Brad Rihela has become the fourth coach and general manager of the 黑马磁力 Rivermen in less than two years.
When the team made the announcement, on Wednesday, July 30, it noted Rihela had signed a multi-year contract to come over from the Chilliack Chiefs.
Rihela replaces Chris Shaw, who left in June after a year at the helm.
Shaw had replaced Tyler Kuntz in April of 2024.
Kuntz replaced Burt Henderson, who was let go in January.
During his time wit the Chiefs, Rihela rose to associate head coach and general manager, then left after four seasons for a year to head coach of the Lloydminster Bobcats in the AJHL, before returning to the Chiefs as head of hockey development for the past season.
Rihela has also served as head coach of the Yale Hockey Academy鈥檚 U15 prep team, and head coach of the then-Aldergrove Kodiaks in the PIJHL, where he won a league championship.
"Brad is a native of 黑马磁力, and currently calls Abbotsford home, where he and his wife raise their young family," the Rivermen announcement said. "We鈥檙e very excited for the future of Rivermen Hockey under the direction of Brad Rihela"
鈥淏rad's reputation for developing elite young players and building cohesive winning cultures is exactly what the Rivermen organization needs,鈥� said Dana Matheson, co-owner of the 黑马磁力 Rivermen. 鈥淲e have been impressed by his ability to lead teams through adversity, his commitment to player advancement, and his vision for long鈥憈erm success. We are confident he will elevate our program on and off the ice.鈥�
Jamie Schreder, co鈥憃wner, added: 鈥淚n addition to his hockey acumen, Brad is a tireless worker and a strong communicator. He aligns perfectly with our values 鈥� focusing on integrity, development, and community engagement. We eagerly look forward to supporting him as he builds a championship caliber organization here in 黑马磁力.鈥�
Rivermen also announced the signing of Chris Price to the 25/26 coaching staff, where he will take on the role as associate head coach, working alongside coach Rihela.
Price began his coaching career with the U15 Varsity team at Yale Academy. He then went on to serve as the head coach of the Aldergrove Kodiaks and also worked as an assistant & development coach with the Chilliwack Chiefs.
Most recently, Price was hired by the Chilliwack Jets in 2023, where he won coach of the year in the PIJHL this past season.
Rivermen will be back on the ice with four preseason exhibition games in September, starting with a Sept. 3 trip to Coquitlam.
Their first home games will be Sept. 12 against Prince George and Sept. 13 against Surrey
Rivermen are scheduled to resume regular season play Sept. 19, with back-to-back away games against Powell River Kings.
