Hockey Manitoba is excited to announce the roster of 20 players who will represent U16 Team Manitoba at the upcoming 2024 Western Hockey League (WHL) Cup.

The U16 Team Manitoba roster consists of 11 forwards, seven defencemen and two goaltenders and features the province’s top male players born in 2009. The 20 players that have been selected for Team Manitoba will compete at the 2024 WHL Cup from Wednesday October 23, 2024 to Sunday October 27, 2024 in Red Deer, Alberta.

The WHL Cup is held each year, but is replaced every fourth season when the men’s hockey competition at the Canada Winter Games takes its place. Team Manitoba is defending WHL Cup Champions, having won the tournament in October 2023 for the first time in 10 years.

Leading U16 Team Manitoba behind the bench will be Jordan Wohlgemuth. This is Wohlgemuth’s first year as Head Coach of U16 Team Manitoba but his third year with the program as he was an Assistant Coach for U16 Team Manitoba in 2019 and 2021. He has 14 years of coaching and development experience.  Wohlgemuth was the Head Coach of the Winnipeg Bruins U18 AAA in 2022-2023 and an Assistant Coach with the Bruins the year prior (2021-2022).

Wohlgemuth will be joined by assistant coaches Devin Himpe and Aaron Kaatz.

Devin Himpe is currently an Assistant Coach with the University of Manitoba Bisons Men’s Hockey Team as well as an on-Ice instructor for Jets Hockey Development. Himpe returns to the Male U16 POE program after working as an Assistant Coach with Team Manitoba at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island.

Aaron Kaatz will be the other Assistant Coach for U16 Team Manitoba and this is his first year as a coach within the Hockey Manitoba Program of Excellence. For the past two seasons, Kaatz has been the Head Coach of the Interlake Lightning U18 AAA.

Director of Operations for the Male U16 POE will be Bernie Reichardt (Hockey Manitoba) who returns for his 27th year. Filling out the staff are head scout Gary Michalick, goalie consultant Byron Spriggs, athletic therapist Emily Lambert, video coordinator Nick Trudel and equipment manager Mathew Relf.

The Male Under-16 Program of Excellence is the first step in the Hockey Canada Male Program of Excellence.  Athletes who participate in the U16 POE begin to receive the exposure to skills and concepts that are vital for success at the Major Junior, NCAA, USport and National levels. Many athletes from the U16 Program of Excellence go on to have success with the U17, U18 and World Junior Teams as a part of the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence.

Hockey Manitoba is pleased to recognize CCM Hockey and the Western Hockey League as Official Partners of the Program of Excellence.

For more information on the Male U16 Program of Excellence please contact Bernie Reichardt.