VANCOUVER – Joining any team mid-season is a challenge, be it as a player or a coach. But Partap Sandhu is meeting that challenge head on as the UBC Thunderbirds Women's Hockey Team's new full time assistant coach.
"It's been good, it's always challenging meeting a new team and a group of athletes that you're not too familiar with, but it's been fun," said Sandhu who joined the team at the beginning of November following the departure of former long-time assistant coach,
Mike Sommer. "We've played the national champions and we just played Saskatchewan. So it's definitely challenging playing some of the high end teams to start but it's nice to get an idea of what to expect from players and personnel and I'm really getting comfortable with that now that I'm in my third week."
Sommer took a new position with the PWHL's New York based franchise, leaving a big hole on the staff of the two-time defending Canada West champions.
"Our program and players are very lucky to have someone with Partap's experience and reputation in the hockey community joining us," said UBC head coach
Graham Thomas. "The players will learn a lot from his knowledge of the game and the attention to detail on skills and how to translate those into game situations and tactics. He is very competitive and is motivated to help where he can to keep pushing our group and program further."
Sandhu may be new to the Thunderbirds but he's a veteran coach with plenty of high-end experience in skill development in particular. He's worked with the likes of Connor Bedard and Logan Stankoven, helping guide them towards the professional hockey ranks.
"Initially I started instructing, more with skill development and as those opportunities continued to increase I found myself coaching," added Sandhu. "So I've coached and instructed for over 15 years now. A lot of my summers have been working with Western Hockey League players and NCAA players. These types of opportunities don't come along often so when it arose I figured it would be a good opportunity to see what else is out there and how I can continue to challenge myself and be a part of something special."
It's one thing to join the bench of a team mid-season, it's another to do so with a legitimate national championship contender. But it's that precise rare situation that helped make Sandhu's decision to join UBC that much easier.
"What's really been evident to me is how much effort the entire staff, as much as the players, are putting into how it all ties together," Sandhu explained. "From the training staff to the coaches, how much work goes into ensuring this is a program with a culture – doing all the little things right. One thing I have noticed is the attention to detail from the coaching staff, the training staff and how much pride and effort everyone takes in their day-to-day to ensure they're competing and training at the highest levels."
It's been as seamless a transition as possible thus far for both Sandhu and the T-Birds who continue to enjoy a season-long point streak while sitting atop the Canada West standings at 11-0-3.
The 'Birds host the Calgary Dinos this Friday and Saturday, November 24 and 25, for their final home games of the 2023 calendar year. Puck drop Friday at Father David Bauer Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. Tickets are available now.
