The Westlock ‘AA’ Senior Warriors will hit the ice with a new head coach this fall.
The North Central Hockey League club announced July 30 that Jonathan Cuneo will take over for Joe Kuhar behind the bench, bringing more than a decade of coaching experience to the Warrriors.
“After meeting him, we felt that he had some of the credentials that we were looking for and was a good fir for the team,” said Kuhar, who’s also the club’s president.
“His experience and his ability to communicate with players will be a huge asset.”
Cuneo said that despite this being his first year coaching at the senior level, he feels optimistic the Warriors will help him advance his own coaching skills while giving some local Westlock boys a shot at the championship.
“Obviously, we’d like to win at the end of the year, but we’d like to try to stay as local as possible,” Cuneo said. “I’d like us to be a very speedy, yet heavy team, work on our ability to move the puck well offensively and defensively.”
Cuneo’s arrival also marks Kuhar’s retirement after three seasons behind the bench.
“We needed somebody to help reduce the amount of responsibility that I have with the team,” Kuhar said, adding that he thinks Cuneo’s age and experience will be a good fit for the Warriors.
“He’s a young individual. He should be able to relate well with our group of guys. It sounds like he’s looking to do something beyond this year and we’re hoping that it’ll turn out to be that as well.”
Cuneo acknowledged that Kuhar’s long-term vision for the new coaching position was definitely a factor in his move behind the bench for the Warriors.
“Having a long-term plan was much more appealing than some of the other teams calling who were looking a year ahead,” Cuneo said.
Recently, Cuneo’s worked as a head coach with Can West ‘AAA’ spring hockey club in Edmonton, and as Midget ‘AA’ head coach with the International Hockey Academy (IHA) in Calgary for the 2015-16 season.
During his time at the IHA, Cuneo brought the midget squad to a league championship, following a disastrous one-win season in 2014-15.
Cuneo has also worked as an off-season trainer for Canada’s national women’s team, under head coach Carla MacLeod in 2012.
Cuneo first began coaching with the Sharpe Hockey Academy in 2002, moving to Massachusetts’ Attleboro High School in 2009, where led the team to their first ever appearance in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association finals in 2010.
The Warriors will open the upcoming NCHL season with tryouts and conditioning on Sept. 3, with the club’s first game on the road against the Edson Ice Oct. 15.
