By Dori Modney (@Dori_Modney on Twitter)

Horizon School Division announces New Coach for Warner Hockey School

Mar 17, 2016 | 3:54 PM

WARNER: The Warner Hockey school has a new Coach and Director of Operations.

The Horizon School District has announced Bruce Bell is taking the reigns. Bell was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in 1984. He played 17-years of professional hockey with teams such as the St. Louis Blues, New York Rangers and Edmonton Oilers. Bell has also operated the Bruce Bell Hockey School for 16 years and served as the Hockey Academy Director for Kate Andrews High School and R. I. Baker in Coaldale, since 2007.

Bell has coaching experience at several levels, including the European League and several minor leagues, and the Alberta Junior Hockey league.

Horizon Board Chair Marie Logan said the search for a new coach was a world-wide recruitment, “We had applications from as far away as Russia – we had 27 applications to pick from and we have Bruce Bell, a tremendously experienced, and successful player, and he has a coaching program developing young people.”

The change in coaching comes with some controversy.

Nighttime construction on Hwy 3 in Lethbridge starts April 17

Apr 17, 2025

SASHA launches #BuyABed fundraiser to support vulnerable Lethbridge residents

Apr 04, 2025

$20K grants available: TELUS STORYHIVE Pan-Asian Edition opens applications April 1

Mar 18, 2025

The contract of former Warner coach Mikko Makela was up in May but, he was gone from the school several weeks ago.

A story in a Kimberley, B.C. newspaper from last May, referenced Makela and noted that Warner was looking to move its hockey school.

However, when LethbridgeNewsNow.com contacted Kimberley Mayor, Don McCormick, he stated he had never met Makela, although he was aware that two individuals were trying to bring a Woman’s Hockey Academy to his town.

Horizon Board Chair Logan was asked if Makela had authority to speak to the town of Kimberly about the Warner school – “I guess he could do whatever he wants but he certainly — well, if you read what it says in Kimberley (newspaper), he was taking the whole program to Kimberley and, of course, he isn’t. We (the school board) didn’t even know about it.”

Logan noted the Warner Hockey School is going to be in a league and is moving forward.

The day after the announcement of a new coach for Warner, the Junior Women’s Hockey League (JWHL) announced it was adding three new teams, and one of those would be in Kimberley.

Along with the Ridley College in St. Catherines, Ontario and the Chicago Young Americans being added for 2016-17 season, the league approved the Kimberley Academy. The Academy’s club will be called the Nitro Xpress and will be coached by former Warner coach, Mikko Makela.

The JWHL news release notes “Makela knows the league well and will be able to bring elite players to Kimberley.”

For local news delivered daily to your email inbox, subscribe for free to the Lethbridge News Now newsletter here. You can also download the Lethbridge News Now mobile app in the Google Play and the Apple App Stores.