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Former Wilkie resident coaching with U of S Huskies and SaskFirst

Nolan Horbach, a former resident of Wilkie, has been named head coach for the female U18 SaskFirst hockey program through the Saskatchewan Hockey Association.
Nolan Horbach
Nolan Horbach

Nolan Horbach, a former resident of Wilkie, has been named head coach for the female U18 SaskFirst hockey program through the Saskatchewan Hockey Association. 

Nolan Horbach says, “Wilkie was home for me until the age of 15 when I moved to North Battleford and played hockey for two years with the Midget AAA Stars and three years with the Junior A Stars. I graduated back home in 1994. Mom and Dad, Linda and Loverne still live in Wilkie and make a lot of trips to Saskatoon to watch the grandkids and the Huskies play.”

Horbach is the program head of occupational health and safety, school of human services and community safety at Saskatchewan Polytechnic in Saskatoon. He attended the Western College of Remedial Massage Therapies. After being in practice for seven years, Horbach went back to school and graduated from the University of Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety program, and is currently in the process of applying for his Masters of Arts in Leadership through Royal Road University.

In 2019, Horbach served as the head coach for the female U16 program in 2018-19. Horbach had previously coached three seasons with the SaskFirst program. SaskFirst coaching staff are chosen through an application process. 

Horbach currently serves as assistant coach for the U of S women’s Huskies hockey program.

Horbach says, “Growing up in a small town, winter meant hockey, and whether it was at the indoor or outdoor rink that was pretty much my happy place. The great thing about playing minor hockey at home was having the opportunity to play with your buddies year after year, without having to worry about tryouts.”

He adds, “I started coaching when our oldest son Ty started playing Timbits hockey back in 2009 and have been involved ever since.”

Horbach says, rather than having one particular person as inspiration, he has been influenced by various people at different stages who have supported his interest.

“I don’t know if I’ve had one influence, rather the right people at different stages that have supported me. Growing up, minor hockey coaches Gerry Cey and Val Lorenz made it fun to come to the rink and really just let us play which is something you don’t think about at the time but looking back you understand how important that was. When I started coaching, Kelly Toporowski, a coach mentor for the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association, would come out and run Hockey Canada development sessions that I thought were fantastic. It really was a whole different level of skill development than I had grown up around. So while coaching minor hockey, Kelly definitely played a big role in my coaching development. As I became involved with Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s SaskFirst and Program of Excellence programs, everyone was willing to share and support you along the way.”

Horbach says, “Since starting with the U of S Huskies Women’s program, I have had the opportunity to work with and learn from Head Coach Steve Kook and Assistant Coach Brian McGregor on a daily basis. Both guys have so much experience from a playing and coaching perspective that I consider myself extremely fortunate to be where I am.”

After playing in the AAA midget hockey league and with the SJHL North Battleford North Stars, Horbach moved onto career focus while remaining with his love of hockey.  He served as division co-ordinator and assistant commissioner with the Saskatoon Flyers hockey zone, as a coach mentor with the Saskatoon Minor Hockey Association and has coached from 2009 to present in the Saskatoon Flyers Hockey Zone.

Horbach was also SaskFirst male midget assistant coach in 2015, SaskFirst female U16 coach in 2017, Saskatchewan Winter Games head coach for SaskFirst female hockey in 2018.  He coached Team Sask female U16 head coach in 2018 and Team Sask female U18 head coach 2019.  He has served as assistant coach with the U of S women’s Huskies hockey program since 2018. 

Horbach adds, “Last year was my first experience with the Female U18 program and from tryouts to the end of Nationals (held in Morden and Winkler, Man., in Nov 2019) it was an absolutely amazing experience. Being new to the program I relied a lot on my coaching staff and the experience of coaches and players who had been involved in previous events to prepare our team. Being a Hockey Canada event, nothing was overlooked and along with the host committee made us feel like pros. The girls played amazing hockey all week and for the first time in the history of the event, Team Sask medalled as we lost in the gold medal game to a strong Ontario Red team (Ontario brings two teams to the Nationals). A tough way to end but coming home with a silver medal as part of an amazing group of players and staff is something I’ll always cherish.”

Horbach says there is not a lot of difference between coaching male and female hockey.  In his experience, he found the girls to be more attentive and ask a lot more questions as they learn the game. He says the skating, overall skill set, including elite goaltending and ability to play the game at a high level is impressive and no different than a boys game. 

When asked what he loves about coaching, Horbach says, “There are so many things I love about coaching. It’s obviously a way to stay involved in the game, but I think more than anything it’s a chance to give back to the game I love while supporting the development of others both on and off the ice. Plus, I still love every time I get to step on the ice.”

SHA Manager of Marketing and Communications, Joseph Laprairie, says, “The Female SaskFirst Program is open to all bantam and first and second year midget female hockey players in Saskatchewan. The Female U18 program begins in late-January / early-February with a provincial camp. From there, the top 80 players have been chosen to attend the April tournament. A short list of players will then be invited to take part in a series of camps over the summer and fall before the final rosters are selected in September (2020) for Team Saskatchewan. Next year’s National Women’s Under 18 Championships will take place in November, host TBD.

This season’s female U18 Team Saskatchewan won the silver medal at the National Women’s U18 Championship in Winkler, Man.