(Red Deer College/6 Hearts Creative)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

new era, new adventure

Red Deer Optimist Chiefs name Cody Reynolds new head coach

Mar 21, 2020 | 9:01 AM

There will be a new boss behind the bench when the next hockey season gets rolling for the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs.

Cody Reynolds, a Sylvan Lake resident who’s spent the last seven years as an assistant and associate coach with the Red Deer College Kings, has signed on for the job.

The 36-year-old replaces Doug Quinn, who stepped down as Optimist Chiefs head coach following the end of the 2019-20 season and will shift his focus to being the owner/head coach of the Blackfalds AJHL franchise.

The Optimist Chiefs went 18-11-3 in the regular season, good for third in the south division before being swept in the first round of AMHL playoffs.

Reynolds says he’s hoping to move past the recent disappointment of the ACAC playoffs being cancelled and start a new era of success with the Chiefs.

Prevention, Access, Recovery, and Coordination

Safe Harbour officially hands over shelter keys, establishes accessible navigation hub

11h ago

lacombe and sylvan lake

December 2025 (un)employment data released for Alberta sub-regions

12h ago

21 years with WCPS

Darcy Blum appointed principal of Lacombe Outreach School

13h ago

“The transition is going to be very exciting. I’ll be coaching younger guys, and elite level players. I’ve worked with that age group because I’m also a middle school teacher, so I understand the mentality, and I’ve coached through Hockey Alberta,” says Reynolds.

“It’ll be a shift for me towards developing these guys. We’ll have team goals and concepts we’ll need to nail down, and on top of that, it’s about working with each individual to get them to their next level and moving them on.”

Reynolds, who is stepping into his first full-time head coaching gig, believes many, if not all members of the Chiefs, have a future in hockey if they maintain the right mindset.

With the way young players are in 2020, he adds that communication is key.

“A big thing for me is understanding the player, and being approachable while developing relationships. Our job as coaches is to find their hockey sense and skills and develop their hockey IQ,” he says. “Another huge piece of the puzzle is showing them how to be good people, and my approach is definitely to be a player’s coach.”

The Optimist Chiefs could see a turnover of around a dozen players to start the 2020-21 season, but Reynolds is up for the challenge.

“I’m very honoured to have this chance with the Chiefs program. It’s a very storied franchise and one of the most prestigious programs in the country, in my opinion,” he says. “I grew up watching the Chiefs; being born and raised in Sylvan Lake, and having seen their successes, I’m eager to get in there and put my stamp on things.”