Derek Stafford
U15 AA/A Alliance
St. Thomas Jr. Stars
A bit about myself: I've been coaching for over 10+ years, and I love every second of it and what the sport and the team offer. I have the support of my loving wife and new daughter, who are always there cheering for me and the team every step of the way. My love for hockey started at a young age, playing at a high level and building friendships along the way. Our Defence coach (John Weaver) and I actually started our friendship a long time ago through hockey, playing for the Atom Elgin Middlesex Chiefs, and have continued to be best friends to this day.
Coaching Experience - Last Five Seasons
2024-25 U14 AA/A Head Coach St. Thomas Jr Stars
2023-24 U15 A/A Head Coach St. Thomas Jr Stars
2022-23 U14 AA/A Head Coach St. Thomas Jr Stars
2021-22 U13 AA/A Head Coach St. Thomas Jr Stars
2020-21 U12 AA/A Associate Coach St. Thomas Jr Stars
My staff consists of myself and two of my great friends who are also nonparent coaches (Forward and Defence Coaches); they've been coaching alongside me for a couple years within the STMHA organization. We will also have another nonparent goalie coach/practice helper this season who will assist at practices to focus solely in on the goalies during our practices. Once the team is selected, we will be asking some parents to assist with some roles in helping the coaches/team be 100% prepared every night. Another key to our team success is our strength and conditioning coach, Crazy Joe, who also works with the local Jr B Stars and Jr C Sailors. We run dryland/strength & conditioning sessions three times a month throughout the season with Joe. Our staff works with many great teachers and hockey development organizations throughout the season to come in and offer extra development sessions. These sessions are critical for individual and team success as I believe hockey is an ever-growing sport in which we can always learn new skills and techniques for continuous improvement, including the coaches. Lastly, with St. Thomas and many arenas having Livebarn access, I use that as a teaching tool and spend the extra time to clip videos to prepare our team. Twice a month, we will do a video review going over systems, special teams, etc., and I also use this tool for tailored individual video review/teaching moments throughout the season.
My coaching philosophy has always been to take care of team success, and individual success will follow. I ask/expect a lot from each player; however, I don't ask for any more than myself and what the coaches are willing to do for the team. The coaches also put in a lot of extra time to ensure we are set up for team success for every event (practice planning, video, game plans, etc.). At this age, it's extremely important to provide an environment to enable athletes to have fun and learn about being part of a team while learning the fundamental skills needed to compete, succeed and enjoy hockey at a high level for a long time. It's crucial that the players continue to develop their individual skills, but at this age, more focus now shifts to team systems and tactics. That's where our staff comes in to help develop those skills and put in place the systems/team tactics that will fit our team best to achieve team success.
As part of my philosophy, it's important to engage the mental and emotional side of player development. This includes getting the players to set individual goals and a plan to achieve those goals, establishing team rules for conduct on the ice and in the dressing room.
My goals for this season with this team include developing the kids into outstanding young adults in our community on and off the ice. Continue to grow the love of hockey within these young players so that they will play for a long time. Ultimately, to have success in growing these players to the next level. The 2025-26 U15AA/A Jr. Stars will be a fast-paced, high-energy, highly skilled but, most of all, team-first mentality team that will see lots of success in the season.
Looking forward to this season!
Coach Derek