RED DEER – Hockey Alberta is pleased to announce the coaching staff that will be behind the bench for Team Alberta U18 Female at the 2023 Canada Winter Games.
Leading the group is Brett Wold (Red Deer), who will be joined by Assistant Coaches Ally Bendfeld (Innisfail) and Evan Vossen (Medicine Hat), along with Video Coach Jessie Olfert (Edmonton), Goaltending Coach Marlène Boissonnault (Calgary), and Apprentice Coach Shanya Shwetz (Edmonton).
“As we head towards the 2023 Canada Winter Games in P.E.I., we are thrilled to have put together such a great coaching staff,” said Kendall Newell, Manager, Female Hockey for Hockey Alberta. “The group has a lot of experience in the Team Alberta program, and we are looking forward to starting the evaluation process.”
Other members of the staff for Team Alberta U18 Female include: Athletic Therapist Paige Shannon (Calgary), Equipment Manager Dave Campbell (Grande Prairie), and Director of Operations Kendall Newell (Red Deer).
| POSITION | NAME | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| Director of Hockey Operations | Kendall Newell | Red Deer |
| Head Coach | Brett Wold | Red Deer |
| Assistant Coach | Ally Bendfeld | Innisfail |
| Assistant Coach | Evan Vossen | Medicine Hat |
| Video Coach | Jessie Olfert | Edmonton |
| Goalie Coach | Marlène Boissonnault | Calgary |
| Canada Games Apprentice Coach | Shanya Shwetz | Edmonton |
| Athletic Therapist | Paige Shannon | Calgary |
| Equipment Manager | Dave Campbell | Grande Prairie |
Wold has spent the last two seasons as the Head Coach of the U18 AAA Red Deer Sutter Fund Chiefs, where he was named 2021-22 Coach of the Year for the Alberta Female Hockey League. In the Team Alberta program, Wold joined the 2019 U18 Women’s National Championship team as an Assistant Coach.
Bendfeld works as an Assistant Coach with the Olds College Broncos of the ACAC. She has also been involved in many events with the Team Alberta program, including as an Assistant Coach with the gold medal winning 2019 Canada Winter Games team. Most recently, she was a Coach Mentor for South White at the 2022 Alberta Challenge.
Vossen is the current head coach of South Alberta Hockey Academy Female U18 Prep. At the 2022 Alberta Challenge he was part of the championship team, South Black, as an Assistant Coach. Aside from the Challenge, the Canada Winter Games will mark his debut behind the bench for Team Alberta.
Olfert spent 2021-22 as the head coach of the U15 AA North Central Impact. She has been involved in the Alberta Challenge and Alberta Winter Games as both an assistant and head coach. Recently, the head coach for North Blue at the 2022 Alberta Challenge.
Boissonnault joined the Team Alberta U18 team as the goaltender coach at the 2021 Western Regional Championships, where they earned silver. She is a Canada Winter Games Alumni, then a goaltender for Team New Brunswick in 2015.
Shwetz spent the past season as an assistant coach with the provincial champions, the U18 AAA Edmonton Pandas. She has also been involved with the Alberta Challenge, Alberta Winter Games, and with the U18 Provincial Team as a Video Coach (2019) and Assistant Coach (2021). At the 2022 Alberta Challenge, she stepped behind the bench as head coach of North Yellow.
Canada Games Apprentice Coach Information
Canada Games Apprentice Coach Program
The 2023 Canada Winter Games run February 18 – March 5 in Prince Edward Island. For more information on Team Alberta, please visit hockeyalberta.ca or follow on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.