Hockey Manitoba is excited to announce the coaching staff for the 2026-2027 Boys Under-16 Program of Excellence that will compete at the 2027 Canada Winter Games taking place from February 27 – March 14, 2027, in Quebec City.

The Boys Under-16 Team Manitoba roster will feature the province’s top male players born in 2011 and later.  The Canada Winter Games are held every four years and are the largest amateur multi-sport event in the country.

Leading the 2026-2027 Boys U16 Program of Excellence behind the bench will be Brad Purdie (Winnipeg), who is currently the Director of Operations/ U15 Prep Head Coach at The RINK Hockey Academy. This will be Purdie’s second time as Head Coach of U16 Team Manitoba and his fifth year with the program.

Purdie is a certified High Performance 1 Coach/Certified Hockey Canada Skills Coach who has extensive experience working with elite level hockey players. Purdie has been involved with U16 Team Manitoba on four previous occasions, recently serving as an Assistant Coach at the 2019 Canada Winter Games. Purdie was an Assistant Coach for Team Manitoba at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, helping the team win a bronze medal. Purdie also served as the Head Coach of Team Manitoba at the 2015 WHL Cup, helping the team win a silver medal. Purdie also served as an Assistant Coach with Team Manitoba in 2012. Purdie has been the Director of Operations/ U15 Prep Head Coach at The RINK Hockey Academy since 2015. Prior to that, Purdie was an Assistant Coach for the University of Manitoba Bisons men’s hockey team from 2011-2015. Purdie was also the Head Coach of the Southeast Prairie Thunder in 2015, leading the team to an Allen Cup championship.

Purdie will be joined by assistant coaches Dave Funk (Winnipeg) and Garrett Szeremley (Morden). Funk is currently in his first year as an Assistant Coach with the Winnipeg Thrashers U17 AAA. Prior to this year, Funk was the Head Coach of the Winnipeg Wild Green U15 AAA for four seasons (2021-2025). This will be Funk’s first year with the Boys U16 POE program. Funk has recently been involved with Hockey Manitoba, conducting player evaluations for the 2026 Manitoba Winter Games in Thompson.

Garrett Szeremley will be the other Assistant Coach for U16 Team Manitoba and this will be his first time as a coach within the Hockey Manitoba Program of Excellence. Over the last several seasons, Szeremley has coached at both the U15 AAA and U18 AAA levels. He has also worked closely with athletes preparing for AAA, Junior A, and WHL advancement, and currently serves as a scout with the Dauphin Kings in the MJHL.

Director of Operations for the Male U16 POE will be Bernie Reichardt.

The 2026-2027 Boys U16 Program of Excellence process will begin with a Spring Selection Camp which will be held from April 10 – 12 at Scotiabank hockey for all centre in Winnipeg. Following the Spring Selection Camp, the Boys U16 POE Top-40 Camp will take place from May 21-24 in Steinbach at the Southeast Events Centre.

Hockey Manitoba is pleased to recognize CCM Hockey and the Western Hockey League as Official Partners of the Program of Excellence. The POE is our high performance program that offers developing athletes who are on track to be elite with the opportunity to represent their province while providing a solid development path to the National and International stages.

For more information about the Hockey Manitoba Program of Excellence please visit www.hockeymanitoba.ca/programs/poe/.