Team News

During Ottawa Junior Senators matches assistant coach Jamie Mayo calmly stands behind the bench assessing the opposition and providing tactical advice to Head Coach Martin Dagenais.

 

A longtime CCHL veteran, in his two years with the team Mayo’s knowledge of the league and the game have proven invaluable as OJS has marched their third and fourth successive Yzerman Division crowns and came within one game of the league title last spring.

 

“I help with the forwards, but I’m also watching for line match-ups and tendencies to see what our opponent is trying to do so we can make adjustments,” Mayo said.

 

He joined the Junior Senators during the 2014-15 campaign after a stint as head coach in Cumberland. Mayo also spent four years as an assistant in Brockville, during which time the Braves went to the RBC Cup, as well as two seasons on the Carleton Place bench.

 

Dagenais noted that Mayo’s experience, knowledge of the league and connections throughout the CCHL and have proven invaluable to the Junior Senators. “I was looking for someone who could be a mentor, plus Jamie is so plugged in all over the league and he’s an excellent talent evaluator,” Dagenais said.

 

Mayo fit right in. “I’m working with three younger guys and I’m happy to help any way I can,” he said. “We all have our strengths. In Ottawa it’s a little different because Marty [Dagenais] gives his assistants more responsibility. He also make us part of the decision-making process so we all feel we’re more a part of it.”

 

Part of Mayo’s job is to be on the lookout for quality players. “Skating is top thing I look for, that and hockey IQ,” he said.

 

A graduate of Ottawa University with a degree in communications, Mayo also earned a graduate degree in education from Nipissing University. He has been a sixth-grade teacher for 18 years, the past 13 at Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic School in Orleans.

 

“In the classroom kids learn in different ways,” Mayo said. “You have kids who learn by telling them something, kids who learn by doing and kids who learn by seeing. Hockey’s no different. Learning different teaching strategies for the classroom has helped me as a coach. You have to learn what their learning style is and how they process information. Everyone is different.”

 

The common thread is communication.

 

“It’s the most important part of coaching,” Mayo continued. “There should be no time when a player doesn’t know his role or responsibility or what the expectations are in certain situations.

 

A goalkeeper during his playing days as a youth, Mayo coached baseball and had a successful run with Ottawa U’s club team before turning to hockey. He started out working with minor hockey goalie and gradually moved up to the junior ranks as both a scout and a coach.

 

Like a good teacher, the hockey coach in Mayo defines success by graduation rates.

 

“Our goal is to develop and send as many players as possible to a higher level,” Mayo said. “That’s not just the NCAA, it includes the CIS, the QMJHL and the OHL. That’s success to us.