Mr. 100

Mallette, who celebrated his 100th career WHL head coaching victory Friday night in a 4-0 win over the Vancouver Giants, is the only alumni to be given the keys to the team he once played for.

“That’s pretty cool,” Mallette said humbly at the time. “When I started my coaching career, did I ever see myself here? I stayed in Kelowna to coach, to coach in Kelowna. My dream was to always be a part of the Rockets, and I can’t thank the Hamilton family enough. Bruce [Hamilton] set me up that first year in midget with Brent Gilchrist and the tier-one team. I went back every summer and asked Bruce what I needed to do, and he steered me in that direction to continue to work on my craft. Five years later, I got the call and I was coaching the Rockets as an assistant.”

Success came early for Mallette, who watched, learned and grew under then head coach Dan Lambert during the 2014-2015 campaign. Coaching looked easy at the time, guiding the likes of Leon Draisaitl and Josh Morrissey as the team won 53 times and ended up being WHL champions.

“I’ve gone through a lot over the last six years, with four new head coaches, and now to have the opportunity to be a head coach, to call the shots is pretty cool.”

Mallette was passed over several times as head coach when Lambert left for the Buffalo Sabres organization after the 2014-2015 season. Brad Ralph, a virtual unknown at the time in these parts was surprisingly hired, then ex-NHLer Jason Smith was brought in for three seasons. Smith was then gassed in favour of out-spoken Adam Foote, who too experienced the same fate. All along, the best candidate for majority owner Bruce Hamilton was right in front of him, yet Mallette’s cachet wasn’t as sexy in the coaching fraternity at the time, yet in retrospect was likely the best option.

“Did I think it was eventually going to happen? Again, I am so loyal to the Rockets organization, I would do whatever it took,” he said. “I would wait for however long. I knew there was light at the end of the tunnel.”

Mallette now has 194 career WHL head coaching games under his belt, which is 289 fewer games than the longest serving coach in Kelowna Rockets franchise history – Ryan Huska.

“He [Huska] was a coach here for seven years, or something along those lines, and he has done okay,” Mallette chuckled at the time. “Patient is a virtue. We have had to sacrifice a lot as a family, a lot of long hours and missed sports events for my daughters, but to know I am here now, I don’t take it for granted. I am going to do everything in my power with a great staff to make this right.”

Mallette isn’t looking for sympathy, but the former WHL defenseman has had to deal with a lot over his time as head coach. He saw the excitement of the Memorial Cup taken away from him due to the pandemic. Mallette then had to guide a team during the so-called ‘bubble season’ where the team played only 16 games after – twice – being shutdown when players tested positive.

It would be fair to suggest this is only Mallette’s third full-season at the helm, after guiding the hockey club to 42-wins in 2021-2022 before 27-victories were earned in the 2022-2023 campaign.

“I am excited, I am confident,” Mallette said at the time of his rise in the coaching ranks. “There are nerves involved, but if you aren’t nervous, something is wrong.

“This is what is going to push me to make sure I am on my toes.”

One-hundred wins later, Mallette will tap-dance his way to 200 career games coached in the Western Hockey League when his team returns from the Christmas break with a road game against the Kamloops Blazers.

by Regan Bartel

Mr. 100

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