Richmond Jets Coaching Team & Skill Providers
DIRECTOR OF HOCKEY OPERATIONS
Linden Saip
Director of Hockey Operations, Skills Provider, U11A1 Head Coach
Linden will be responsible for leading and supporting the development of all our players and coaches and be responsible for the oversight, growth and overall day-to-day on-ice management of the Richmond Jets’ initiation, recreational and rep hockey programs.
Linden’s playing career included time in the WHL, BCHL, and the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a degree in Kinesiology, specializing in High-Performance Strength & Conditioning. As a player, and now more importantly as a coach, Linden acquired a broad understanding of the particular roles and responsibilities that constantly interact with specific core values that are essential to achieving a common goal. Through this experience, Linden also learned the importance of leading by example, taking initiative, and working with a diverse demographic of children, teens and young adults to develop the personal, technical and psychological skills they will need to continue to progress and reach their full potential.
Linden has also been a long-time skill provider and program coordinator with the Richmond Jets and, most recently, was the U11A1 Head Coach, leading the team to a very successful season.
Milton Chan
Director of Rep Hockey, Skills Provider & U13A1 Head Coach
Coach Milton in coordination with the Rep Committee will be responsible for the oversite, growth and overall day to day management of the Richmond Jets’ representative (A) hockey program.
Coach Milton Chan, a Steveston Village Richmond local, is the current Jets U13A1 head coach and Owner & Director of Hockey Operations MC High Performance Training. With over a decade of experience as a rep hockey coach & skills provider in the Lower Mainland, he has succeeded at every level ranging from U11A1-U18A1, most recently bringing his U13A team to BC Hockey Provincial Championships last season. He is also currently working in the BCHL Junior A League with the Merritt Centennials as their Lower Mainland Scout.
2023-2024 SKILLS PROVIDERS
Mats Lindgren
Skills Provider
Mats is a proven and passionate teacher of the game of hockey. Decades of exposure to North American and Swedish Ice Hockey training and coaching methods has enabled Mats to develop an enhanced puck possession brand of hockey for both minor hockey coaches and players.
Mats is a two-time world junior champion, former NHL player of 10 seasons, 1998 Olympian, and Swedish Hockey League (SHL) coach of 7 seasons.
Reegan House
Skills Provider - Power Skating
Reegan has specialized as a power skating and skills coach for the past three years. He has experience working with hockey players of all ages (ages four to fifty) and with players and teams in the PCAHA, CSSHL, BCEHL, PJHL, BCHL and WHL.
This past season, Reegan was an Assistant Coach at the U15 level and was the Head Coach of the West Coast Whales 2015 AA team in the spring.
Reegan grew up playing hockey from the age of six with the Cloverdale Minor Hockey Association up until the age of seventeen, when he began his first of four years playing in the PJHL. Reegan spent his first two seasons with the White Rock Whalers and finished his last two years with the Delta Ice Hawks. Upon completion of his Junior Hockey career, Reegan took to teaching with the focus of helping hockey players achieve their goals of playing at the highest level. He is very excited to start his first season as a member of the Richmond Jets organization.
Michelle Popoff
Skills Provider – Skating Initiation Program & Intro to Hockey
Michelle has been a Skate Canada Certified PowerSkating and Figure Skating coach for over 35yrs and has worked for the Connaught Skating Club and most recently the Delta Skating Club as their Head Powerskating coach.
Michelle also works in Recreation with the City of Richmond at the Arenas, as the supervisor for the Learn to Skate Program and also has 3 adult sons that are all Richmond Alumni. Michelle is a passionate, energetic coach that strives to get the best out of every player. I pride myself on motivating all players, of all capabilities in a fun, high-energy but challenging setting, supporting each player's development while they gain confidence and build a strong skating foundation along the way!
Glenn Wheeler
Skills Provider – Intro To Hockey, C Program
A Nationally Certified Coach with 20 years of Coaching experience in Skills Development, European Technique Power Skating as well as Game Playing and Compete Tactics.
Coach Glenn’s unique ability to communicate with players of all ages and his attention to detail, discipline and running fast paced sessions makes him one of the most sought after Coaches in BC and abroad. He is acknowledged to be the Number one (#1) Hockey School Instructor in the Lower Mainland and has coached with the Jets for the past two years.
Landen Matechuk
Skills Provider – Opt-in Skills Program
Landen Matechuk is from Fort Langley British Columbia.
Landen has a wealth of experience in instruction and skills development and has been coaching athletes for almost nine years.
