Chris MacKinnon has been named the head coach for the Eastman Selects Provincial Midget AAA Hockey Club for 2019/2020.

MacKinnon was part of the staff that last year led the Selects bantams to a championship, an experience he says he'll never forget. "We wrapped up the season with the Bantams and it was a successful season. We won the Provincial championship and we were given the opportunity this year to move up to, what used to be called the Midgets program which is now the U18 AAA team out of Beausejour."

Moving up is great but MacKinnon might be most excited that he's not going alone. "We get to bring the whole coaching staff with us, which is fantastic. It's a great group of coaches and a manager that dedicate a lot of time, a lot of time to the kids and helping them develop. it's great to take everyone with us and we're all excited for the new opportunity."

While it may be a different age, MacKinnon doesn't foresee too many problems in transitioning to a different group. "At a certain age, hockey is hockey. A challenge in taking over a new team is trying to find the culture, what kind of team it was before, maybe make a culture shift. It can take time for the kids to buy into. We also have to learn the new personalities on the team. It takes time for us to learn them and them to learn us. It doesn't overpower the general excitement that comes from the possibilities of leading a new team, that's for sure."

Coming off one of the most successful seasons in Eastman Selects history at any age, MacKinnon admits that there's more pressure coming from within himself and the staff then from any possible outside voices. "I think the region has raised the bar of talent and as coaches, we're trying to build on the success. We want to put in a quality program. There's no additional pressure from the region but maybe internal pressure that we expect maybe a bit more out of the U18 group."

MacKinnon will be the head coach and as mentioned, he brings a knowledgeable and well respected staff with him, one that has a strong history together. "I've worked with Jordan (Wohlgemuth) now, we're heading into our 7th or 8th year now. Alyssa (Wohlgemuth, team manager) has been with us for years now both in Eastman and in Winnipeg. Nic (Plett) was new last year. He's a great coach and really personable with the kids. The ability to bring up the whole staff as one unit, who has very similar goals and works very well together, will make that transition even easier."

Bantam to Midget age groups come with different skill sets and it's something that MacKinnon has already thought about when it comes to allowing the kids to grow on talent and skill level. "I think more or less you stick with what's worked but part of it is an assessment seeing the guys on the ice. The game is faster, more physical then at Bantam but some of the tactics don't change a whole lot. Players have to execute a little faster then maybe at that lower age. There's a bit of a blend. You have to let players have their own level of creativity and bring their own personalty to the group. However, you have to have a structure in place. There will be well structured things on the ice and we expect them to build their own creativity based on that."

A new wrinkle is most of the U18 kids are property of teams at an even higher level and MacKinnon knows that communication going forward will be key between himself, the teams and of course, the players. "One of the things we do right away with the kids in the fall, even through the tryout process is, we have countless player meetings. We want to know the long term hockey goals of the players. We have countless conversations with the junior teams as well, because they have certain expectations or things a player needs to work on. We want to make sure the feedback from the junior team doesn't overpower what we're trying to accomplish as a team but we want to blend the individual goals into our program and structure. Ultimately, in two or three years from now, these kids are achieving the goals they have set for themselves."

The new role has MacKinnon ready to get the season started right away, even if it means a short summer. "It's kind of funny, when the season normally wraps up, you're looking forward to a summer break so you can rest and put your feet up, but with this group, the way the season went, all of the success and the quality of players we had, it was almost a disappointment when it ended even though we were so successful. But, when you get the news you're going to step up, I can't wait for September. I don't want to rush through summer but I really can't wait for the puck to drop in training camp."