OUR TEAM

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I am the founder of Next Shift Hockey. As a child growing up in Newfoundland, I was lucky to play for 4 years before the cost got too much for my family. When my son started to play hockey I saw a huge increase in costs from my time to his and discovered there are not enough places out there who are assisting at-risk or underprivileged youth in Ottawa. 

I have been in the Canadian Armed Forces since 2001 and have learned how to take large groups of individuals and turn them into a team quickly. This also encompassed teaching  Loyalty, Respect, Honor, Integrity, and above all Personal Courage. 

My biggest attribute to the Next Shift other than being a trainer is my ability to build trust with at-risk and underprivileged youth quickly and network in Ottawa to find associations or individuals who require our assistance. 

I find it’s a smooth transition for me as I understand their environment and socio economic status as a former Correctional Officer and Undercover Police Officer.

I am the Vice President of Next Shift and have been involved with the organization since our inception. Growing up I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to play many sports including Hockey, Football, Golf, Wrestling and others. Playing organized sports as a kid taught me many life lessons including the importance of teamwork, perseverance and the ability to receive and act upon constructive criticism. I feel that many of these things have served me well and given me an advantage in life after sports. 

It was not until later in life that I was exposed to the fact that not every kid was as fortunate as I was, not every child had the chance to play organized sports, build life-long friendships or takeaway from the many benefits of youth sports. I have been working with at-risk and underprivileged youth since I was 14 and I would love to see a world where we are able to eliminate any barriers to entry for all kids so that everyone can enjoy and benefit from the same experiences I had growing up.   

My name is Alexis, I am currently a student at Carleton University, pursuing a career as an elementary school teacher.

My passion for hockey started at the age of four playing girls Timbit hockey and has evolved in continuing to play and coach the game today. Throughout my girls minor hockey journey I have been fortunate enough to play on a number of hockey teams at several levels within the Ottawa area and at the Dyanmo hockey club in Moscow, Russia while my family lived abroad.  

Some of the greatest attributes about being able to continue to play and coach hockey are the lifelong friendships created, communication skills you develop, work ethic and respect are all integral parts of being a hockey player, coach or team.  I am both proud and privileged to be in a position to be able to contribute back into our communities and mentor the younger generation of minor hockey players.

Since I was young, I had the passion to play and watch hockey. Playing pond or street hockey with my friends was a Saturday ritual where I grew up, in Timmins Ontario. Many famous NHL players came from Northern ON but I guess I'm not one of them....

I continued my love for hockey behind the bench as an assistant coach for many years for my youngest son and a cheering father and taxi driver for my oldest son who played as a competitive goalie for many years. Being part of Next Shift and helping kids who can't afford playing or didn't have the opportunity to develop and shine yet as a player, is another reason why I like the sport. I did not become the greatest hockey player but I can surely be proud of being part of a great non-profit organization, like Next Shift. 

Growing up I played hockey in Eastern Ontario. I started as a goalie at the age of 9 and swith to Defense my first year of Midget and then I transferred to center to finally end up on the wing. 

My passion for hockey really started when I was about 14 years old, that's when I realised that maybe hockey was more than an after school activity for me. I started reading The Hockey News magazines learning about players, trades, signings and more I started watching hockey almost every night. I remember in grade 10 we had to do a presentation on what we wanted to do for work after high-school, that's when I figured out I wanted to work in hockey management. I have now been in the hockey industry for 5 years now. I have done scouting, coaching and player development at various levels ranging from house league to junior B.
I now own a player development business and my focus is on kids from 10 to 17 years old.I am also coaching the U-15 Casselman-Embrun IceDogs  for the 2021-22 sesson. 
I have done an Internship with the Gatineau Olympics in the past and my end goal is to be in hockey management. I love working with kids, it is a truly gratifying experience to see them grow and develop as hockey players and as young adults. 

My name is Kyle, and I’m from a small town in New Brunswick. My love for the game of hockey started at a young age and has only grown as the years have passed by. After growing up and being lucky enough to be able play AAA hockey, I eventually made the jump to Jr A and the QMJHL. Having the opportunity to win multiple league championships as well as compete for the Memorial cup.

I was then able to pursue a long time goal of mine, which was being able to attend university on a hockey scholarship. I attended the University of Ottawa, where I was able to play 3 successful years for the GeeGee’s. My university career concluded with us attending the Usports nationals tournament, which was sadly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Being fortune enough to have played for some of the best hockey minds and coaches out there, all while playing on championship winning teams, and constantly being surrounded by such great players who are now NHL super stars over the course of my career, has allowed me to really study the game at an angle that most people don’t get to see; it allowed me to become a student of the game.