His hockey career includes five seasons of junior hockey and three years of collegiate hockey at the University of Victoria.
Mitch Fyffe
Skills Provider – Opt-in Skills Program
Mitch Fyffe grew up in the lower mainland playing minor hockey for New West before he went to Kelowna to play for the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in grade 9. He then played 2 years of Major Midget for the North West Giants before going on to play junior A in the BCHL where he played over 160 games for the Coquitlam Express and Surrey Eagles from 2010-2014.
Mitch’s coaching career started at Burnaby Winter Club, where he helped coach multiple minor hockey teams. To date, he has coached 5 years minor hockey at BWC, 3 years with the BWC Academy ( E15 and Midget Prep) and 2 years with the BCHL's Langley Rivermen. In the spring and summer Mitch runs skills skates and private lessons for elite players from Atom to Pro level.
2023 GOALIE COACHES
Pasco Valana & Elite Goalies
Goaltending Coach
Pasco Valana is a professional goaltending coach based in Vancouver and has been with the Jets program for the past three years.
Pasco is the long-time goaltending coach with the UBC Thunderbirds women's hockey program. Valana has mentored 58 goaltenders to college scholarships and 13 to the National Hockey League.
He has also mentored a KHL All-Star, three Hobey Baker nominees, and goalies who have an NCAA Division I Championship and a Royal Bank Cup. In 2010, Valana was the Chief of Athlete Services for the sport of ice hockey at the Vancouver Olympic Games and was added to the coaches pool for Hockey Canada National Women’s U18, U22 and Senior National Training Camp.
Pasco is now working closely with Coaches at Hockey Canada in developing an accredited National Goaltending Certification Program.
Rob Fuchs & Proformance Goalies
Goaltending Coach
Rob Fuchs is a professional goaltending coach based in Vancouver. Rob has been coaching in Richmond hockey programs for over 10 years and is an alumni of Richmond Minor Hockey.
A graduate of Hamline University in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Management; Rob played four years of NCAA college hockey where as a freshman he won 2nd team all-conference honors. The first student of PFGS to receive a college scholarship, Rob has been an owner of PFGS since 2005.
- Current goalie Coach – Delta Hockey Academy (2015 – present)
- Surrey Eagles Goalie Coach (2010 – 2014) – Fred Page and Western Canadian Champions 2013, RBC semi-finalists 2013
- SFU goalie coach (2009 – 2013)
2023-2024 COMPETITIVE (REP) COACHES
Linden Saip
U11 (Atom) A1 Head Coach
Linden is a former WHL player and long-time skills provider to the Jets, who also works with the BCHL Surrey Eagles.
We are very excited to have Linden back with the Jets rep program as our returning U11A1 coach and we look forward to working with him again this season!
Matt Leduc
U11 (Atom) A2
We are excited to have Matt back with the Jets rep program as our returning U11A2 coach after a very successful 2022-23 season. Matt’s coaching experience includes working as a skills coach for Dragicevic Hockey Development, Richmond Ravens, and Fraser Valley Rush. Most recently, I was the head skills instructor for the Western Hockey League Development Combine.
Matt played his minor hockey in Richmond before moving on to play 5 years in the WHL for the Spokane Chiefs and is currently studying at UBC with a focus on high-performance coaching.
His coaching philosophy for minor hockey is that development is a byproduct of making learning hockey engaging and fun.
TBC
U11 (Atom) A3
Milton Chan
U13 A1 Head Coach
Milton has numerous years of experience as a minor hockey coach and as a high-level skills provider for players of all ages. Milton was a part of the inaugural season of the Richmond Jets as the Head Coach of the U13A1 Team for the 2018/2019 season, where the team finished amongst the Top 5 Teams in Flight 1 in PCAHA, leading the team to a Gold Medal Finish in the Nanaimo Tier 1 U13 Tournament.
We are very excited to have Milton back with the Jets rep program as our returning U13A1 coach and working with Michael Gill.
Michael Gill
U13 A1 Co-Coach
Reegan House
U13 A2 Head Coach
Reegan has specialized as a power skating and skills coach for the past three years. He has experience working with hockey players of all ages (ages four to fifty) and with players and teams in the PCAHA, CSSHL, BCEHL, PJHL, BCHL and WHL.
This past season, Reegan was an Assistant Coach at the U15 level and was the Head Coach of the West Coast Whales 2015 AA team in the spring.
