Winnipeg, MB- Hockey Manitoba is pleased to announce the appointments of Garth Mitchell of Elkhorn as Head Coach and David Anning of Dauphin as Assistant Coach to the 2011 Team West Coaching Staff.

Mitchell was previously an assistant coach of Team West at the 2009 and 2010 World Under-17 events. Presently head coach with the Yellowhead Chiefs of the Manitoba Midget AAA Hockey League (MMHL), Mitchell is certified at the High Performance 2 Level within the Hockey Canada Coaching Program and has many years experience at the Midget AAA level. Garth has also been very active in the coach and playerdevelopment programs with Hockey Manitoba for many years and has also been named as the 2009-10 Hockey Manitoba Volunteer of the Year.

Anning is an assistant coach of the Dauphin Kings (MJHL) and is presently involved in the RBC Cup taking place in Dauphin May 1-9, 2010. He has been a fully certified with the High Performance 1 Level for 4 years. David was formally as assistant coach with the Under-16 Team Manitoba squad that finished second in the WHL sponsored Western Canadian U-16 Challenge that took place in Blackfalds, AB last October. Anning is also currently involved in numerous Hockey Manitoba programs including the Coach Mentorship Program.

Team West will compete in the 2011 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge hosted in Winnipeg from December 28, 2010 to January 4, 2011. Team West last won a medal in 2008 (London, ON) with a Bronze and last won Gold in 2005 (Lethbridge, AB) led by Jonathan Toews. An assistant coach and a video coach from Saskatchewan are yet to be named of who will round off the 2011 Team West Coaching Staff.

Player selection has already begun and 40 playersborn in 1994 will be invited to Hockey Manitoba’sProgram of Excellence (POE) Summer Evaluation Camp in Brandon June 17–20, 2010. Players will then be monitored through the early part of the 2010-11 hockey season and from this process eleven players will join eleven players from Saskatchewan toform and compete as Team West.

The World Under-17 Challenge tournament features the top 16-year-old players from around the world, and both Manitoba and Saskatchewan are hopeful that the 2011 Team West line-up will be in the mix for a medal round appearance at this year’s event. To learn more details about the Program of Excellence please visit www.hockeymanitoba.ca/poe.php.