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Program of Excellence

Program of Excellence

BC Hockey athletes have the opportunity to try-out for and represent their province, region or country in various national and international competitions throughout their career.

Under 12/14Under 16Under 18

U12/U14 Camps will occur in the fall of 2023.

The U12/14 Female Program of Excellence (formerly High Performance Program) acts as a feeder for the Female U16 and U18 POE. Players, coaches and officials have the opportunity to progress throughout the programs. Club team coaches are encouraged to get involved with U12/14 and learn about high performance hockey within B.C..

The Female U12/14 POE is the product of the Female Hockey Development model and considered developmental only, where no teams will be selected and there is no evaluation/feedback component. The purpose of the program is to introduce eligible athletes to high performance hockey. The athletes will be exposed to sport science principals in the areas of nutrition, mental training, and physical preparation.

The inclusion of a U12/14 POE level is a result of BC Hockey adopting the Long Term Athlete Development Model. Research shows that athletes aged 10 and 13 are considered a key age range in several skill and physical development phases. Using age and developmentally appropriate materials, the program will introduce key areas of on-ice skill development and off-ice training allowing them to be successful regardless of the path they choose within the game.

If you have any additional questions please contact the BC Hockey Office at highperformance@bchockey.net.

2023 POE Female U12/U14 Regional Camps

  • December 15-17, 2023 – Kelowna
  • January 2-4, 2024 – Coquitlam

BC Hockey’s Female Program of Excellence (POE) staff consists of B.C.'s top individuals from across the province. Team BC staff will be selected based on their performance at the U14 and/or U16 events.

For more information or any inquiries, please contact the BC Hockey POE Coordinator here: highperformance@bchockey.net

2023 Female U18 POE Staff

Whitney Juszkiewicz, Assistant Coach image
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2023-24 Team: Greater Vancouver Canadians U18 AAA (BCEHL)

Amy de Bree, Head Coach

Hometown: Shawnigan Lake, B.C.

Amy de Bree will make her debut as the Female U18 Team BC Head Coach after she spent the last three years as the team's assistant coach. She most recently helped the team to a gold medal at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. De Bree was also the Female Team BC Head Coach at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships in 2017 where her team earned a Bronze Medal.

De Bree was the assistant coach with the BCEHL's Greater Vancouver Canadians U18 AAA team last season after she took charge the BCEHL's Greater Vancouver Comets as head coach during the 2021-22 season. From 2019-21 she served in the position Assistant Coach – Video for the University of British Columbia Women’s Ice Hockey Team. She has also compiled over 12 years of experience coaching at various levels throughout Vancouver Thunderbirds Minor Hockey Association (MHA), Vancouver Female MHA, and Vancouver MHA.

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2023-24 Team: Delta Hockey Academy U18 Prep (CSSHL)

Whitney Juszkiewicz, Assistant Coach

Hometown: Edmonton, Alta.

Whitney Juszkiewicz, Assistant Coach image

Whitney Juszkiewicz returns for her second season as Female U18 Team BC Assistant Coach after she helped the team to a gold medal at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. She was also previously the Female POE Coordinator and played integral roles with Team BC's bronze medal team at the 2019 Canada Winter Games, and the 2017 Team BC which claimed a bronze medal at the National Women’s U18 Championship. Juszkiewicz has served as a leader in the National Hockey League Coaches Association (NHLCA) Female Coach Mentor Program.

Juszkiewicz brings over 10-years of experience working with numerous MHA's in the Lower Mainland and is a Hockey Canada Skills Coach. She was awarded BC Hockey's Development Award - Coaching in 2022, and was named the BFL Female Coach of the Year for B.C. in 2021.

Allan Russell, Video Coach image
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2023-24 Team: Vancouver Island Seals Female U18 AAA (BCEHL)

Jesse Hammill, Assistant Coach

Hometown: Victoria, B.C.

Jesse Hammill joins the Female POE program for the first time this season. He has spent the last three seasons as head coach of the Vancouver Island Seals program in the BCEHL. Hammill began coaching when he was only 17-years-old and has coached in the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (Oceanside Generals, Nanaimo Buccaneers & Campbell River Storm) and the English Premier Ice Hockey League (EPIHL). He has coached, mentored, and managed at nearly every level of the game.

Prior to beginning coaching, Hammill compiled 13 years of experience playing hockey, and played for multiple professional teams across the United Kingdom.

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2023-24 Team: Trinity Western University Men's Hockey Team (U Sports)

Allan Russell, Video Coach

Hometown: Nanaimo, B.C.