Reegan grew up playing hockey from the age of six with the Cloverdale Minor Hockey Association up until the age of seventeen, when he began his first of four years playing in the PJHL. Reegan spent his first two seasons with the White Rock Whalers and finished his last two years with the Delta Ice Hawks. Upon completion of his Junior Hockey career, Reegan took to teaching with the focus of helping hockey players achieve their goals of playing at the highest level. He is very excited to start his first season as a member of the Richmond Jets organization.
AJ Mak
U13 A3 Head coach
AJ has 8 years of experience in coaching minor hockey at the U13, U15, U18, grassroots and intro levels. Most of these years were spent coaching here in Richmond for the Richmond Blues/Richmond Jets. Previously and most recently, he was coaching at Cloverdale Colts Minor Hockey and in Hong Kong.
AJ is a student of the game. Is a firm believer that hockey IQ can be gained by becoming a student of the game as well. Outside of hockey, AJ is currently a proud serving member of our Canadian Armed Forces. Therefore he expects his players to be attentive to details with discipline, more importantly, to be accountable to one another, contribute and complement one another selflessly so that it forms a cohesive team with spirit and determination as part of an organized structure.
AJ is excited to be back at Richmond Jets Minor Hockey to get started with a proud and successful minor hockey association and to know the kids he will help unconditionally succeed on and off the ice.
Mike Ikeda
U15 A1 Head Coach
Head Coach - GVC Canadians U17: 2022-23
Head Coach – Richmond Minor Hockey: 2008 – 2022
2021-22 Bantam A1
2020-21 Midget A1
2019-20 Bantam A1
2017-18 PeeWee A1
2016-17 Midget A1
2015-16 Midget A2
2014-15 Bantam A2
Assistant Coach – UBC Varsity Hockey Team: Sep/2004 – 2008
Head Coach – Nikkei Hockey Team: May 2006/2008
Lower Mainland Hockey Scout – Vancouver Giants 2002 -2003
Professional Hockey Player – Japan Ice Hockey League: Aug/1994 – Mar/1998
UBC Varsity Ice Hockey Player – UBC: 1989 – 1993
Junior ‘A’ Ice Hockey Player – Calgary Canucks (AJHL): 1986 – 1988
TBC
U15 A2 Head Coach
Kamesh Goundar
U18 A1 Head Coach
Kamesh has been an assistant coach for 5 years and was the Head Coach of our U15A1 team last year. He grew up playing hockey with Seafair from age 5 and a year playing with the Richmond Sockeyes. He has always had a big passion for hockey, whether that be playing or coaching. His coaching philosophy comes with an old-school approach while still being able to adapt to new-school hockey.
Assistant Coach - 2015-2016 U18 Richmond Blues (Presidents Series Champions)
Assistant Coach - 2018-2019 U21 Richmond Jets (Provincial Champion)
Assistant Coach - 2019-2021 U15 Surrey MHA (2019-2020- Bronze medal at KIBIHT)
Assistant Coach - 2021-2022 U18 Richmond Jets (Silver Medal at Abbotsford tournament)
Head Coach - 2022-2023 U15A1 Richmond Jets
Kenta Muraki
U21 A1 Head Coach
If you have any questions regarding Rep Coaching, or if you are interested in coaching for the Richmond Jets, please contact Milton Chan at repdirector@richmondjetsmha.com
THANK YOU TO OUR PLATINUM & DIAMOND SPONSORS
Richmond Jets Minor Hockey Association
As one of the largest minor hockey associations in British Columbia, the Richmond Jets Minor Hockey Association offers an integrated (boys and girls) minor hockey program from Initiation to Juvenile. Featuring both recreational ("C") and competitive ("A") streams, our programs operate out of the three different facilities in the City of Richmond: Richmond Ice Centre (RIC), Minoru Arenas (Stadium and Silver Rinks), Richmond Oval (North and South rinks).
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We acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.
Matt Leduc
Skill Provider - Rep & C Program
We are excited to have Matt working as a skills coaches this year with the Jets. Matt’s coaching experience includes working as a skills coach for Dragicevic Hockey Development, Richmond Ravens, and Fraser Valley Rush. Most recently, I was the head skills instructor for the Western Hockey League Development Combine.
Matt played his minor hockey in Richmond before moving on to play 5 years in the WHL for the Spokane Chiefs and is currently studying at UBC with a focus on high-performance coaching.
His coaching philosophy for minor hockey is that development is a byproduct of making learning hockey engaging and fun.