’t,” he says. “They’re either doing things for the right reasons or they’re not. With this group, led by Sheila Devost, I felt right away they were in it for the right reasons.”
The Eagles organization is focused on developing young men on and off-the-ice. Sweet-Coulter says “winning is important, but it’s not everything.”
He’s really impressed with the executive group and the program they want to build.
“People don’t always see what goes on behind the scenes — our executive will drive six hours on road trips and bring crockpots to cook meals for the players to get home-style meals instead of restaurant food,” he says proudly. “That kind of care and commitment is pretty incredible.”
KIJHL: How is your first season in Sicamous so far?
Sweet-Coulter: It’s been a learning process for everyone involved, including myself. Any time you step into a new situation, there’s a lot to learn, but I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve had incredible support from the board and executive, and the players understand we’re here to help them get better and move on to bigger and better things. At the core, that’s what this program is about — developing young men who can be successful not only in hockey, but life. The community here has been incredibly welcoming to myself and the team, and it’s been an exciting first season.
KIJHL: In terms of player development, what are the things that are important to you in helping players grow into the type of players you envision they can be?
Sweet-Coulter: One of the biggest things is helping players understand their identity. At this level, that can be challenging. We want players to play to their strengths and work on their weaknesses, but understanding who you are as a junior hockey player is critical.
A lot of kids come out of minor hockey thinking they’ll do the same things they did before, and quickly learn that junior hockey is different. It becomes about identifying what you bring to the team. It can’t always be about statistics — everyone has a role and has to excel in it for a team to be successful. We work on that both on and off-the-ice whether through drills, structure, or meetings. Understanding their role and identity is a huge part of preparing them for junior hockey and beyond.
KIJHL: From a skill development standpoint, what do you emphasize most?
Sweet-Coulter: For me, angling and stick position are huge. If you can do those things properly, you can play in any system. Protecting the middle of the ice, especially the neutral zone, is critical. If teams can’t come through the middle and are forced to the walls, it makes the game harder for them.
We spend a lot of time working on angling, stick position, and checking forward. Whether it’s through video or one-on-one meetings. We also work daily on our offensive skills that are extremely important. Our offensive zone concepts are always evolving and we need to make sure our players are working on these individual skills that will be implemented in our system.
KIJHL: How have you evolved as a coach over your time in junior hockey?
Sweet-Coulter: The game and coaching has changed a lot since I started. Even early on, I felt coaching was more of a partnership, and that’s only become more true. The days of simply telling players what to do are gone. They want to understand why and have one-on-one meetings and honest feedback. There’s more communication now than ever before, and that’s a good thing. When players understand what’s expected of them and why decisions are made, that’s how they get better.
KIJHL: What did your time with Hockey Canada with Canada West mean to your development as a coach?
Sweet-Coulter: It was an unbelievable experience. In those early years, you’re mentoring a team at camp alongside other CJHL coaches, and the level of talent is incredible. My first year, you’re standing on the bench with players like Dante Fabbro (Columbus Blue Jackets), Tyson Jost (Nashville Predators), and Cale Makar (Stanley Cup winner with the Colorado Avalanche), and it’s surreal. Then as I moved forward with the program and being on the TCW staff, I had the pleasure of working with players like Alex Newhook (Montreal Canadiens), Dylan Holloway (St. Louis Blues), Riese Gaber (Charlotte Checkers – AHL), Angus Crookshank (Utica Comets – AHL) and the list goes on. I learned so much from those elite players during my four years there. I can’t thank Hockey Canada enough for giving me that opportunity to learn, it changed my life in hockey. But beyond the talent, the real value was the mentorship I received from other top coaches.
I learned so much from veteran coaches — not just about drills, but about communication, leadership, and how to run a program properly. Coaches like Barry Wolff (Nelson Leafs head coach), Mike Reagan (Flin Flon Bombers – SJHL), Rick Swan (formerly Bonnyville Pontiacs – AJHL), Tim Fragle (Everett Silvertips – WHL – with NAIT at that time) and other Junior A coaches had a huge impact on me. They took me under their wing and showed me what really matters in hockey. You’re constantly learning, taking notes, and absorbing what works. Those years really propelled me as a coach and understanding how to run a successful program.
KIJHL: How do you like your teams to play?
Sweet-Coulter: Your identity and philosophy is what sets your team apart from others. Competing is something extremely important to us, our players know that anything good that comes our way is because we earned it, nothing is given. We teach our kids simply to never give up, not just in hockey, but in life. Life is tough and we hope to instill these values that help them beyond the rink as they go out into the real world.
We teach a lot through video, we want to help our players develop great habits inside our structure so that they can play fast, connected, and with no hesitation. I’m a big believer that if you can focus on and improve those small details at this level, you set the player up for success. Not only now, but down the road as they move forward in their career and compete at higher levels.
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