P.E.I. hockey coach realizes goal

Ottawa Citizen

15-07-2025

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After two years in Grand Falls, the Mooseheads offered MacKenzie an assistant coaching position. MacKenzie could not turn down the opportunity to join one of flagship franchises in Canadian major-junior hockey.
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'A storied franchise like this with such a legacy, a tremendous fan base and a lot of rich history, I'm really thrilled and feel honoured to be able to (be named head coach),' said MacKenzie, who also has international coaching experience as an assistant coach with a Canadian team at the 2024 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
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MacKenzie, a longtime employee of the Charlottetown-based Andrews Hockey Growth Programs, said he's been fortunate to learn things from all five head coaches – Lord, Sylvain Favreau (Mooseheads), Jim Midgley (Mooseheads), Jim Hulton (Islanders) and Forbie MacPherson (UPEI Panthers) – he's worked under in recent years.
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'Obviously, at the end of the day, I'm going to be myself and my own person, but you take things from all those coaches that you got a chance to work for (previously),' said MacKenzie. 'Then, also to include the Hockey Canada experience that I had last year and the opportunity to meet some new coaches there again and with another head coach (Travis Crickard of the Saint John Sea Dogs), I learned a lot. I think all those experiences helped me to be ready for this one.'
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Advantages
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MacKenzie feels there are advantages to moving up to head coach with the same organization he's already worked with.
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'Obviously, the first is the relationships that are already existing with the players,' said MacKenzie. 'All of the players, I know where they're at right now and their current development paths. I know what their strengths are and their weaknesses.
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'I know you know how to motivate these guys and everybody's different, so it kind of gives you a head start in that regard.'
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However, MacKenzie pointed out there will be some challenges as well.
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'The relationships you have with the players as an assistant coach are different than that of a head coach, so that'll be a challenge early on,' said MacKenzie. 'There will be an adjustment for myself, but also for the players – now they have a guy they had as an assistant coach last season who's now calling the shots of the head guy.'
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MacKenzie said the Mooseheads will add one assistant coach to round out the coaching staff. Assistant coach Morgan MacDonald of Little Pond, P.E.I., and goalie coach Charles Grant are returning. MacDonald is a former captain of the MHL's Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals and worked with MacKenzie in Grand Falls.