Female U18 AAA

Alain Wozney will oversee both the Fraser Valley Rush and the Greater Vancouver Canadians teams this season. Wozney is entering his 11th season working in the BCEHL and his 10th with the Fraser Valley Rush program, serving as the program’s general manager since the 2014-15 season. He will also take on the role of general manager with the Greater Vancouver Canadians program for his third season. He last oversaw the Canadians in this role during the 2013-14 season. Wozney has over 40 years of experience working and playing in the minor hockey system in B.C.  

Wozney played his minor hockey with Burnaby Winter Club before progressing to Junior A and playing with the Burnaby Bluehawks. He then attended the Memorial University of Newfoundland, studying Psychology and Humanities. He is now self-employed and works in hockey management.

Shannon Morris-Reade is entering her second season as general manager during the 2023-24 season after spending the previous three seasons behind the bench of the Greater Vancouver Comets’ program as an assistant coach.  

Morris-Reade, who calls Port Coquitlam home, earned her Bachelor of Sciences degree at Lindenwood University where she also played for the school’s Division 1 women’s hockey program. She works full-time as a Cardiology Technologist. 

Melanie Jue will lead the bench staff for the Greater Vancouver Comets this season, which will be her second year in the BCEHL. Coaching has taken Jue around the world. She was an assistant coach with the Chinese Women’s National Team in 2022, an assistant coach with the Varsity Women’s hockey team at Lindenwood University (NCAA) from 2015 to 2018, and she spent three years at the Pursuit of Excellence (now RINK Hockey Academy) in Kelowna. 

The Richmond MHA graduate attended Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Applied Economics and Management. During her time there, she played for Cornell Women’s Hockey Team from 2006 to 2010 and was inducted into the Cornell University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021. Jue also played professionally for Kunlun Red Star in the Zhenskaya Hockey League (Eurasia) from 2017 to 2021.  

Trevor Sprague will oversee both the Integrated and Female U18 AAA teams in Northern B.C. Sprague has been involved in hockey in the north for over 30 years and has spent the last 15 years working with teams in the BCEHL. He is entering his eighth season as the general manager of the Cariboo Cougars and fourth as the general manager of the Northern Capitals. Sprague coached in Prince George for over 20 years before moving to the management side of the game.   

During his coaching and management career Sprague has won two provincial titles with the Cariboo Cougars’ U18 AAA team. Sprague is also a key driver behind the annual BC Hockey Winter Classic event that is held in Northern B.C. each winter.

Kevin Bathurst enters his first year as general manager of the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers, bringing an extensive background in hockey with him. Through nearly 20 years of coaching, Bathurst has held positions with the University of Western Ontario Men’s Hockey Team, the Calgary Canucks and Calgary Mustangs of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), RINK Hockey Academy and most recently a pair of seasons behind the bench with the Okanagan Lakers of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL).

Bathurst obtained a Bachelor’s of Kinesiology with a specialization in coaching from the University of New Brunswick in 2004. He then attended the University of Western Ontario, where Bathurst graduated with a Master of Arts in Kinesiology in 2006. Bathurst’s full-time occupation is with Greater Vernon Minor Hockey Association, where he serves as the executive director of hockey operations.

Now in his second season as the head coach of the Thompson-Okanagan Lakers, Ed Patterson has strong ties to the hockey community in Kamloops. He spent eight years coaching and facilitating clinics with Kamloops Minor Hockey Association, eight years as head coach of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League’s Kamloops Storm and the two seasons as an assistant coach with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League (WHL).  

Patterson played his minor hockey with Delta Minor Hockey Association before playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds, Swift Current Broncos and Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. He accumulated 15 years of professional hockey experience, playing in the International Hockey League (IHL) in North America, Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) in Germany, Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom and the National Hockey League, where he played 68 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1993 to 1997.  

Lance Vaillancourt is entering his second season as a general manager in the BCEHL. Previously, Vaillancourt was the associate coach & hockey operations manager for the South Zone Knights U18 Tier 1 team. He has also performed various coaching roles with Penticton Minor Hockey at all levels within the association. Vaillancourt brings over 35 years of experience within minor hockey to the Royals.  

In addition to his work within minor hockey in B.C., Vaillancourt was also a linesman within BC Hockey and worked as a linesman in the BCHL. Away from the rink he works as a civil servant with the Federal Government.