Richard Froese
South Peace News
The High Prairie Red Wings renewed the contracts of three key coaches as the Greater Metro Hockey League team prepares for the 2023-24 season.
Trent Meyaard returns for his third year as head coach of the Red Wings, who have won the West Division championship the past three years.
Meyaard was the GMHL Coach of the Year in 2021-22 and runner-up in 2022-23, with a record of 98-7 over two seasons.
Jerry Kruger will return to the Red Wings for his third season as assistant coach.
Jeremy Macdonald returns to the Red Wings for his second season as assistant coach.
Team owner and general manager Kevin Hopfner says Meyaard is a valuable leader for the team.
“As a head coach, Trent’s statistics speak for themselves,” Hopfner says.
During the past two years, the Red Wings’ special teams have recorded impressive records of 24.5 per cent on the power play and 90.6 killing penalties.
Meyaard also led the Red Wings to a top record of 49-6 in the 2022-23 season and a berth in the inaugural GMHL national final championship tournament.
“That just shows that he is one of the best coaches in the league,” Hopfner says.
“When you have stats like that, other teams are definitely interested in him.
“However, he has decided to stay with us for another season.”
The team is leaving the door open for Meyaard to move on down the road.
“We are doing just a year-to-year contract only, because if he gets an opportunity to move to a higher level, we would never hold them back,” Hopfner says.
“We as a team believe Trent will leads us to another West Division championship.”
Hopfner is also pleased that Kruger and Macdonald will return as assistant coaches.
“They are both significant members of the coaching team that makes us successful,” Hopfner says.
He is optimistic the Red Wings will rise in the coming season.
“Our goal is to win another championship and be more prepared for the nationals,” Hopfner says.
“We are in the process of recruiting more players to be successful again next season.”
The Red Wings will announce more significant signings in the coming weeks, he says.