Program of Excellence

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 (106^th 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.

Riley Emmerson returns to Team BC for a third season after serving as head coach at the 2024 WHL Cup and assistant coach at the 2023 WHL Cup. He currently serves as Manager, Hockey with the Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the British Columbia Elite Hockey League (BCEHL), where he is also the head coach of the U15 Thunderbirds.

The Abbotsford, B.C. native began his coaching career as a player-coach with the Edinburgh Capitals in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) in the United Kingdom. Before Emmerson started coaching, he carved himself out a successful playing career. He played 10 seasons of professional hockey. In 2005 he was drafted to the National Hockey League by the Minnesota Wild and went on to play in the American Hockey League, ECHL, Central Hockey League, and the EIHL.

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.

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.

Amy de Bree returns to Team BC as video coach after previously serving as an assistant coach with the gold medal-winning Female U18 Team BC at the 2023 Canada Winter Games. Prior to that, she spent three seasons as an assistant coach with Team BC and has been involved in BC Hockey's Program of Excellence since 2011 as a camp coach and mentor. She also served as Head Coach of Team BC at the 2023 National Women's U18 Championship, where her team earned a bronze medal, and was head coach of the U16 Team BC at the 2011 and 2012 BC Winter Games.

de Bree is currently pursuing a doctoral degree focused on coaching practices, while continuing to work in skill development and serve as Camps and Clinics Coordinator with the Vancouver Thunderbirds Minor Hockey Association. She most recently served as an assistant coach with the BCEHL’s U18 AAA Greater Vancouver Canadians from 2022–2025, following a season as head coach of the Female U18 AAA Greater Vancouver Comets. She also spent two seasons on the coaching staff with the University of British Columbia Women’s Hockey team from 2019–2021.

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.

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.

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.