Your 2024 / 2025 Junior A 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.
Shawn MacKenzie – Assistant Coach
MacKenzie, a Bedford, NS native and former professional hockey player, rose through the ranks from his hometown of Bedford, NS to the NHL. After his playing days concluded, Shawn embarked on a Major Junior coaching career that would span 16 seasons and over 1100 Major Junior hockey games. Shawn was an Assistant, and Head Coach in both the OHL, and QMJHL, and was an original member of the Halifax Mooseheads – spending over 10 years with the team. Shawn is a former QMJHL coach of the year and has coached dozens of players that went on to play in the National Hockey League.
Ethan Landry – Assistant Coach / Video Coach
Thomas Durant – Goaltending Coach
Currently residing in Halifax, NS, Thomas began his coaching career in 2019-2020 as a goaltending coach with Bedford Minor Hockey, working alongside recently-hired Assistant Coach, Shawn MacKenzie. After two seasons in Bedford, Thomas moved to Halifax, where he was goaltending coach for the the Hawks U13 AAA team alongside Head Coach Greg MacDonald & staff. After the 2021-2022 season in Halifax, Thomas was hired by the Valley Wildcats U15 Major team as an Assistant Coach, where he has spent the last two seasons lead by Head Coach Scott Trask.
Outside of the Valley, Thomas has been coaching the past 4 years with FinnGoalie, a goaltender training company based out of Bedford, learning from long-time professional goaltending coach Jack Hartigan & his expert staff. Thomas is also involved with Hockey Nova Scotia’s High Performance Program, with roles of both a Goaltending Coach and Assistant Coach for the past 3 years.
Corey Mullett – General Manager
Carl Howard – Athletic Therapist/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 5 years.