Feb 20, 2023 | Andruw Belanger | 489 views
U18 Coach Announcement
The Belleville Bearcats organization is proud to announce Mike Rathwell as coach of the U18 team for the upcoming 2023/24 season.
Mike has an extensive coaching background having 3 daughters who have been actively involved in hockey, basketball, and soccer. He has been coaching in the Bearcats Association since 2016 from Novice to Midget AA.
Two of his daughters have grown in the Bearcats organization at the AA level. Mikes middle daughter Taryn started her hockey career with the Novice Bearcats and went on to play for the Kingston Junior Ice Wolves in the PWHL. Next year Taryn will be attending RPI University on a full scholarship playing NCAA Division 1 hockey. Mike was part of Taryn’s coaching staff throughout her time with the Bearcats and this experience taught him the importance of creating a positive team culture and engagement among the players.
Paramount to Mikes coaching philosophy is to teach, motivate and inspire each athlete. He is committed to a team culture where each player recognizes the importance of investing in both on and off ice training to be successful at the U18 AA level.