Fort McMurray Oil Barons Assistant Coach Ryan Allen is coming back for another season, and is adding onto his coaching portfolio.
For his third season on the staff, Allen will stick behind the bench running the defence, along with strength and conditioning.
He’ll also take on a larger part in video operations and team tactics.
Allen says he’s looking forward to developing his coaching skills with the Barons.
“It’s a cliché; but you can always get better at anything,” he said.
“I did some video here the last couple of years, and it’s probably one of the things that, in today’s game, has become more advanced. Once you have it, it’s an important part of your coaching repertoire.”
Allen started out playing his entire minor hockey career in the Fort McMurray Minor Hockey Association.
He then spent five seasons playing for the Oil Barons from 2002 to 2007, where he wore an ‘A’ in 2006-07, and helped win the league championship in 2005-06.
From there he moved onto Brock University to play for the Badgers in the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) from 2007 to 2012, where the team reached the University Cup national championship in 2008.
He graduated from Brock with a Bachelor of Physical Education, with honours.
Head Coach and General Manager Curtis Hunt says he’s happy to get Allen more involved.
“In the short time I’ve gotten to know Ryan, it’s evident to see his passion for the game and desire to expand his knowledge and workload,” he said.
“The energy and excitement that Ryan will continue to bring to the organization in an expanded role will be a great asset to our players’ development.”
“That relates to both on and off-ice development,” Hunt added.
