The Virden Oil Capitals have announced their coaching staff for the upcoming 2020-21 campaign.
Tyson Ramsey will return for his second season as Head Coach and GM. Last season he guided the Oil Caps to a 32-23-5 record, good enough for 6th place, and ultimately a date with the Winkler Flyers in the first round of the playoffs.
Also returning for his second year is Reid Gow. Gow was an assistant coach last year and was responsible for the defenceman. He brings a lot of experience to the Oil Caps from his playing days with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.
The newest member of the coaching staff is assistant coach Brett Braybrook. Brett comes to the Oil Caps from the Virden Oil Kings, a local senior team, where he served as a coach there a year ago. This is Braybrook’s second stint with the Oil Capitals in a coaching role. He served as the video coach during the Oil Caps inaugural season and was an Assistant Coach the following year. Brett has also been a member of the teams scouting staff for several seasons.
Braybrook had this to say about an opportunity behind the Oil Caps bench.
“I’m very excited to be behind the bench again”, said Braybrook. “Being part of the organization from day one has been a tremendous experience, but what I love the most is coaching. I am most excited about coming to the rink every day and watching these guys do their thing. We have the right group of guys to make a lot of noise in the league this year”, Braybrook added.
Goaltending coach Ryan Potter is also back with the club for another season. Potter joined the Oil Capitals in 2015, coming over from the Dauphin Kings.
Derek Leblanc will return for his second season as an Assistant Coach on a part-time basis.
Ramsey is excited to work with this group of coaches this upcoming season.
“I am thrilled to have Reid back and for Brett to join our group”, said Ramsey. “In Reid, we get a guy who has played the game at a high level and is good at teaching the game’s finer points. He is a great teacher for our young defence corps and is also a great special teams coach. I very much enjoyed working with Reid last season, and I am glad he is back. Brett joining our group is also very exciting as Brett has a vast knowledge of the league and the young players joining the league. He is a student of the game and a real community-minded person. He will be a great addition to our group. Both Derek and Ryan bring a wealth of knowledge and experiences in the game and be with us on a part-time basis. Ryan will continue to help develop our goaltenders, and Derek will help on the ice at practices whenever he is available”, added Ramsey.