Female U18 AAA

Shannon Butler enters her second season as general manager with Fraser Valley Rush during the 2026-27 season. She has been with the Rush since 2016 in various positions including manager, assistant coach and safety person. Butler served as a manager and an assistant coach with the Trinity Western University Women's Hockey team (Senior Women's AA) between 2010-2020.

Butler attained a Bachelor's Degree in Human Kinetics from Trinity Western University and played for their women's hockey team (Senior Women's AA) from 2011-2016.

Jag Bal brings over 20 years of coaching experience to the Fraser Valley Rush in his third season as head coach. Bal’s coaching career began in 1995, and is highlighted by a BC Hockey Championship victory with Surrey Female MHA in 2017. He has also served as the Coach Coordinator with Surrey Female Hockey Association from 2012-2023.

Originally from Cloverdale, Bal works full-time in hockey as the Director of Scouting for the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.

Shannon Morris-Reade begins her fifth season as general manager of the Greater Vancouver Comets. Prior to assuming the role, she spent three seasons behind the bench as an assistant coach for the Comets.

Morris-Reade, who calls Port Coquitlam home, earned her Bachelor of Science 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 fifth 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 AAA programs in Northern B.C. Sprague has been involved in hockey in the north for over 30 years and has spent the last 18 years with teams in the BCEHL. He is entering his 11th season as the general manager of the Cariboo Cougars and seventh 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.

Hayden-James Berra steps into his third season as head coach with the Northern Capitals. Berra has previous coaching experience in the BCEHL, which includes three seasons as assistant coach with the Cariboo Cougars, Northern Capitals and Thompson Blazers programs from 2018-2022. 

Berra grew up and played his minor hockey in Prince George, and was a member of the BCEHL’s U18 Cariboo Cougars from 2010-2012. Berra capped off his playing career with three seasons of junior hockey split between B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Berra possesses a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Northern British Columbia, and a Juris Doctor from Thompson Rivers University. He was called to the BC Bar in 2023, and currently works as the Manager of Land Administration for the City of Prince George.

Kevin Bathurst enters his fourth 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, RINK Hockey Academy of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League and most recently a pair of seasons behind the bench with the Okanagan Lakers of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League.

Bathurst obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in 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 Degree 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.