U18BB Coach's Letter-Best

2026/27 Kanata Rangers U18BB
My name is Cam Best, and I am proud to be the coach of one of the Rangers U18BB team for the 2026/27 season. I have coached for a number of years at the competitive level, including last year as the Head Coach for one of the Rangers U18BB teams. Prior to that, I was a head coach for a number years in the Osgoode Richmond Romans association, and an assistant coach with various Rangers teams.

Team philosophy
We will build a strong, respectful, and fun team environment, and will work hard every practice and every game. As a competitive team, we will strive win each game we play. However, “W’s” will not come at the expense of skill development, building a great team environment, developing character, and being respectful of each other, our opponents, and officials.

Coaching philosophy
Our team will have strong emphasis on work ethic, and integrating individual skill development into team play and team strategy. While I believe repetition leads to execution, we will also work at developing decision-making abilities to help in any situation. We will encourage and environment where players will be encouraged to test their skills and move out of their comfort zone, even if that means making mistakes. As coaches, we will help the players learn from their mistakes in a positive, constructive manner. I know players will help coaches learn from our mistakes as well.

What to expect for the 2026/27 season:

Tournaments - please expect 4-5 tournaments, including 2-3 out of town and 2-3 local.

September - TBD
October - Pink the Rink
November - Kanata Tournament
December to February - TBD
April - Provincials, pending qualifying

Timing - expect 3-5 team sessions per week, including on and off-ice activities. This is a competitive team, and it is expected that players will make a commitment to the team prioritizing health, family, school, and Rangers hockey. Practices, games, development, and off-ice activities are considered mandatory team events. Extra-curricular activities are encouraged and an important part of youth development. It is the expectation that by making a commitment to play at the U18BB level, you are prioritizing Kanata Rangers hockey as your primary extra-curricular activity. I do recognize that players have jobs, and there are times in the school year where stress levels increase. We will do our best to provide the team schedule as far in advance as possible and will plan around exam time as best we can.
Development - we will plan for development and training for both skaters and goalies in addition to our regularly scheduled practices and games. This may include dryland training, external coaches, and extra ice times booked. We will work with the team to develop a plan for off-ice activities such as conditioning training, health and nutrition, as well chalk-talk and video sessions. We will also stress team development through team events.
Team fees - to support team activities such as tournaments, player development, and other team activities, there will be an additional team fee in the $2000 - $2500 range. Final team fees will be subject to development of a budget and team approval. Sponsorship and fundraising activities will be required to help supplement and potentially offset team fees.
Ice is a valuable commodity and we will make the most out of our allocation. For practices, players are expected to be dressed and ready to go on the ice for the start of practice (i.e. on the bench when the Zamboni is leaving the ice), and arriving 30 mins prior to practice time is recommended. For certain practices we may ask players to arrive earlier to allow for instruction prior to going on the ice. For games, players are expected to arrive to the rink no later than 60 minutes prior game time. There will be an off-ice warmup prior to the game, and players are expected to be fully dressed at least 10 minutes before game time.