Maritime Hockey Academy

MHA Hockey Staff for 2011-2012

Jon Greenwood - Director of Hockey Development

Coach Greenwood is an original member of MHA, now in his 5th year with the hockey staff. He brings a passion and love for the sport of hockey to the school and works to develop the skill level of all our student-athletes. He is a firm believer in Long Term Athlete Development and repeatedly working on the fundamentals, the most frequently used skills.

Coaching Background

Greenwood is currently an Assistant Coach with the Halifax Taylar Made Security Titans of the Nova Scotia Major Midget Hockey League. The Titans are the reigning Atlantic Major Midget Champions and represented the Atlantic Region at the 2011 Telus Cup - National Midget Hockey Championship. He has been actively involved in the Hockey Nova Scotia High Performance Program since 2007 working with the province's best young players and served as an Assistant Coach with the Provincial Male Under 14 team in 2011.

Greenwood also works as a Lead Instructor for Tomlinson Elite Hockey, helping run schools and clinics year round to improve the individual skills of players of all ages and levels.

His coaching career started in the Cole Harbour Bel Ayr Minor Hockey Association for six seasons at the Peewee AAA and Bantam AAA levels. He has attended the Hockey Canada Skills Academy Coaching Clinic in Calgary, where he learned from some of the top skills instructors from Hockey Canada's staff.

"I have been very fortunate to learn from many highly talented coaches, both as a player and now as a fellow coach. Networking with some of the top coaches in Nova Scotia has really helped my development as a coach, which in turn, allows me to help develop players' on ice skills. The Hockey Canada Skills Academy Curriculum is an incredible tool for our on ice instructors to use to promote the individual skills needed for our students to develop into dynamic team players."

Chris Donnelly - Associate Director of Hockey Development

Chris Donnelly is entering his 2nd year with the Maritime Hockey Academy staff. Donnelly is an Assistant Coach and Hockey School Co-ordinator with the Dalhousie Tigers of the Atlantic University Sports Conference. He has over 20 years of coaching experience ranging from minor hockey, major midget, and most recently as the associate coach with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL.

Donnelly has a history of developing young talent into well rounded hockey players and giving them the ability to take their game to the next level. He is a Hockey Canada High Performace 1 level coach and was the Head Coach for Team Nova Scotia's Male Hockey Team at the 2011 Canada Winter Games hosted in Halifax.

We are very excited to add Chris to our hockey staff and look forward to him working with our young student athletes.

"Being on the ice with young aspiring hockey players is always an energizing experience and one that I enjoy at Maritime Hockey Academy".

Todd Parker - Hockey Instructor

Coach Parker is in his 5th year with MHA and brings a wealth of knowledge and a strong coaching background to the hockey program. He captured an Allan Cup National Championship in 1998 as a player for the Truro Bearcats Senior Hockey team and was a Nova Scotia representative at the Allen Cup 4 straight seasons. While coach Parker was playing for Truro he represented Canada in an International Professional Tournament in Tillberg, Holland. Wearing the maple leaf they were able to win the silver in a tournament against the Division 1 France National Team, Division 2 Holland and Division 3 Switzerland.
Parker is a former 4 year player for the Saint Mary's University Huskies Hockey Team and a 3 year player for the Saint Mary's Football Team.
He also captured a Senior Baseball National Championship in 1998 as Player / Coach for the Dartmouth Moosehead Dry.

