2025 / 2026 Junior A Bage Valley Wildcats Coaching Staff

Dave Flanagan – Head Coach & Assistant General Manager

Flanagan has coached for many years at multiple levels including the ECHL, QMJHL, USport, and U18 levels, as well as a professional playing career that spans played over 20 years of at various levels.

E-Mail: DFlanagan@valleywildcats.com

Thomas Durant – Assistant Coach/Goaltending Coach

Durant, who hails from Halifax, NS, joins the Junior A Wildcats after serving as an Assistant Coach with the U15 Wildcats the past three seasons, as well as the Goaltending Coach with all three Wildcats teams within the organization (Jr. A, U18, U15 Major).

Thomas has six seasons of coaching under his belt, as well as three years of experience coaching within Hockey Nova Scotia’s High Performance Program, and has completed his Hockey Canada High Performance 1 Certification.

Jesse MacLean – Assistant Coach

MacLean, who currently resides in Sydney, NS, has ten seasons of coaching experience under his belt – most recently spending the past 1.5 seasons as Head Coach & General Manager of the Strait

Pirates of the NSJHL. Prior to coaching in the NSJHL, Jesse spent five seasons as Head Coach of the Cabot Highlanders U16 AAA’s, as well as Assistant Coach on various Hockey Nova Scotia teams (U14, U15, U16) through HNS’s High Performance Program.

The 29-year-old grew up playing goaltender, wrapping up his playing career with the Dalbrae Dragons High School & CB West Eagles U18 AAA.

MacLean has attended and completed Hockey Canada’s High Performance 1 program, travelling to Ottawa in June of 2023. MacLean also holds a college diploma in Health, Wellness & Recreation from Eastern College & is currently in the process of obtaining his Personal Trainers certificate through ISSA.

Carl Howard – Trainer / Equipment Manager

Born in Calgary Alberta, Carl moved to Nova Scotia at a young age, and is now a permanent resident of the Annapolis Valley. Carl started his career as a primary care paramedic back in 2003. He now holds a diploma in Advanced Care Paramedicine, in which he has worked ground ambulance, air ambulance, industrial paramedicine, and as an Emergency Department paramedic. Carl lives in Aylesford with his wife Cindy, and 2 children Caleb and Chloe. Carl has been an equipment manager and coach for minor baseball, minor hockey and soccer in the valley for the past 7 years.