‘It’s a Privilege’: O’Leary Looking Forward to Representing Canada
November 1, 2022 – Western Hockey League (WHL) – Moose Jaw Warriors News Release
Mark O’Leary is getting an opportunity to lead a team of his own into the 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge this week.
The Moose Jaw Warriors head coach has coached with Team Canada once before, serving as an assistant coach in 2018 at the same tournament.
This time around, O’Leary will be leading Canada Black as the team’s head coach.
“Certainly being an assistant coach before, I think helps prepare you for that,” O’Leary said. “I’m looking forward to it and trying to build on my last experience.”
O’Leary gained some valuable experience during his first time at the World Under-17s. He coached with Canada Red under Louis Robitaille in 2018, coming away with a fourth place finish after falling to Sweden, 4-3, in the bronze medal game.
He said getting 22 players from around the country to come together during the short term tournament is his biggest challenge heading into this week.
“In a short term event, you want to have structure, you want some Xs and Os, but for young kids coming in from all different teams, you can overdo that side of things,” O’Leary said.
“It’s more about getting everybody pulling the rope in the same direction and doing it with enthusiasm.”
O’Leary will be joined at the tournament by Warriors forward Lynden Lakovic and defenceman Marek Howell, both in their first season with Moose Jaw.
Lakovic will be playing for O’Leary on Canada Black, while Howell is playing for Canada White.
O’Leary said he told both players to enjoy the process first and foremost.
“It’s no different than here, if you do things as hard as you can, do the right thing, you’ll put yourself in a pretty good position to let your skill shine through,” he said.
O’Leary will also have other WHL players like Jordan Gavin from Tri-City, Clarke Caswell and Josh Fluker from Swift Current, and Cole Peardon from Prince Albert.
The Warriors coach said having that familiarity with some of the players will help hit the ground running.
“Every little bit helps,” he said. “You’re playing six round robin games and during that process, you’re going to need a little bit of intel, a little bit of an edge somewhere.”
While he’s coaching some of the best players from across the country, O’Leary said he will be bringing the Warriors’ style of play.
“We’re races and battles, it’s got to start there,” he said.
“We’ve had some great Zoom calls in terms of building that identity and had some fun with it in terms of making sure we’re looking after the work habits and letting that hard skill do its job.”
O’Leary added that similar to the players, getting another chance to represent his country is a big moment in his career.
“It’s pride,” he said. “The first thing that comes to mind is all those events that you watch as a kid, whether it’s the World Juniors, the Olympics, or any Hockey Canada event, they’re all wearing that same jersey and you get chills watching the tight games and celebrations afterwards.
“It’s a privilege to be a part of it, just looking forward to getting it going.”
O’Leary, Lakovic and Canada Black open the tournament on Thursday against Canada Red, while Howell and Canada White take on Sweden.
The 2022 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge runs Nov. 3 until Nov. 12 in Langley and Delta, B.C.
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