The Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) is excited to announce the winners of the Coach of the Month Award for December: Mackenzie Loupelle & Anthony Florentino.
This award is aimed at recognizing the incredible coaches within the CSSHL and acknowledges their hard work, dedication, commitment, leadership and impact on the game both on and off the ice.
We would like to congratulate these coaches, who were all nominated by their programs, for their hard work in the month of December.
Female Division: Mackenzie Loupelle, Okanagan Hockey Academy
“Mackenzie Loupelle is an exceptional candidate for Coach of the Month in the CSSHL West Female Division. In her first year behind the bench, Mackenzie has made an immediate and meaningful impact on the U18 Female Prep Black program. Mackenzie brings firsthand experience competing as a student-athlete, strong leadership instincts, and a well-balanced approach to helping our student athletes become the best version of themselves through accountability and support.
Mackenzie’s versatility and willingness to contribute across the organization set her apart. In addition to her coaching responsibilities, she supports multiple areas of the business—including social media, operations, and strength & conditioning—demonstrating an impressive and valuable skill set. Her readiness to step in wherever needed makes her a tremendous asset to OHA.
On the ice and in the dressing room, Mackenzie excels at building strong, trust-based relationships with her players. She leads with empathy, communication, and authenticity. Her athletes appreciate her openness, her willingness to listen, and her commitment to continuous learning and growth.
n a very short time, Mackenzie has established herself as a dedicated, adaptable, and highly impactful coach. Her contributions, both to her team and to the wider OHA operation, make her a standout nominee for Coach of the Month.”
Male Division: Anthony Florentino, Pilot Mound Hockey Academy
“Anthony Florentino transitioned from player to coach after completing his own hockey development pathway of playing prep, college, drafted to the NHL, and a full pro career. Anthony holds three equally important and impactful roles at Pilot Mound Hockey Academy (PMHA), namely Head Coach of the U18 Male Prep program, Strength and Conditioning Coach, and Player Development Coordinator, focusing on Hockey development and Train Your Brain (mental prep and resilience).
The Player Development Program is one that Anthony has built from scratch, based on his experiences, successes, and failures through his own hockey development journey, through the wisdom and coaching of his own coaches and mentors, and through the observations of his teammates and PMHA’s student athletes. The program provides impactful knowledge, tools and mentorship that the student athletes can incorporate that not only benefits their own hockey development journey but their personal development and growth as well.
Anthony’s Strength and Conditioning Program is customized for each team and individual student athlete, and is known for being unique, dynamic, and challenging, in an atmosphere that encourages the student athletes to continually push themselves to new limits, while still having fun. After the regular season Anthony’s program also incorporates multi-sport, with an emphasis on track and field, and encourages student athletes to push their bodies to new levels of fitness and achievement in preparation for the next season.
As Head Coach of the U18 male Prep Program, Anthony is an exceptionally strong leader, advocate, supporter, and mentor for his team and each individual student athlete. He holds everyone accountable both on and off the ice, ensuring they show up every day to work hard with intention, respect, focus, and gratitude, which has moved the team to be the winningest PMHA U18 male prep team and a strong competitor in the league this season. Anthony inspires through his own work ethic, accountability, kindness, actions, and being humble. He is the first to arrive in the morning and often the last to leave at the end of the day. In addition to all the tasks assigned to a head coach both on and off the ice, through care, compassion, and determination, Anthony continually goes the extra mile to make his team and student athletes exceptional humans through individual check ins, creating customized plans to support emotional or hockey development needs, ensuring academic progress is being maintained, ensuring community volunteering frames part of everyone’s week, offering to personally pay for student athletes to go home to see family, and ensuring everyone continues to show up for themselves and own their worth every single day. In a recent big win over a highly ranked team in the league, his players awarded him player of the game, showing just how impactful he is to their hockey development journey and their lives overall. Anthony is a coach who players want to play for so they can make him proud. Anthony is truly changing lives every single day and we are so blessed and grateful to have him as part of the PMHA family.”
