Liam McOnie seizes WHL coaching opportunity

“It took about two seconds,” McOnie said when he received a call from Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton, asking if he would be interested in joining Derrick Martin behind the bench following Mallette’s departure. “It was a pretty obvious decision. These opportunities don’t come around often, especially for someone like me without a prestigious playing background.”

At the time, McOnie was serving as the general manager and head coach of the KIJHL’s Sicamous Eagles. When Hamilton reached out, McOnie immediately ended his tenure with the team, packed up, and relocated to Kelowna to assist Martin in any way he could.

“Anytime you get an opportunity like this to work with players in this league, especially with the Kelowna Rockets, such a respected and storied organization, it’s a huge honour.”

Originally from Vernon, McOnie started as a goaltender, first becoming acquainted with current Kelowna Rockets goalie coach Eli Wilson through Wilson’s summer goalie camps. Realizing his future lay in coaching rather than playing, McOnie worked as a goaltending consultant with the now-defunct North Okanagan Knights before moving to the WHL with the Tri-City Americans. This eventually led him to a head coach and general manager position, where he honed his skills in junior B hockey.

“The shift from being a head coach to an assistant coach was an adjustment,” McOnie confessed about his new role under Martin. “Not having all the responsibility that comes with being a GM and head coach is different. I’m here to support Derrick, take on whatever responsibilities I can, and offer my help.”

Although McOnie joined the team on January 10th, he quickly had to familiarize himself with the Rockets’ roster.

“Jake Pilon, I’ve known for a couple of years from working with him in the summers,” he said. “I didn’t know too many of the players, but they’ve all been welcoming and receptive to a new voice.”

Learning the roster was a steep curve, and going into WHL arenas on the road with fresh eyes was a whole new experience for him.

“There are probably four or five arenas I’ve been in, mostly as a spectator or an observer when I worked with Tri-City,” he said. “It’s definitely different being under the bright lights on the bench.”

Leaving the Eagles just after the KIJHL trade deadline, McOnie made it a priority to leave the team in as strong a position as he found it when he was hired earlier in the year.

“They’re a great team in Sicamous,” he said of their 20-12-6-0 record. “They’ve had some injuries recently, but I’m confident they’ll bounce back and contend for a championship this year.”

As Martin’s assistant coach, McOnie and the head coach have had to quickly build rapport. McOnie often plays the role of the “good cop,” while Martin, a more demanding taskmaster, at times finds himself in the “bad cop” role.

“I think we do a pretty good job of balancing that out,” McOnie said with a grin. “I’ve definitely had my moments, and Marty has had his. We’re doing a good job of managing who says what and who handles what. We work well together as a coaching staff.”

As for what this opportunity might lead to, with McOnie’s future beyond this season uncertain, he summed it up simple:

“I think every coach has a similar goal,” he said.

“I want to coach at the highest level possible.”

by Regan Bartel

Liam McOnie seizes WHL coaching opportunity

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