With being retired from hockey and pursuing a career in the government sector, this allows myself to give back to the next generations of hockey players. Having such a great back ground in hockey allows me to combine everything that I have learned over the years and apply it into coaching and developing the next generation of hockey players. Having the opportunity to help out with such a fantastic organization like Next Shift Hockey is a true honour. 

Growing up in the Maritimes I played hockey my whole life. However it was when I joined the Canadian Armed Forces that I was able to really learn and grow within the game. Being part of back to back Canadian Forces National Championships and later working tirelessly in my late 30’s to play above my talent in a European minor semi professional league were huge factors in my athletic and personal growth. It was then that I realized that the game is not only on the ice and that in order to reach your potential it takes a lot of work away from the rink. I have always prided myself on a “team first” mentality while embodying values of Loyalty, Respect, Honor, Integrity, and Community, attributes that need to be passed to our youth at all levels of their athletic journey.

Now as my military career is beginning to come to a close, I look forward to giving back to my community, as well as using my 24 years of military experience to help mentor other athletes to unlock their potential to reach the goals they set for themselves and their team.

After learning about the Next Shift organization, and having gone to college with MacKenzie Janes, I asked if there was anything I could offer. I am very excited to share my experiences in life, athletics and my many years traveling the globe to help make the game I am so passionate about more accessible for anyone who wants it.

My name is Alicia Hillier and I currently work for the federal government. 

My hockey career started at the young age three, as I joined TimBits for the first time. From there I played on various boys teams until the age of 15, including the Dynamo Hockey Club in Moscow, Russia for four years. I then made the transition to girls hockey upon returning to Canada. On top of playing- I continued to coach Peewee and Bantam girls hockey for three years. 

Playing and coaching hockey is extremely rewarding, from the close friendships created to the healthy and proactive habits it creates on and off the ice. Having the opportunity to contribute to the hockey community and give back to the younger generation is an honour and I am proud to do so.

 I’m from a small town in Quebec just outside Hawkesbury Ontario. I knew from the moment I saw a hockey player at 3 years old that I couldn’t stop saying “I want to play hockey” to my mother. I grew up with three older sisters and hockey was a way for me to be around guys for once, a way to make many friends and memories. Back home we were lucky enough to have hockey subsidized in our community so it was affordable to play “double letter hockey”. But when I had been scouted to play at the Ontario Hockey Academy we were blown away by the costs. I was fortunate enough to have received enough financial aid and had worked three jobs to help cover the additional costs of playing at the “AAA” level. I wanted to pursue NCAA hockey, but when our senior year ended with covid I decided to pursue a degree right away instead of chasing that dream which would’ve ended with a degree either way. I am forever grateful for my experience and memories made throughout my 16 years of hockey. The support I received from my family was immeasurable, without them I know I wouldn’t have been able to continue competitive hockey. I got to attend many goalie camps and work with goaltenders like Elvis Merzlikins, Zach Fucale, and many other professional athletes. From them, I had developed my skills on the ice and off the ice, from the fundamentals of goaltending to professionalism and work ethic off the ice. Along with the work ethic I had passed down from my single mother, I applied the “no quit” attitude to everything and anything I did. Through this attitude, I received both the Valedictorian and Ambassador awards at OHA. Now I am a Paramedic Student at Algonquin College, during my first year of college I was fortunate enough to meet MacKenzie and Sam at one of my games in Embrun. When Mackenzie told me about Next Shift and what they were doing I couldn’t believe it, the emotion on some of the goalie's faces when they had received their gear from the next shift just couldn’t be put into words. I remember I had bought my last few sets of goalie equipment 2nd or 3rd hand due to the cost and I knew I would love to be part of this organization. Every summer I volunteer at various goalie clinics for kids, I always think back to when I started my love for Hockey, I believe everyone who wants to play should get the chance! Hockey is more than winning and losing, hockey teaches the youth valuable life lessons while bringing friends and communities together.

My name is Samuel and I have played hockey since IP. I love helping at Next Shift because I feel all kids deserve to play the sport they like. I like going to the warehouse with my dad and the rest of the team to help. It's fun for me and sometimes when I play hockey I meet kids we helped and we talk on the ice. That's what I like about Next Shift because I make more friends and that's what hockey means to me.