Ottawa, ON – The Central Canada Hockey League is pleased to announce that Jason Clarke from the Carleton Place Canadians has been named 2019-20 Coach and General Manager of the Year.
“To be selected by my colleagues who I compete against night in and night out for Coach & GM of the year is truly an honour,” said Clarke. “To have earned their respect means a lot to me, my family and organization. I am very grateful to have a very loyal and hard working staff in Steve Maxwell, Jamie Rintoul, Dwayne Sawyer, Mat Dopud, Gary McGee, Chris Cram and all our volunteers. Without their support our organization would not be where it is today.”
Clarke helped lead the Canadians to their seventh straight regular season title, eclipsing the 100-point plateau for the fifth time in the past seven seasons.
“The big thing is how he’s evolved as a coach, said Canadians Assistant Coach Steve Maxwell. “He’s always on top of the latest trends in hockey and staying with how the game is changing. His use of video is an important teaching tool for him, but also a way for him to learn about the game. He finds clips from NHL games, studies them and tries to find ways to put them in our game.”
“His work as a GM is proven by seven straight regular season titles. He has a knack for finding, not only great players, but great people too.”
“The way he cares about the people who come through our program is impressive. He talks with our players on a weekly basis, just to keep up on them and see how they’re doing. That kind of bond and care sticks with guys as players we’ve had play for us routinely come back to Carleton Place and visit, whether just to chat or to come skate with the team and work out with the guys”
Clarke previously won the Coach of the Year award in 2013-14 and 2014-15, while bringing home GM of the Year honours in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
“Good players make coaches look good,” added Clarke. “So with that said, I would also like to thank all my scouts who continue to send us players and believe in what our culture stands for in Carleton Place. I want to thank my wife for guiding me daily to be the best version of myself, without her love and support none of this would be possible. I am very honored to own a team in my hometown in such a prestigious league like the CCHL.”
