Nolan Horbach is currently in his fifth season as an assistant coach with the U of S Huskies Women's Hockey program, and will take over as head coach with the Battlefords AAA Sharks next season. (submitted photo/Nolan Horbach)

By Martin Martinson

New Coach for '23-24

Horbach brings fresh outlook to AAA Sharks

Mar 21, 2023 | 8:50 AM

The Battlefords AAA Sharks have announced a new face behind the bench for the 2023-24 hockey season.

Nolan Horbach will assume head coaching duties following the current hockey season, joining the Sharks after spending the last five years as an assistant coach with the U of S Huskies Women’s hockey program.

“Everything I’ve done [in coaching] has been to support the development of all athletes, so in a way this was an opportunity too hard to pass up,” Horbach said of what made the Sharks the right fit.

“There are only so many head coaching jobs and this was definitely something that was intriguing. Having a connection to the area and wanting to help take the organization to where it can be definitely played a factor.”

Horbach, who grew up in Wilkie and played his AAA and Junior hockey in the Battlefords, said he’s looking forward to the challenge ahead, as the organization looks to revamp the female AAA program heading into a fresh start next season.

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“Speaking with a lot of people both inside and outside the [Sharks’] organization, we came to the conclusion that we really do need a hard reset here,” Horbach said.

“A lot of players have been kind of questioning what’s next even before I got there and we want to provide them a chance to explore any opportunities they might be interested in, so as of [Monday] morning, we provided releases for all the players so anyone who wants to explore are free to do so. But we’re definitely welcoming and promoting the opportunity for returning players to compete for a spot at our spring camp.

“Essentially spring camp is wide open and we’re turning over a new chapter, looking forward to starting from the beginning but building something special here.” – Sharks’ coach Nolan Horbach

In addition to his time as an assistant at the University level, Horbach’s credentials behind the bench also include coaching Team Saskatchewan’s U18 Women’s team to a silver medal at Nationals in 2019, and founding Mind Body Hockey, a hockey training and skill development program he operates in Saskatoon.

Horbach said from the grassroots level where his coaching journey started, to the high-performance ranks of provincial and University hockey, his underlying focus as always remained the same, with an emphasis on player development.

“That’s where I see myself in this role, kind of being that mentorship opportunity for the players and [fellow] coaches that are interested in getting to that next level and even more so, just helping them and supporting their overall development as a person and athlete.”

The AAA Sharks will hold their Spring camp April 22 and 23 at the Don Ross Arena in North Battleford. Registration is open to 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009-born players, and is available here. The registration deadline is April 17.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1