Program of Excellence

Male

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 15Under 16Under 17

Athlete Eligibility

For the 2023 season, only male players born in 2009 will be eligible to participate.

Program Steps

1. Regional Camps

BC Hockey will hold Regional Camps on a variety of dates to give all interested athletes the opportunity to attend a camp. Athletes may attend any one of the camps and are not bound to attend the camp closest to their primary residence.

2. Provincial Tournament

Based on performance at the Regional Camps, the top 160 players will be selected to participate in the Male U15 Provincial Tournament. Eight (8) jamboree-style teams will be formed for the event.

As part of the event, BC Hockey and the Western Hockey League (WHL) bring WHL Combine Testing to:

- Assist hockey players with skill development through a national skill testing program

- Utilize the latest in combine testing technology

- Present players with sport testing results in a national database gives players a ranking within the database identifies key areas for improvement

The WHL Combine Testing will include an on and off ice session. The players will be provided with the data at the end of the competition.

Male U15 Program Steps

1. Regional Camps

March 17-18, 2023 – Prince George, B.C.

March 17-19, 2023 – Vancouver, B.C. (Planet Ice Delta)

March 24-26, 2023 – Kelowna, B.C. (Capital News Centre)

March 24-26, 2023 – Langley, B.C.

March 24-26, 2023 – Nanaimo, B.C.

Prince George (March 17th-18th) Schedule & Rosters

Vancouver (March 17th - 19th) Schedule & Rosters

Kelowna (March 24th-26th) Schedule & Rosters

Langley (March 24th-26th) Schedule & Rosters

Nanaimo (March 24th-26th) Schedule & Rosters

2. Provincial Tournament

May 11-14, 2023 – Penticton, B.C.

Schedule & Rosters

The Male Program of Excellence (POE) staff consists of BC's top individuals from across the province. Team BC staff will be selected based on their performance at the U15 and/or U16 events.

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

BC Hockey Male POE Policy (Section 13)Click Here POE Coaching and Volunteer ApplicationClick Here

2023 Male U16 POE Staff

2023-24 Team: Pacific Coast Hockey Academy U17 Prep (CSSHL)

Jason Becker, Head Coach

Hometown: Saskatoon, Sask.

Jason Becker assumes the head coaching position of Team BC for the first time this upcoming season, after spending the last four seasons as BC Hockey’s Program of Excellence (POE) Male U16 Lead Evaluator. He has been with Pacific Coast Hockey Academy for the last three seasons where he now works as the Manager of Hockey Operations, and head coach of the U17 Prep team. The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native has been behind the Male U16 Team BC bench twice, as an assistant coach in both 2017 at the WHL Cup, and in 2019 at the Canada Winter Games.

Becker was the assistant coach of the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League from 2016-19, and assistant coach of the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL) from 2010-14. Before his time behind the bench, Becker played for four WHL teams from 1991-95 (Saskatoon Blades, Red Deer Rebels, Kamloops Blazers and Swift Current Broncos), and progressed to the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Men’s Hockey team, where he played five seasons and earned a Bachelor of Arts and Science degree in Regional and Urban Development.

2023-24 Team: Okanagan Hockey Academy U15 Prep (CSSHL)

Craig Bedard, Assistant Coach

Hometown: Cranbrook, B.C.

Craig Bedard returns to the Male U16 POE program for the third time in his career. In 2007 he was the head coach at the 2007 Canada Winter Games, and led the team to a fourth-placed finish. Bedard was also the assistant coach for the 2003 Canada Winter Games, where the team also finished fourth. He has been behind the bench with Team Pacific at the Hockey Canada World U17 Hockey Championship three times, once as a head coach (2006), and twice as an assistant (2004 & 2011).

Bedard has been a head coach with Okanagan Hockey Academy in Penticton since the 2012-13 season, and has coached multiple teams in the program over that span. He has also coached in the Western Hockey League (Prince Albert Raiders – 2007-12), British Columbia Hockey League (Penticton Vees – 2004-07), and Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (Osoyoos Heat – 1997-01).

2023-24 Team: Fraser Valley Thunderbirds U15 AAA (BCEHL)

Riley Emmerson, Assistant Coach

Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.

Riley Emmerson joins the Team BC bench for the first time this season. Emmerson has been a head coach in the British Columbia Elite Hockey League (BCEHL) for four seasons and spent last season with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds’ U15 AAA team (2022-23), and the previous three seasons with the Valley West Giants’ U15 AAA team (2019-22).

The Abbotsford, B.C. native began his coaching career as a player-coach with the Edinburgh Capitals in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom. Before Emmerson started coaching, he carved himself out a successful playing career. He played 10 seasons of professional hockey. In 2005 he was drafted to the National Hockey League by the Minnesota Wild and went on to play in the American Hockey League, ECHL, Central Hockey League, and the EIHL.

2023-24 Team: Vancouver North East Chiefs U15 AAA (BCEHL)

Tim Knight, Video Coach

Hometown: Squamish, B.C.

Tim Knight returns as a video coach with Team BC for his second season, after he played a key role in the gold medal victory of the Female U18 Team BC at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in P.E.I. as their video coach. Knight has been involved in programs throughout the Lower Mainland and Sea to Sky area for the past 25 years. He has been a volunteer in the Program of Excellence for the last 11 years.

Coach Knight has served behind the bench for multiple U18AAA/U15AAA clubs in the British Columbia Elite Hockey League (BCEHL), most recently as the head coach of the Vancouver NE Chiefs' U15 AAA team for the last three seasons. He is the founder of three high school hockey academies in the Sea to Sky region and was a part of establishing the BC Hockey High School Championship Pilot.

Adam Geric, Strength & Conditioning Coach image

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

Les Cleverly, Equipment Manager & Trainer

Hometown: Hope, B.C.

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.

2023-24 Team: Male U16 Team BC (POE)

Adam Geric, Strength & Conditioning Coach

Hometown: Victoria, B.C.

Adam Geric joins the Male U16 POE program for the first time as the Strength and Conditioning Coach. With experience at the minor and junior ranks, Geric has also worked with the U18 AAA Vancouver Island Royals of the BCEHL, and the Saanich Predators of the Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League.

Geric is from Victoria and grew up playing with Victoria Racquet Club. After a pair of seasons with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League, Geric played four seasons professionally in Australia. He also represented Australia internationally at a pair of Division 2 World Championships. Geric attended Griffith University in Australia and earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Exercise Science and Business (Sport Management). He is a full-time Strength and Conditioning Coach and is the owner of Transform Sports Training and Rehabilitation in Victoria.

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