For Immediate Release
March 18, 2026
Saanichton, B.C. - BC Hockey is proud to announce the Men's U16 Team BC staff for the 2026-27 Program of Excellence (POE) season, led by head coach James Pollock.
Pollock returns as head coach for Team BC after taking charge behind the bench for last year’s squad that competed at the 2025 WHL Cup.
"We’re excited to welcome back head coach James Pollock for a second year with Team BC,” Commissioner, POE Fred Zweep said. "James and his staff share BC Hockey’s passion to develop our players for success in competition, and specifically, at next year’s Canada Winter Games."
Identification (ID) Camps begin later this month across the province. After the completion of ID Camps, 160 players will be invited to move on to the BC Cup, which will take place April 16-19, 2026 in Salmon Arm, B.C. Following the BC Cup, 76 players will be selected to move to the Provincial Camp stage in Chilliwack, B.C. from July 23-26, 2026. From there, 26 players will be invited to Christmas Camp in Vernon, B.C. from December 17-20, 2026. Team BC's final roster will see 20 players selected to represent British Columbia at the 2027 Canada Winter Games in Quebec.
James Pollock
Head Coach
Hometown: Victoria, B.C.
2025-26 Team: Shawnigan Lake School U15 Prep (CSSHL)
Background: James Pollock returns to the Team BC bench for the 2026-27 season, marking his third year on the coaching staff and second as head coach. Prior to joining Team BC’s staff, he was a volunteer coach at the BC Cup and the Men's U16 Provincial Camp in 2023.
Pollock is currently the head coach of the U15 Prep Team at Shawnigan Lake School of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. He has been a member of the coaching staff at the U15 and U18 levels at Shawnigan since the 2014-15 season. At the minor hockey level, he served as an assistant coach for the Kerry Park Minor Hockey Association's U11 Development team from 2022-2024 and at the U8 level during the 2021-22 season.
Pollock was a defenceman during his playing days, he spent four seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Seattle Thunderbirds from 1995-1999. He was then chosen in the fourth round (106th overall) in the 1997 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues. His professional career began with him spending five seasons in the Blues' system with the majority of that time spent in the American Hockey League (AHL). Pollock registered nine games in the NHL with St. Louis during the 2003-04 season.
After his time with St. Louis, Pollock headed to Europe, where he spent the following 10 years, minus a 16 game stint in the AHL in 2007-08, competing for teams in Switzerland, Germany, and Russia. During his time in Europe, Pollock received the opportunity to don the Maple Leaf and compete for Team Canada at the Spengler Cup in 2003 and 2004.
Outside of the rink, Pollock is a house director and guidance counsellor at Shawnigan Lake School.
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Ralph Vos Jr.
Assistant Coach
Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.
2025-26 Team: U17 AAA Fraser Valley Thunderbirds (BCEHL)
Background: Ralph Vos Jr. joins the Team BC bench for the 2026-27 season, bringing over 25 years of experience to head coach Jamie Pollock’s staff. This will mark Vos’ first season with Team BC after previously serving as a coach at the BC Cup in 2024.
Vos currently serves as the head coach of the U17 AAA Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the British Columbia Elite Hockey League . He is also a coach with Sardis Hockey Academy (Hockey Canada Skills Academy), a role he has held since the 2025 season.
Prior to his current roles, Vos coached at the Mennonite Educational Institute Hockey Academy (Hockey Canada Skills Academy) from 2011-2015 and Yale Hockey Academy of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League from 2003-2007. Earlier in his coaching career, he served as an assistant coach with the Abbotsford Pilots of the Pacific Junior Hockey League from 2002-2005.
In addition to his work behind the bench, Vos has been involved in hockey development for more than two decades as the owner of Vos Hockey Development since 2001.
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Jackson Playfair
Assistant Coach
Hometown: Fort St. James, B.C.
2025-26 Team: Osoyoos Coyotes (KIJHL)
Background: Jackson Playfair returns to Team BC's bench as an assistant coach for the 2026-27 POE season, his second season in the role. Playfair previously volunteered as a coach at POE Camps prior to his appointment as assistant coach.
Playfair currently serves as the Head Coach of the Osoyoos Coyotes of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League. Prior to the joining the Coyotes, he held roles with RINK Hockey Academy of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League for two seasons and and was the head coach for their U17 Prep team. He has had coaching experience with the University of British Columbia Men's Hockey team (U SPORTS) during the 2021-22 season, and U15 AAA Valley West Giants of the British Columbia Elite Hockey League during the 2020-21 season.
The Fort St. James native played in the Western Hockey League for three seasons between 2012-2015 for the Spokane Chiefs and Tri-City Americans. At the collegiate ranks, he played for Dalhousie University's Men's Hockey team (U SPORTS) from 2015-2019. He then moved on to professional hockey, where he played for the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears during the 2018-19 season.
Playfair graduated from Dalhousie University with a Bachelor's degree in Business Management.
