Two weeks after the WHT reported that Walkerton’s Junior C?Hawks were searching for a new head coach, General Manager Steve Barrett says he’s found the right man for the job.
“We’ve hired Bill Monkman, of the Chesley-Tara area. He brings a wealth of playing and coaching experience to the position,”?Barrett said.
“(Assistant G.M.) John Biesenthal and I met with Bill last Thursday. He told us where he’s played, and the coaches he’s played for. He told us how he’s been a sponge with all the good coaching techniques he’s seen and also what he has seen from poorer coaches that he knows to leave out of his playbook.”
Monkman recently coached with the AAA Bantam Grey Bruce Highlanders.
“Bill is very confident in his abilities. He said he’s going to be coaching somewhere next year, but he expressed interest in our team after taking notice of them during the playoffs this year,” Barrett said.
Monkman was offered the position the following day.
In an interview with the WHT, Monkman described playing Junior B, University and American minor pro hockey in his career.
“I played minor hockey in Tara until I was 18, but there was a big difference making the jump to Junior B in Listowel,” he said.
Monkman played two years in Listowel in the early nineties before joining the Gryphons Mens Hockey Team at the University of Guelph in 1995.
Monkman remained there for four years, helping the school win its first and only CIU University Cup title in 1997. He tallied 34 points in 25 games during the 1996-97 season.
“We were lucky to have a good coach there, and for me, obviously, it was a chance to be on the ice every day,” Monkman said, “We only played 26 league games, so there was a lot of time for practice. A lot of emphasis was put on the little things and team play. You didn’t have a lot of games, so practices were fairly crucial.”
After university, Paul Brydges, a Gryphons coach, set Monkman up with a tryout for a team in the American Central Hockey League.
“I played in Topeka, Kansas for one year; I split the next year, playing half a season in Macon, Georgia and the second half in?Bakersfield, California,” he said.
Monkman says he still credits his minor hockey coach Bev Neil for teaching him some of the fundamentals that helped him make it in Junior B, and then in university competition
“That’s where it started,” he said.
Another role model for Monkman is Marlin Muylaert, his Gryphons head coach.
“He was very impactful on me. He was a good coach — very systems-oriented” Monkman said, “There are quite a few guys I played with at Guelph who are now coaching in some form or fashion. He obviously made an impression on a few of us.”
At the pro level, Monkman said he never had a coach he didn’t learn something from.
“Whether it’s good or bad, or just as simple as doing something you wouldn’t have thought to do, there’s always something to learn,” he said.
“As a coach you want to put yourself in a good situation,” said Monkman, who attended games five, six, and seven of The Hawks’ provincial quarter-final series against Alliston. That’s what attracted him to The Hawks.
“I made it to a couple of games through the year too. I just think that they want to win — and I want to win.”
Looking forward to next season, Barrett said they are also hoping to have assistant coach Paul Pegelo behind the bench, as well as one additional, but currently undecided, assistant coach.