Victoria Minor Hockey Association

HEAD COACH ANNOUNCEMENT |
U15 TIER 1

Victoria Minor Hockey is pleased to welcome Roderick “Rod” Ramsay as Head Coach of the Admirals U15 Tier 1 team for the 2026–27 season.

Rod brings more than 20 years of coaching experience at the A, AA, AAA and high-performance levels. Growing up in Prince George, Rod played minor hockey before going on to play Junior A hockey in British Columbia. His coaching career has since taken him across BC, Saskatchewan and internationally, including coaching opportunities in Serbia and Hungary.

Most recently, Rod served as Head Coach of the Greater Vancouver Canadians U17 AAA program in the BC Elite Hockey League, following two seasons as Head Coach of the Vancouver Thunderbirds U18 A1 program. His experience also includes BC Hockey Provincial Championships, a BC Elite Hockey League Final Four appearance, extensive player and skill development work, and serving as a BC Hockey Pursuit of Excellence ID Camp Evaluator.

Rod’s coaching philosophy emphasizes player development, accountability, communication and fair play, while creating a positive team culture where athletes are challenged and supported to grow. Now that Victoria is home, Rod is looking forward to becoming part of the local hockey community and working with Admirals players to build a competitive, development-focused U15 Tier 1 program.

We are excited to welcome Rod to the Admirals and look forward to having him lead our U15 Tier 1 team this season.

Welcome to Victoria, Coach Ramsay!

HEAD COACH ANNOUNCEMENT | U15 TIER 1 Victoria Minor Hockey is pleased to welcome Roderick “Rod” Ramsay as Head Coach of the Admirals U15 Tier 1 team for the 2026–27 season. Rod brings more than 20 years of coaching experience at the A, AA, AAA and high-performance levels. Growing up in Prince George, Rod played minor hockey before going on to play Junior A hockey in British Columbia. His coaching career has since taken him across BC, Saskatchewan and internationally, including coaching opportunities in Serbia and Hungary. Most recently, Rod served as Head Coach of the Greater Vancouver Canadians U17 AAA program in the BC Elite Hockey League, following two seasons as Head Coach of the Vancouver Thunderbirds U18 A1 program. His experience also includes BC Hockey Provincial Championships, a BC Elite Hockey League Final Four appearance, extensive player and skill development work, and serving as a BC Hockey Pursuit of Excellence ID Camp Evaluator. Rod’s coaching philosophy emphasizes player development, accountability, communication and fair play, while creating a positive team culture where athletes are challenged and supported to grow. Now that Victoria is home, Rod is looking forward to becoming part of the local hockey community and working with Admirals players to build a competitive, development-focused U15 Tier 1 program. We are excited to welcome Rod to the Admirals and look forward to having him lead our U15 Tier 1 team this season. Welcome to Victoria, Coach Ramsay! #VictoriaMinorHockey #VMHA #AdmiralsHockey #U15T1

HEAD COACH ANNOUNCEMENT | U13 TIER 1
Victoria Minor Hockey is pleased to welcome Justin Brand as Head Coach of the Admirals U13 Tier 1 team for the 2026–27 season.

Justin brings more than 20 years of playing experience in Ontario, including junior hockey with the Whitby Fury and a successful collegiate career with the University of Toronto Varsity Blues, where he served as team captain.

Since moving behind the bench, Justin has built extensive experience developing young players in Victoria. He served as an assistant coach with the Admirals U13 Tier 1 team before taking over as Head Coach for the past two seasons. He has also coached with BW Hockey’s spring programs and recently worked with Hockey Canada through its Development Hub program.
Justin’s coaching philosophy centres on helping young athletes develop both on and off the ice. He emphasizes skill development, constructive feedback and creating an environment where players are encouraged to recognize mistakes, learn from them and continue pushing toward their full potential.

We’re excited to have Justin continuing to lead our U13 Tier 1 program and look forward to the season ahead.

Welcome back, Coach Justin!

2026/27 Officiating Season Registration and Important Information

2026-27 Re-Certification Updates and Reminders

Planning to officiate this season? Whether you're a returning official or brand new, please complete this FORM so our Referee-in-Chief can confirm participation and keep everyone informed: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScyaC50nIjc-m6j5nsSzLuCkj518QWAGFxIESPnDZ_FjUlstA/viewform

Level 1/2 First-Year Officials Clinic: August 27
Registration details coming soon.

Returning officials: Watch for Super Clinic information from BC Hockey and start working through your registration requirements now. https://www.bchockey.net/officials/getting-started

Officials turning 18 by December: Complete your Criminal Record Check as soon as possible. https://www.bchockey.net/member-info/applications/criminal-record-check

First-year officials: Create your BC Hockey account on the BC Hockey website and complete the initial steps now so you're ready to register when the clinic opens. https://www.bchockey.net/officials/getting-started/new-certification

Looking forward to seeing everyone back at the rink this season!

The Victoria Admirals are saddened to hear of the tragic loss of one of our beloved Ice Hawks/Admirals Alumni.

Tyson Skinner played with VMHA from his younger years up until he graduated as a U18 player, completing his minor hockey career with Victoria.

Victoria Minor Hockey extends their deepest condolences to Tyson’s family in their time of grief. We also hold close his friends, teammates, coaches and all those who knew and loved him. Tyson was also a large presence in the baseball community, and we are holding them in our hearts as well.

You can find Tyson’s obituary here: https://www.mccallgardens.com/obituaries/tyson-ross-skinner/

Reach out to each other if you need support, our hockey family is here for one another. Additional resources can be found here if needed:
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthwise/grief-and-grieving

First Shift Registration starts June 1st for the Fall. Looking forward to another season welcoming new players to the sport!

files.viaha.org

Congratulations to the U13 All Stars, taking 🥇 the against the undefeated Comox U13 Stars Team

Get your spot in Hockey Canada Development Hub pilot program led by Victoria Royals Development / Coaching staff with support from Hockey Canada Certified Skills Coaches and will include special guests. For link to more info and registration >> http://victoriagirlshockey.ca/page.php?page_id=121099