Landmark's Jordan Wohlgemuth has been named Head Coach for Team Manitoba, who will head to Red Deer, Alberta later this year for the WHL Cup.

"It's very exciting and very humbling," Wohlgemuth said. "I've done it a few times as an assistant coach so I kind of knew the process but putting my name forward as head coach made it different. The interviews were a little bit longer and then there's a lot of sitting and waiting because there are a lot of talented people that they look at but after I got the call, I was very excited to get the process started."

No stranger to success, Wohlgemuth was on the bench when the Eastman Selects, led by Denton Mateychuk and Spencer Penner, won the Bantam AAA Provincial Championship in 2019-2020.

Being a head coach is quite a bit different than being an assistant coach and Wohlgemuth is looking forward to the challenge.

"There's a lot of responsibility on the head coach. As an assistant, you can focus on a smaller group of players but as a head coach, you have to bring it all together and factor it all in. Everything sits on (the head coach), too. The special teams, the 5-on-5 play, all the systems, and all the scrutiny, it all falls on you. There is a little bit more pressure but it makes it even more exciting."

Wohlgemuth is already looking at how he's going to build the team and he doesn't have a lot of time as things will happen relatively quickly.

"It starts in April. It's a very fast process, it's drawn out, but we don't have a lot of time with these players. We have a scouting staff that follows guys throughout their season this year, we'll get a list, and we'll do a top 100 camp in early April. We try and find the top 40 guys and we'll bring them to Brandon, that's where we get to know the group a little more. We as coaches and support staff, we start to create our identity, we find players that fit into roles and that can be interesting because we're not always taking the best players, a lot of the time we factor in who can be the best player for Team Manitoba this year."

As a husband and father, Wohlgemuth says he wouldn't be able to do any of this without support from his family.

"My wife and I talked about it for a long time before I even applied. I have taken a step back this year in coaching winter hockey but this is an opportunity that I've wanted to look at for a long time. She encouraged and supported me to go for it. In my mind, that's why I have the confidence to do these kinds of things, to have her always there is absolutely instrumental."

The WHL Cup will be in October of 2024 in Red Deer, Alberta.