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Parker Orchard
Aboriginal Apprentice Coach
Hometown: Emo, Ontario
2025-26 Team: Greater Vernon MHA U15 Tier 2 (OMAHA)
Background: Parker Orchard joins Team BC’s bench as an Aboriginal Apprentice Coach for the 2026-27 season, marking his first season in this role.
Orchard is currently the head coach of Greater Vernon Minor Hockey Association’s (MHA) U15 Tier 2 team, and was an assistant coach at the U18 Girls' Recreational level with Greater Vernon MHA during the 2024-25 season. Prior to moving to B.C., the Emo, Ontario, native held several coaching positions in his home province, including as an assistant coach for the U15 AA Fort Frances Canadians, and as an on-ice helper for the Fort Frances Lakers of the Superior International Junior Hockey League. He has also provided goaltending coaching and player selection support for Team BC Men’s and Women’s teams during tryouts for the 2025 National Aboriginal Hockey Championship.
Prior to transitioning into coaching, Orchard grew up playing minor hockey in Fort Frances, Ontario, and high school hockey in Minnesota. He played two seasons of junior hockey from 2017-2019 with the Bozeman Ice Dogs and the Cape Cod Islanders of the North American 3 Hockey League.
Orchard is a graduate of the University of British Columbia Okanagan with a Bachelor's degree in Human Kinetics, and currently works for the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreational Council as the Interior Regional Coordinator.
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Matt Revel
Video Coach
Hometown: Abbotsford, B.C.
2025-26 Team: Yale Hockey Academy U17 Prep (CSSHL)
Background: Matt Revel returns to the Men's U16 Team BC staff for the 2026-27 POE season as the team's video coach.
Revel is currently the head coach of the Yale Hockey Academy's U17 Prep Team of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League. The Abbotsford native also has coaching experience as an assistant coach with the University of British Columbia Men's Hockey team (U SPORTS) where he spent two seasons from 2023-2025, and Vancouver Thunderbirds MHA at the U15 Tier 1 level during the 2020-21 season.
Revel played five seasons in the Western Hockey League from 2012-2017, split between the Saskatoon Blades, Kamloops Blazers and Portland Winterhawks. He then went on to play for the University of British Columbia Men's Hockey Team (U SPORTS) from 2017-2022, and played one season in Austria with the Pioneers Vorarlberg of the International Central European Hockey League during the 2022-23 season.
Revel graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology.
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Eric Rogers
Goaltending Coach
Hometown: Thunder Bay, Ontario
2025-26 Team: RINK Hockey Academy U17 Prep (CSSHL)
Background: Eric Rogers joins Team BC as a goaltending coach for the 2026-27 POE season, marking his first season with the program.
Rogers currently serves as an assistant coach with the Canadian Sport School Hockey League's RINK Hockey Academy at the U15 and U17 levels . Prior to joining RINK, he spent four seasons as the goaltending coach for the Western University Mustangs Women’s Hockey Team (U SPORTS) from 2019-2023.
Earlier in his coaching career, Rogers served as an assistant coach and goaltending coach with the Thunder Bay Kings U18 program during the 2015-16 season before joining The Hill Academy in Ontario, where he worked as an assistant coach and goaltending coach with their U16 and U18 programs from 2016-2019.
In addition to his experience at the youth and collegiate levels, the Thunder Bay, Ontario, native has worked with a number of National Hockey League, American Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and Western Hockey League goaltenders through Zulies Goalie Academy and the Franco Canadian Goalie School.
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Bob Pond
Athletic Therapist/Strength & Conditioning Coach
Hometown: Penticton, B.C.
2025-26 Team: Penticton Vees (WHL)
Background: This will mark the third season with the POE for Bob Pond after serving as an athletic therapist for the Men's U16 Team BC in 2024 and 2025.
Pond is currently in his first season as Athletic Therapist with the Penticton Vees of the Western Hockey League. Prior to joining the Vees, Pond served as the strength coach for the U15 Okanagan Mainline Amateur Hockey Association South Zone Knights and Penticton MHA's U15 Tier 2 Team. The Penticton, B.C. native has previously served as a safety person with Okanagan Hockey Academy of the Canadian Sport School Hockey League from 2016-2024, and as a trainer for the Summerland Steam of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League from 2021-2023.
Pond has a Bachelor's degree in Science in Athletic Training from Minot State University in North Dakota, and is currently obtaining a Master's degree in Rehabilitation Science from the University of British Columbia.
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Glen Klassen
Equipment Manager
Hometown: Colwood, B.C.
2025-26 Team: Victoria Royals (WHL) & Juan de Fuca MHA
Background: Glen Klassen returns to Team BC as equipment manager for his third consecutive season.
The Colwood native has been a trainer assistant for the Victoria Royals (WHL) since 2011. He also served as assistant equipment manager for the Victoria Salmon Kings (ECHL) during the 2010-11 season, and was their dressing room attendant from 2004 to 2007. He is also an assistant coach with the Juan de Fuca MHA U18 C1 team.
Away from the rink, Klassen is the sports bookings clerk at the Westshore Parks and Recreation Society.
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