Allan Russell, Video Coach image

Allan Russell begins his first season with the BC Hockey POE program as the Female U18 Video Coach. Russell spent the last two seasons as Video Coach with the Trinity Western Spartans Men’s Hockey team (U Sports). He is also North Vancouver Minor Hockey Association’s Goaltending Lead, having held that position since 2021.

Originally from Nanaimo, B.C., and a graduate of Nanaimo Minor Hockey Association, Russell has coached and scouted with multiple teams and leagues across the globe. He has worked as a scout with the Corpus Christi Ice Rays (North American Hockey League), U Sports scout for Metal Ligaen (Denmark's Professional League) and Video & Analytics Coach with the Botany Swarm in the New Zealand Ice Hockey League. 

Les Cleverly, Equipment Manager image
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2023-24 Team: Delta Hockey Academy (CSSHL)

Lydia Maxwell, Athletic Therapist

Hometown: Port Coquitlam, B.C.

Maxwell is entering her fourth year as the team’s athletic therapist. Previously, she was the athletic therapist for the Delta Hockey Academy of the CSSHL from 2016 - 2021. She also worked for the Port Moody Panthers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League during the 2018-19 season.

Maxwell completed a Bachelor of Science degree with a double major in Kinesiology and Psychology with a concentration in active rehabilitation at Simon Fraser University in 2015. She then continued her education in Calgary as a post graduate student at Mount Royal University where she completed an advanced certificate in Athletic Therapy. In 2016, she passed her National Board Certification exam with the Canadian Athletic Therapy Association to become a Certified Athletic Therapist.

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2023-24 Team: Female U18 & Male U16 Team BC (POE)

Les Cleverly, Equipment Manager

Hometown: Hope, B.C.

Les Cleverly, Equipment Manager image

Les Cleverly has been with BC Hockey’s POE program over the last four years where he has worked as the Equipment Manager & Trainer for the U16 Male Team, and the Equipment Manager with the Female U18 team. He was a member of the Female U18 team that claimed a gold medal at the 2023 Canada Winter Games and the Male U16 team that captured the 2021 WHL Cup title.

Cleverly is the trainer with the Salmon Arm Silverbacks of the British Columbia Hockey League and has been a paramedic for the past 30 years. He currently oversees and manages the Clinical Air Operations program for BC Emergency Health Services, which provides Critical Care Air Ambulance for patients throughout B.C.

Patrick Thibeault, Head Scout & Coach Mentor image
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2023-24 Team: Okanagan Rockets (BCEHL)

Travis Martell, Strength & Conditioning Coach

Hometown: Kelowna, B.C.

Travis Martell joins the Female U18 POE program for the first time this season. Involved in hockey for 14 years, Martell is a full-time strength and conditioning coach and specializes in helping athletes take their games to the next level. Martell has also worked with the BCEHL’s Okanagan Rockets for six seasons as their strength and conditioning coach.

Originally from Kelowna, Martell played four years of junior hockey split between the Sicamous Eagles of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League and the Notre Dame Hounds of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He also played professional hockey in the United States, Netherlands and Germany. A graduate of Castleton State College in Vermont, Martell obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and played on the Men’s Hockey Team for three seasons.

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2023-24 Team: Female U18 Team BC (POE)

Patrick Thibeault, Head Scout & Coach Mentor

Hometown: Qualicum Beach, B.C.

Patrick Thibeault, Head Scout & Coach Mentor image

With over 10 years of experience with Team BC, Patrick Thibeault brings many years of knowledge to the role of Head Scout and Coach Mentor. Through his 30 years in hockey, Thibeault has held coaching roles with BC Hockey’s POE program, along with time spent at North Vancouver Minor Hockey Association, Ridge Meadows Flames of the Pacific Junior Hockey League, the University of British Columbia’s Women’s Hockey Team and the Vancouver Fusion Female AAA program (now Greater Vancouver Comets in the BCEHL).

 Thibeault currently resides in Qualicum Beach, B.C. and is retired. He attended both Douglas College in Vancouver, and Cégep André Laurendeau in LaSalle, Quebec, where he studied Languages & Literature.

BC Athlete Assistance Program & CSCP Targeted Athlete

Each season BC Hockey is awarded the opportunity to nominate players to be designated by Canadian Sport Centre Pacific as “identified athletes”. The athletes are designated as a result of participation / selection / performance in the BC Hockey High Performance Program. The CSC Pacific performance model assists national and provincial sport organizations and their targeted athletes, across the province, providing services to both summer and winter sports. Registered athletes gain access to benefits including; Gymworks (gym passes), performance enhancement seminars, links to medical services, and career services. Their coaches also have access to these services.

BC Athlete Assistance Program