Along with being the Head Coach and General Manager of the North Okanagan Knights, Liam McOnie is a goalie consultant with the WHL’s Tri-City Americans, and now has joined the Kelowna Rockets.
McOnie says it’s a large commitment, “but I’m doing what I want so it’s good.”
McOnie joined the Rockets coaching staff, headed by former Knights Head Coach Kris Mallette, alongside Eli Wilson, who he works with.
“It’s an exciting opportunity to work with the goaltender who I have known for a long time in Talyn Boyko, who I worked with in Tri-City as well as many summer camps,” says McOnie. “Getting to work with him and the other goaltenders in the Kelowna Rockets organization is a huge honour, and it’s very exciting. On top of that, I get to work with Kris Mallette, who gave me an opportunity to AP with the Knights when I was playing.”
The opportunity to join the Rockets came up when the WHL organization completed the trade for Boyko on Nov. 7. McOnie says that Rockets owner Bruce Hamilton offered Wilson and McOnie to work with the Rockets goalies, which started last week. McOnie has worked with Wilson as a goalie consultant full-time for five years.
“To work with Eli in different environments, whether that be his camps, or with the Tri-City Americans or the Kelowna Rockets, it’s been really good and a great opportunity for me,” says McOnie.
McOnie is able to balance the three jobs because the Rockets schedule is flexible and when he goes to Tri-City once a month, his Knights assistant coaches take over.
