DON MCKEE - Head Coach
Don Mckee enters his second season as Head Coach. Mckee led the Wolves to a record breaking regular season last year and looks to build upon that success this season. McKee has a very impressive coaching career in the professional, university, and junior ranks. Mckee was Head Coach of the Odessa Jackelopes of the Central Hockey League (and WPHL) for six seasons where he compiled an overall record of 241-159-52 (.600 Winning %).
Mckee is a Level IV NCCP certified coach and has served on many provincial and national coaching bodies. He is an Instructor for the Hockey Canada National Coaching Certification Program, served as Chairman of the CHA’s Coaching Committee from 1996-98, and was chairperson of Hockey Ontario’s Coaching Committee from 1982-85. In 1998, Mckee won the Gordon Juckes Award for Development in Canadian Hockey.
A lifelong educator and coach; Mckee has a Master’s degree in Physical Education from California State University – Long Beach, a BA from Wilfrid Laurier University, and is a graduate of the Stratford Teacher’s College.
Mckee is married to wife Shirley who is a retired teacher. The couple have two children; daughter Margo who is a teacher and son Phillip who is the Executive Director of the Ontario Hockey Federation.
DARRIN NICHOLAS - Assiociate Coach
Associate Coach Darrin Nicholas is back for his seventh season with the Wolves. Nicholas has extensive coaching experience outside the Thunderwolves including the Thunder Bay Kings Minor Hockey program, the Thunder Bay Flyers Junior A team, as well as being a regional scout for the Sudbury Wolves of the OHL.
Nicholas is married to wife Keri and has two sons, Evan and Nolan who are both stick boys with the Wolves. Nicholas graduated from Lakehead with a Bachelor of Administration degree in 1990 and is currently Branch Manager for Canada Borderlink Insurance Brokers in Thunder Bay. He enjoys golf, music, and movies in his free time.
Coaching Experience:
90-91 - Assistant Coach Thunder Bay Kings Midget AAA
91-94 - Assistant Coach Thunder Bay Kings Pee Wee AAA
94-96 & 97-98 - Assistant Coach Thunder Bay Flyers Jr. A (USHL)
95-97 - Area Scout Sudbury Wolves Major Jr. (OHL)
98-99 - Co-Coach Thunder Bay Kings Midget AAA
99-01 - Head Coach - Thunder Bay Kings Midget AAA
Prior to 1990, served as trainer/assistant coach for Thunder Bay Comets Minor Bantam AAA.
Playing highlights:
Gold Medallist - 1987 Ontario Winter Games Men's
Hockey (Provincial Juvenile Championships). Selected team MVP.
DAN BISSONETTE - Assistant Coach
Bissonnette returns after a year’s hiatus. He previously served as an assistant coach with the Wolves for four seasons. Bissonnette is another die-hard Lakehead man; getting his degree in Physical Education at Lakehead and playing hockey for the then Lakehead Nor’Westers for three seasons.
Bissonnette played professional hockey in Britain and in Belgium and also played one year for the Thunder Bay Thunderhawks Colonial Cup Championship team and coached with two Thunder Bay Senators Colonial Cup Championship teams. He was also assistant coach for Thunder Bay Kings Air Canada silver medal winning squad. He currently works as District Sales Manager with Coca Cola Bottling in Thunder Bay. He is married to wife Deb and the couple has one daughter Alyx.
BOB BODAK - Assistant Coach
Bodak is back for his second season and is a Thunder Bay native and Lakehead graduate who played hockey for the then Lakehead NorWesters. He is on the only Lakehead player to have ever played in the NHL; with Calgary and Hartford. He had an extensive pro career in the AHL and the IHL from 1983-1991.
He has been an assistant coach with the Erie Panthers of the ECHL and Thunder Bay of the Colonial Hockey League. Bodak works for Investors Group Financianl as a Financial Planning Consultant. He is married to wife Cindy and the couple have one son; Bryce. Bodak’s hobbies are golf, water skiing, and spending time at camp with his family.
COLIN ZULIANELLO - Goaltending Coach
The Thunder Bay native played for the Thunder Bay Flyers Junior team and four years for Colorado College in the NCAA. He was signed as a free agent by the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes and then played four seasons of professional hockey in the AHL and ECHL.
Zulianello will be attending Teachers' College at Lakehead while coaching with the Wolves. His dad Larry was a star hockey player for the Lakehead Norwesters and is third all-time in Norwesters scoring. Colin likes to golf and play guitar in his free time.
STEVE BAILOT - Fitness and Conditioning Coach
Baillot is back for his third year as the team’s strength and conditioning coach. Baillot was one of the ‘pioneers’; a member of the Thunderwolves inaugural season squad in 2001-02. He graduated from Lakehead with a degree in Science. Steve works as a trainer at The Athletic Club in Thunder Bay. He enjoys working out and golfing in his free time.
RON ROST - Team Trainer
Ron "Rooster" Rost returns for his eighth season behind the bench as the Thunderwolves' team trainer and equipment manager.
Ron works as Manager for Triad Exterior Contracting in Thunder Bay. Ron is married to wife Rita and the couple have two sons, Aaron and Greg. Ron likes to golf, run, cycle, and rollerblade in his free time.
Previous Experience:
Trainer Thunderwolves 2001-2003
Trainer Thunder Bay AAA Midget Kings 1999-2001
Trainer Thunder Bay Junior Flyers 1991-1999
BRENDON KERR - Assistant Trainer
Brendon returns for his seventh season as assistant trainer. He also has been a clubhouse manager and front office assistant for the Thunder Bay Border Cats Northwoods League baseball team.
He also served as assistant trainer for the KC Bulldogs for three seasons. Brendon is a graduate of Confederation College in Thunder Bay and he enjoys hiking in his spare time.
LARRY BONE - Head Scout
Returning for his seventh season as Head Scout, Bone is a native of Newmarket, Ontario and has a rich hockey background He played minor hockey in Newmarket, played for the Aurora Junior B team under Coach Roger Neilson as well as Junior A in Newmarket, and had a short stint with the Barrie Flyers of the OHL.
He then played NCAA Division I hockey for Northeastern University in Boston from 1963-66 and was Captain in 65-66. He is 39th on the Northeastern All-Time Scoring List and was inducted into the Northeastern’s Sports Hall of Fame in 1993. He has been an assistant coach for the Newmarket Royals of the OHL, Head Coach of the Newmarket Flyers Tier II Junior Team, and Head Coach of the All Ontario Midget AA Team. Bone is married to wife Sheila and the couple resides in Newmarket and has two grown children and two grandchildren.
JACQUES TRUDEL - Western Canada Scout
Returning for his fourth season, The Lakehead Thunderwolves are very proud to announce the appointment of Jacques Trudel as Western Canada Scout for the Thunderwolves. Trudel, a native of St. Martin de Beauce, Quebec, has been actively involved in hockey in British Columbia for almost 30 years. He currently resides in Kamloops, B.C. where he is a Line Manager for B.C. Hydro as well as the Manager of Powerline Contractors, a Kamloops’ electrical contacting company.
Trudel moved from Quebec to Vancouver in 1976 to work for B.C. Hydro and he coached bantam and midget hockey in North Delta, B.C. for 12 years, leading his teams to two provincial titles. He was Regional scout with the New Westminster Bruins of the Western Hockey League from 1983-86 and then the Victoria Cougars from 1986-88. In 1988 Trudel left B.C. Hydro to work for a Vancouver travel agency where he organized sports tours all over the world. He returned to B.C. Hydro and hockey scouting in 1992 and he served as Vancouver and Lower Mainland scout for the Kamloops Blazers from 1992-2001.