With just over a month until Brandon Wheat Kings training camp opens up, the hockey club has finalized it’s hockey operations staff.
Just days after Dave Lowry was announced as the 12th Head Coach in franchise history, General Manager Darren Ritchie confirmed the remainder of the coaching staff
will return for his fourth year as the Assistant Coach. MacGillivray, who is the 2nd winningest coach in Manitoba Junior Hockey League history has spent the last three seasons working with the Wheat Kings young defense corps.
“Don is really well prepared, hard-working and well respected by our group,” says Ritchie. “He is a big reason why our defence took a real step forward during the second half of the 2018-19 season.”
Joining MacGillivray on the bench will be former Wheat Kings Captain Mark Derlago. The nephew of former Wheat King great Bill Derlago is fresh off the final of a twelve-year professional hockey career that saw him make stops in the AHL, ECHL, Germany, Denmark, England and South Korea.
Derlago played three full seasons with the Wheat Kings from 2003-2007 (Missing the 04/05 season due to injury) and scored 82 times while adding 80 assists for 162 points in 209 games.
"Mark will be an excellent addition to our staff. He’s just retired from the game and should relate well with our players,” said Ritchie.
“I am confident that the leadership that he showed as a player will translate well to our roThe club also announced on Tuesday that Tyler Plante, a former teammate of Derlago’s will remain as the Goaltending Coach.
The Wheat Kings will open up training camp in late August, with their first pre-season test scheduled for Friday, September 6th against the visiting Winnipeg Ice.