From the latest issue:
While Chad Van Diemen had coached lacrosse in his younger days, the thought of coaching hockey hadn’t really crossed his mind. But at Manhattanville College, coach Keith Levinthal had the players assist the local Westchester Mariners Minor Hockey Association.
So after finishing his studies in business administration, Van Diemen moved back to Kamloops and began coaching with the B.C. Major Midget League’s Thompson Blazers. “It was a lot of fun and a good experience giving back to kids in the area,” said Van Diemen, 31. And when former coach Kent Lewis offered a spot behind the bench as an assistant with the Powell River Kings, it was an easy decision to make.
“When I looked back, he was the best coach I had so when the opportunity came to coach for him, I jumped at the opportunity,” Van Diemen said. “You can’t really pick a better guy to learn from; he has been around and seen it all.” Van Diemen was a defenceman with Nanaimo, Powell River and Quesnel. He learned a lot from his travels around the B.C. Hockey League. “Having played in the league, you get a good feel for what kind of players move on from this league,” he said. “It helped a lot having played. You can
relate to the players; you have gone through those long road trips, you have played in some tough games. It helps with relating to the players with what they are going through.”
This is Van Diemen’s fourth year as an assistant coach. “It is challenging,” he said. “Your job description goes from recruiting to booking travel to on-ice to games. It is just such a variety of things that you have to do. It keeps you on your toes, but it is a challenging and rewarding experience.” Long-term, Van Diemen hasn’t determined what comes next. “The goal is to learn as much as I can and if one day (I get) a head coaching job, then great.”
You can read the full magazine here, or pick it up at the next Kings game. Also in the magazine is a profile on former King, now current Smokies goaltending coach, Alex Evin.
