Coaches – Eastern Ontario Wild AAA

2024/25 Eastern Ontario Wild Head Coaches

The Executive Committee of the E. O. Wild, together with the HEO Technical Director has approved the following Head Coaches for the 2024-25 season. Thank you to our board executives and the independent interviewers that spent numerous hours helping us achieve this.

U12 – Zach Payer

The Eastern Ontario Wild is pleased to announce Zachary Payer from Rockland, Ontario as their U12 Head Coach. Zach brings a wealth of experience to the ice, with three years as an assistant coach and one year as the head coach for the U15 Eastern Ontario Cobras. During his tenure, Zach has developed strong leadership skills and a deep understanding of player development and team dynamics. His teams have performed at the top of the standings through player commitment and hard work. Having grown up playing for the Wild, Zach is passionate about giving back to the sport and helping athletes excel both on and off the ice. His coaching philosophy centers on creating a positive environment where players feel comfortable and truly part of a TEAM. "I am committed to instilling the values of respect, commitment, and work ethic in every player, ensuring their growth and success in all aspects of life". Welcome back Zach!

U13 - Francis Wathier

The Eastern Ontario Wild is pleased to announce the return of Francis Wathier, a former NHL, AHL, and ECHL player as our U13 Head Coach. During his 10-year pro career, coach Wathier honed his coaching skills. A former QMJHL Gatineau Olympiques assistant coach, and owner/operator of Francis Wathier Hockey Academy, coach Wathier will lead our U13 team bringing together players from our 4 associations. Married and father of three amazing kids, he is passionate about outdoor living, and he is looking forward to developing future elite hockey players in Ottawa.

U14 - Chris Robillard

The Eastern Ontario Wild is pleased to announce Chris Robillard as the U14 Head coach. He has been involved in minor hockey for the past 18 years, 16 of which are at the AAA level. His coaching philosophy is about respect, communication, and compete-level. These young athletes will be challenged to compete with themselves, with and for their teammates, and against opponents at the highest level. Coach Robillard has had the privilege of learning from some incredible athletes, and he continues to look forward to learning from these young players and helping them prepare as they set their sights on possible future careers.

U15 - Ben Gillis

We are proud to introduce Ben Gillis as the new head coach of the U15 Eastern Ontario Wild. Ben brings over a decade of coaching experience, working 3 years as an assistant coach with the Navan Grads Jr. A team, as well as extensive experience in hockey analytics and video analysis. Throughout his coaching career, Ben has worked with high-performance programs, achieving notable success, including capturing a championship title with the 2007 Ottawa Myers AAA team during the 2018-19 season, and during his tenure, contributing to the success of Navan's program. Ben is known for his strong commitment to player development, having played a pivotal role in advancing numerous players to higher levels in their hockey careers. His passion for the game and expertise have left a lasting impact on the teams and players he has worked with, reflecting his unwavering dedication to the sport and the growth of young athletes.

U16 – Steve Malette

Steve Malette With 20 years of coaching experience within the National Capital Region coach Malette spent 8 seasons as head coach of the very successful Ottawa Jr. Sens (OJS) U18 AAA program. He led his teams to two 1st place regular season titles and finalist in the recent 2023 Road to the Regional Telus Cup Playoff Championships. During HEO’s inaugural U18 AAA season (2015/16), Steve was a recipient of the Coach of the Year Award.

Coach Malette is no stranger to the Eastern Ontario Wild organization. He spent 2 seasons as head coach of the Wild’s U18AAA teams during the 2013/14 & 2014/15 seasons and, 2 seasons as head coach of the Wild’s Minor Bantam (2010/11) & Bantam (2011/12) teams, capturing back-2-back League Championships and semi-finalist at the 2012 All-Ontario Bantam Championships.

Coach Steve’s coaching philosophy is to provide players with a program that instills the required commitment, structure, and development to succeed at the next level. Coach Malette’s program under the OJS banner promoted 50% of the players to ultimately reach the Jr. A level (CCHL, OHL, NCAA), and is looking to continue this success with the Wild’s U18 AAA program.