The Cranbrook Bucks are pleased to announce the addition of Ehren Menard and Todd Skirving to the coaching staff for the 2021 season.
Ehren has been coaching with the KC U18 and U16 teams for the past 6 years and was most recently the Head Coach of the U16 team as well as the Director of Hockey Operations for both the U16 and U15 programs. He has experience working with Hockey Alberta High Performance programming as a staff member for Team Edmonton at the Alberta Cup in 2019.
“We are excited to bring Ehren on board with us for the remainder of this season,” said Head Coach & General Manager Ryan Donald. “Ehren is a motivated young coach that has spent the past few years working with various levels of the KC organization in Edmonton. His passion and excitement for coaching are evident, and he will be an excellent addition for our players both on and off the ice.”
Todd has spent time with both the Prince George Spruce Kings and the Vernon Vipers in the BCHL before embarking on a 4-year NCAA career at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Todd graduated in 2017 and has since played over 100 games professionally in the ECHL, winning a Kelly Cup Championship in 2019 as a member of the Newfoundland Growlers.
“Todd is a great addition to our staff as we head into the final stretch of the year. He is an enthusiastic young man who has been sidelined for the 2020-21 ECHL season as his team in St. John’s opted out for this year. Although he has been staying sharp and preparing for next season, coaching is something that he has grown interested in, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get his feet wet. As a former BCHL, NCAA, and current professional player, our guys will greatly benefit from his first-hand knowledge and experience.”
“I am looking forward to working alongside Ehren and Todd in order to provide our players with the best available development and coaching during this upcoming phase of the season. Both guys have shown an incredible amount of enthusiasm about the opportunity to coach in the BCHL, and our players will certainly reap the benefits of their knowledge, energy, and passion for the game.”
The Bucks would also like to announce the departure of assistant coach Adam Stuart.
“It is bittersweet to be leaving the Cranbrook Bucks program. I would like to thank Nathan Lieuwen and Ryan Donald for everything they have done for me, on a professional level but as well as a personal level,” said Adam Stuart. “It is especially sad to leave behind such a great group of young men who I know will one day bring a championship to this great town. This is an elite program and I’m very proud to say I was a part of the inaugural season. With that said I look forward to my next role with NAX and the opportunity to continue my coaching career. Go Bucks Go!”
“I would like to sincerely thank Adam for his time here in Cranbrook, as he helped us lay the foundation for what this organization will be moving forward, said Ryan Donald. “One of our aims as an organization is to help grow, develop, and promote the people within our walls, and this certainly continues on to our coaching staff. I would like to wish Adam nothing but the best in his future at NAX and I look forward to continuing a strong working relationship with him.”
The Cranbrook Bucks will participate in a recently approved condensed season that will begin the first week of April. More information as well as a full schedule will be released in the coming weeks along with details on the pod locations. A full player roster will be released later this week.
