MEET OUR COACHING STAFF
Kent Lewis – Head Coach / Director of Hockey Operations
A native of Powell River, BC, Lewis has spent more than 20 years behind benches of teams in the BCHL, including his hometown Paper Kings/Kings for two different stints, the Nanaimo Clippers and Victoria Salsa (now Grizzlies) from 1990 to 2018.
Prior to his coaching career, the 56-year-old suited up as a player with Nanaimo and the former Esquimalt Buccaneers, along with the Victoria (now Prince George) Cougars of the WHL from 1982-87
Notable coaching achievements include;
- Multiple “Coach of the Year” awards in the BCHL
- A gold medal with team Canada West at the World Junior “A” Challenge
- Allan Cup Championship, and a silver medal for Canada at the Nagano Cup.
- A Junior hockey winning percentage of .629 in over a 1000 games at the Jr a level.
- One of the leaders in advancing players on to the NCAA and Canadian Universities.
- One of two coaches to have Captured 7 Conference Championships in BCHL history.
- Played Jr A Nanaimo Clippers BCHL
- Played Major Jr with Victoria Cougars WHL
- Garnered MVP, Rookie of the Year and Inspirational awards from his time in Nanaimo
Kent says; “I look forward to overseeing and working with everyone in the Dukes program to give its fans something it can be proud of”.
Brian MacKenzie – Assistant Coach
Brian joins the Dukes family after spending four successful seasons as an Assistant General Manager/Assistant Coach with the Whitby Fury/Haliburton County Huskies of the OJHL.
Involved in hockey for over 25+ years, he has coached, managed, and mentored at all levels as well as held the position as an area scout in the Ontario Hockey League, Brian worked with the Plymouth Whalers (2002-2007). During that period they captured an OHL Championship and represented the OHL at the 2007 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Vancouver. Following his time in Plymouth, he spent the following 3 seasons as area scout with the Sarnia Sting of the OHL.
Brian brings a passion and commitment to his players and each organization he represents. He strongly believes in proper player mentorship, support, and development. His extensive and widespread coaching experience has provided countless opportunities to coach, develop and mentor many past and present players representing the NHL, AHL,NCAA & CIS
Jacob Breckles – Assistant Coach
CONTACT JACOB
Todd Diminie – General Manager
Phone/Text: 905-396-8579
Todd brings years of experience with community based Junior Hockey in Ontario. Todd started out in the OJHL with the Port Hope Predators and has worked for the Bowmanville Eagles Jr A Hockey Club who then merged with Cobourg Cougars as well as the Whitby Fury jr A. Todd has served in various roles from scouting to assistant General Manager to General Manager with the Cobourg Cougars. Todd coached minor hockey in Cobourg for 15 years before graduating to the junior ranks.
Todd has the experience to help the Dukes move forward and get the ball rolling on our rookie camp and the rebuild of your Wellington Dukes. Todd is eager to get started on rebuilding a great team and come back with a vengeance. We will be bringing in elite players that want to be Dukes and deserve to play at this elite level in a very special place, The legendary Duke Dome! If you are interested in becoming one of these Dukes, contact Todd.
CAITLIN MCCUAIG – TRAINER – SPORTS PHYSIOTHERAPIST
Caitlin McCuaig is a registered physiotherapist who got her Masters in Physiotherapy at the University of Toronto. She works at a multidisciplinary clinic in Trenton when not found on the sports fields. Caitlin also has her Sports Diploma which allows her to work closely with many sports teams and is the highest sports physiotherapy designation in Canada. Caitlin is involved with many local and provincial level sports including Rugby, Senior Lacrosse, Skate Canada, Pan AMs and Para Ams to name a few over the past 10 years. She has been involved with hockey for the last 10 years and has also created a mentorship program for Queens physiotherapy students to get involved with minor hockey teams in the Kingston area. Caitlin’s goal is to go to the Olympics as a Sports Physiotherapist.
Dr. ADAM REYNOLDS – STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH
Dr. Adam Reynolds is a certified strength and conditioning coach and chiropractor that resides in Picton. He has an interest in performance training and coaching athletes, especially hockey players. He has spent time in this role with the Florida Panthers (NHL) and Rochester Americans (AHL). Adam is excited to be part of the Wellington Dukes!
PHIL GROENEVELD – GOALTENDING COACH
Phil grew up in Clarington and was drafted by the Peterborough Petes after a season with the Napanee Raiders. He played the majority of his junior hockey in Kanata and attended Ohio State University before heading to the Central Hockey League where he scored the first goalie goal in league history.
Phil played in Europe for 13 years in the elite league’s (Rouen France, Amsterdam Netherlands, and Bolzano Italy) winning 4 championships and 4 top goalie awards. Phil joined the Netherlands National Team where he played in 7 World Championships for Holland and won a bronze medal and an additional top goalie award in international competition.
Throughout his career, Phil coached goalies from minor hockey up to pro and national team level with an understanding of the physical and mental game and what it takes to make a strong athlete. In recent years Phil worked with local minor hockey organizations to develop local goalie talent and is very happy to join the Duke’s organization, a team with great hockey tradition and share his experience to help the Dukes goalies move on to the next level.
Brent Heusinkveld – Head Scout / Director of Scouting
Bob Lavender – Nickname “Bobbo”
Dressing Room attendant
Bob has been involved with the team for over 17 years. Bob assists with game day preparations which includes water and pucks for visiting team and referees. Bob manages the laundry duties and on days we travel and helps load the bus and ensure all necessary equipment is on board. I often give the players “fatherly” advice which is unsolicited most of the time he says!
Joey Lavender – Nickname “The Boss”
Dressing Room Attendant
Joey has been helping the Dukes for over 20 years. He gets the water bottles ready for the team and does laundry. Joey gets the jerseys and socks ready on game day and collects them again after the games. I really like keeping the players positive and celebrating with them after we win he says. The players and staff are great and I have made many friends over the years. I still talk to lots of them even after they no longer play for the Dukes.
ALLAN ETMANSKI – SCOUT
Allan was born and raised right here in Wellington. From the day he was born the Dukes have always been a part of his life. Even before the junior A days, his family was season ticket holders which lead to him working for the team in the early 2000s before departing the County for school. Over the years Allan has held many different roles in junior hockey including arena DJ, PA announcer, scout, equipment manager, media & social media coordinator, broadcaster, assistant GM, GM and now back to adding scout to his duties. His stops over the years have included the Wellington Dukes, North Bay Skyhawks, Lakehead Thunderwolves, Kingston Voyageurs, Belleville Bulls, Kingston Frontenacs, Napanee Raiders, Picton Pirates, RMC Paladins, Queen’s Gaels and now back to Wellington. With a keen eye for talent and a knack for building relationships, Allan is looking forward to helping build the Wellington Dukes for their 35th anniversary and beyond.
Rhonda Bartliff – Scout
Ian McNeil – Scout