Coaching Background

Coach Parker is currently the Head Coach of the Cole Harbour Female Bantam AA team and is a Full Level 3 Certified Coach in 2 sports. He has coached multiple provincial teams including being the Head Coach of the Nova Scotia Canada Games Baseball Team in 2005. His hockey coaching resume also includes the Cole Harbour Wings Pee Wee Tier 1 Females, the Atom AAA Boys and the AHG Atom Female Raiders.
He has attended multiple coaching clinics including the Hockey Canada Skills Academy Coaching Clinic in Calgary, the Steve Sardachney Hockey Skills Clinic and the Ron Davidson Hockey Skills Clinic.
Todd was the Certified Personal Trainer for Baseball Nova Scotia and was able to gain valuable knowledge while working with Jeff Krushell who was the Personal Trainner for the Toronto Blue Jays, the Canadian National Jr. Baseball Team and numerous NHL hockey players and is now the International Director of Strength and Conditioning for Major League Baseball.
Other non-hockey related coaching experience includes Guest Coach for the Toronto Blue Jays Spring Training, Guest Instructor for the Canadian National Jr. Baseball Team, and Head Coach of the 1992 Provincial Champion Prince Andrew Panthers High School Football Team.

"There have been many major influences on my coaching development over the years in many sports including former coach, Bob Boucher, who was a former coach for the Philadelphia Flyers in the NHL and Head Coach of the Saint Mary's Huskies National Championship Team. Even with the experience of working with professional coaches in Hockey, Baseball and Football, the most influential person I have worked with was MHA Founder, Jamie Wood. His knowledge and enthusiasm kick started my thirst for the technical and dynamic aspects of the game. And every time I step on the ice I try to bring that same enthusiasm to the players I am working with."

Sarah White - Hockey Instructor

Coach White is in her 3rd year with the MHA hockey staff and brings a very strong female athletic presence and influence to the group. She is currently an Assistant Coach with the Cole Harbour Female Bantam AA team. With so many strong female players at MHA with unlimited potential, it is very important for them to have someone they can look up to and know what they will experience at the elite levels of female sports.

Sarah played 4 years of Varsity Hockey and Field Hockey for the Saint Mary's Huskies and captured an AUS Championship with a game winning goal in double overtime. The Huskies went on to represent the AUS at the CIS National Championships. In Field Hockey Sarah was dominant with the Huskies, taking home AUS All-Star, Top Scorer, and MVP honors in all 4 years.
She also was awarded the CIS Rookie of the Year and Trained with the Team Canada Developmental Squad in addition to being a member of the 2002 Nova Scotia Canada Games Team.

At Westminster Private School in Simsbury, Connecticut she was awarded the Top Scorer in Hockey and Field Hockey and was an All American and team Captain for the Field Hockey team.

Sarah has coached at various hockey camps including the Saint Mary's Summer Hockey Camps and the Esso Hockey Camp.
She was also coach for the Cole Harbour High School Field Hockey Team for 2 seasons.

Todd Bengert - Goaltending Instructor

This is Todd Bengert's first year to be involved with the Maritime Hockey Academy staff. While originally from PEI, he has lived throughout Canada and many different places in the world constantly staying in contact with hockey. He has an extensive background playing hockey and has played goal in both ice and roller hockey for many years at a competitive level in both Canada and Asia. He constantly tries to hone his own game in senior leagues throughout the Halifax, following the credo to "practice what he preaches".

Coaching Background

Coach Bengert has coached as a head and assistant coach both minor and senior hockey teams since 1992. He has recently devoted himself to his real passion of goalie coaching and is head of goalie development for the Eastern Shore Minor Hockey Association. He also continues to advise and work with more than 15 teams across the city from Novice to High School.

Goaltending Philosophy

Coach Bengert holds the philosophy that goaltending in hockey is really a game within a game and it is constantly evolving on a season by season basis. He takes the idea that one must be a student before one becomes a teaching. By monitoring developments in the highest level of the games and latest teaching techniques, Coach Bengert hope to deliver modern and progressive goalie programs to MHA's goalie students. He is very concerned about the trend to "cookie-cutter" goaltending programs where goalies are made to fit a mold that may not be optimal. While these programs may be very expedient for the coaches, in the end it may be detrimental to the individual goalie.

The most important piece of goaltending philosophy that Coach Bengert tries to relay to both his students and their coaches is "the goalie's job is NOT to stop pucks; it is to PREVENT goals."