Above: Former Cloverdale U18 A1 head coach Brien Gemmell with assistant coaches Royce and Adam Rossignol pose with the team (far right) after their bronze provincial medal win, with coaching associate Judah Jones (far left). The coaching trio is headed to the White Rock Junior B Whalers for the 2023-2024 season. (Brien Gemmell/contributed photo) Right: Judah Jones, left, Brien Gemmel, Royce Rossignol and Adam Rossignol after the Colts won the Pacific Coast Amatuer Hockey Asoociation championship earlier this year. | Photo: Royce Rossignol/contributed photo.
Former Cloverdale u18 A1 head coach will be joined by assistant coaches Adam and Royce Rossignol
The Cloverdale U18 A1 Colts’ loss is the Junior B White Rock Whalers’ gain.
The Pacific Junior Hockey League (PJHL) Junior B team has announced that Brien Gemmel will be the team’s new head coach for the 2023-2024 season, replacing Jason Rogers, who was head coach since the Whalers’ inaugural 2018/2019 season and also PJHL coach of the year for the 2019/2020 season.
Gemmell, who is athletic director at Lord Tweedsmuir Secondary, has coached hockey for more than 30 years at many levels, from minor hockey – U13, U15 and U18 – up to Junior A, with his past seven seasons spent coaching the U18 A1 Cloverdale Colts, who were just crowned the Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association 2023 U18 Tier 1 Champions and won bronze at the 2023 provincial championships.
His Cloverdale assistant coaches and brothers Royce and Adam Rossignol, who both grew up playing minor hockey in Cloverdale and played at Junior B and higher levels before they started coaching, are joining him at the Whalers as well.
READ ALSO: Bronze shines bright for Cloverdale Colts
Gemmell said when he and the Rossignols were contacted by Whalers owner Ronnie Paterson and learned that Rogers was stepping away, they were intrigued.
“Ron is obviously a great person and a great owner and the team is really well-respected. We felt confident with their hockey operation and we’re excited to make that jump to Junior B,” Gemmell said.
The White Rock Whalers are excited and pleased to announce Brien Gemmell as Head Coach for the upcoming 2023/24 season.
Brien brings a wealth of knowledge, skill, and experience from his over 30 years of coaching at many levels, from minor hockey - U13, U15 and U18, up to Jr. A pic.twitter.com/rsS39IA3nd— WhiteRockWhalers (@WRWhalersHockey) April 28, 2023
Royce Rossignol agreed.
“Former coach Jason Rogers has been doing a really good job with the team over the years – it’s going to be just taking over from what he started,” he said.
“We’re definitely excited for the opportunity and looking forward to it.”
Adam Rossignol, who now lives in South Surrey, said that working closer to his new home is great.
“Getting to work with Ronnie and my brother and Brien – I’m very excited to be able to move up to this level,” he said.
“I just welcome the challenge. We’re going to put in everything we can do to make it a successful and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.”
With the loss of several key players who ‘aged’ out of the PJHL last year, including the Whalers’s top line of 20-year-olds – Chris Fortems, Zach Sherwin and ‘Big Goal’ Cole Svendson – as well as 20-year-old veteran blue liners Margetson and Cam Newson, Gemmell said one of the first focuses will be recruiting.
“Having a good balance is really important,” Gemmell said, in knowing what returning players bring to the table, and what recruitment of new players could bring to the team.
He and the Rossignols will be joined by a former Whalers player, Matt Rogers, who will be an associate coach; Jason Rogers will remain with the organization as a senior advisor.
They all paid homage to the Cloverdale Minor Hockey Association and the Colts, saying how much they’ll miss their former organization, although Gemmell said they’ll still stay involved on the development side of things.
“I want to thank Cloverdale for the opportunity to coach U18 for the past five years. It’s a great organization to be a part of,” he said.
Moving forward with the new challenge of coaching a Junior B team, Gemmell said he couldn’t be happier to have his longtime assistant coaches with him.
“The Whalers are already a great brand. We want to build this team and get a PJHL championship cup – that’s always the goal,” Gemmell said.
“But more important, it’s to help these young men develop and grow, not just with hockey, but as leaders in the community.”
