Derrick Martinѻý coaching trajectory keeps “rocketing” skywards.
Martin has been named a new assistant coach with ѻý Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He comes to the Rockets after spending this past season as head coach and general manager of the Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Before his period in Camrose, he spent time as head coach of the Okanagan Hockey Academy Edmonton Under-15 Prep program.
The 39-year-old worked behind the bench as an assistant coach with the Spruce Grove Saints of the AJHL for three seasons prior to becoming a head coach at OHA Edmonton.
During a phone interview Friday morning, Martin said it wasn’t an easy decision to leave a beautiful place like Camrose, but he couldn’t turn down an opportunity to move to a higher level of hockey in the WHL.
“I applied right around the time of the posting when it came out in early July,” he said. “Obviously, they needed time to go through everyoneѻý resumes and I was fortunate enough to be able to go through the process. I found out I got the job the middle of last week.
“A lot of things went into the decision. We built a really nice program in Camrose this year. A program that is now set up for long-term success. We’ve got a really good board of directors there. I really liked my staff. Our dressing room was fantastic and the community was really supportive. I think anybody who is in this (coaching) for the long haul, really wants to be in a place where you’re held accountable and that was the case in Camrose.
“When you leave an opportunity like I had in Camrose, itѻý only because thereѻý an even better opportunity in a place like ѻý. I honestly think ѻý in the benchmark in junior hockey in Canada. Having the opportunity to call myself a Rocket is such an honour and a privilege. They’ve done it the right way for a long time and to be a part of that is so exciting. Itѻý a beautiful community, a safe place to raise our kids and itѻý a first-tier program and it was just too hard to turn it down.”
Head coach Kris Mallette has shown himself to be an innovator and heѻý looking forward to working with him, said Martin.
Mallette made the offer when he was out-of-town as he was selected three weeks ago to guide Canadaѻý national menѻý under-18 team at this yearѻý Hlinka Gretzky Cup. It will be the third time heѻý worked with this program, first time as head coach following two years as an assistant coach.
“Kris was part of everything up to making the offer to me, but he left for Team Canada, so we’ve had an opportunity to chat a little bit every day on the phone,” he said. “We’re both head coaches. Obviously, his experience in the WHL is really, really strong and I’m going to have a great chance to learn off of him.
“As we both have head coaching experience, thereѻý going to be an opportunity for us to work off of each other a little bit. As far as my defined role, be that offence or defence, power-play and penalty kill, we’ve had some internal discussions about that. I think once he gets back from Team Canada, we’ll sit down and really define the role of what he needs from me and what I can do to help the team the best.”
Martin hasn’t spent a lot of time in ѻý, but his wife has family in the city but they love it.