By all initial accounts, Steve Macdonald appears to be a perfect fit as the new assistant coach for the University of Minnesota Duluth women's hockey team.
Head coach Shannon Miller was confident of the committee's selection of her newest staff member, singing high praise for the native of Winnipeg, Manitoba, and the wealth of experience the 32-year old Macdonald will bring to the Bulldogs, who replaces former assistant coach Maria Rooth.
"Steve brings exactly what were looking for," said Miller, who will begin her 13th season at UMD in the fall. "We wanted someone had a great deal of experience working with defensemen, who could also teach the mental training aspect of the game, and had proven success coaching women. He was the top-choice out of the interview process with the entire committee, and I am excited to have a young coach of this caliber join our staff."
Macdonald is currently in Hockey Canada's national team coaching pool, and attended Hockey Canada's August selection camp in Toronto, Ontario as an assistant coach with the National U-18 program. He was named to the coaching staff of the Canadian National U-18 team that competed against the USA in Lake Placid in a three game exhibition series last fall, and was also involved at Hockey Canada's strength and conditioning camps in 2008. Prior to serving as the Balmoral Hall School (Winnipeg, Man.) Director of Hockey and Varsity Prep head coach, Macdonald was an associate coach and Athletic Specialist at Balmoral for three years. During the 2010-11 season, Macdonald led Balmoral to a bronze medal finish in the elite Junior Women's Hockey League (JWHL), with an overall record of 31-17-9.
Macdonald has coached Manitoba's U-18 provincial team, and won a bronze medal in 2008 at the Canadian U-18 Nationals 2008. An active coach mentor in Manitoba, Macdonald recently attended National Coach Mentorship Program national seminar, and has been involved with the Hockey Manitoba Female program of excellence since 2003. His coaching education includes High Performance I Seminar, Theory levels 1, 2 and 3 in the National Coach Certification Program (NCCP) and the National Coach Mentorship Program (NCMP).
Macdonald received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Winnipeg in 2005 with a double major in Kinesiology & Applied Health and Psychology. He then attended the University of Ottawa for his pre-masters in Sport Psychology before returning home to complete his masters at the University of Manitoba specializing in Coach Education. He is actively involved in the field of Sport Psychology and has worked as a Sport Psych consultant in a variety of sports including athletes competing at the Canada Games, specializing in athlete development and performance enhancement.
"I am extremely excited and proud to become part of such a prestigious program in women's hockey," said Macdonald. "It is a dream come true to have the opportunity to coach with the caliber of staff and players that make up the UMD women's hockey program and I look forward to contributing to the continued success of the UMD Bulldogs".
Macdonald will begin his duties at UMD in about six weeks -- in mid June.
