By Warren Rappleyea
The somewhat unfamiliar face behind the Junior Senators bench belongs to new assistant coach Ben Reinhardt, who joins Ottawa following a stellar playing career and four years as an assistant with the Pembroke Lumber Kings.
Reinhardt is the Junior Senators defense coach. He’ll be working with a blue line corps that features just two veterans in Bailey Brant and Faisal Alsaif, along with a slew of newcomers.
The 29-year-old knows what he is talking about first-hand. As a player he built a reputation as a tough, smart and hard-working leader. Reinhardt played five seasons for the Lumber Kings and is the only player in Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) history to win the Bogart Cup five times. In his final CCHL season, Reinhardt recorded a career high 23 points on three goals and 20 assists and as captain helped lead Pembroke to the Royal Bank Cup in 2010-11. He is the only Lumber Kings player whose number (8) is retired.
“Pembroke will always be a special place for me,” Reinhardt said. “Both the Lumber Kings and the city itself have done a lot for me. It was a great place to play and I was very fortunate to be successful there.”
He went on to play Division 1 NCAA for the University of Alabama in Huntsville, competing in 99 matches over four years for the Chargers even though his senior campaign was cut short due to injuries. Although Reinhardt had the opportunity to turn pro, he opted to retire and return home to make use of the Bachelor of Science degree in business administration he earned in Huntsville.
Before Reinhardt knew it, he had been recruited to help coach the defense for the Lumber Kings U18 squad. Gradually his duties expanded to video and by the end of the season he was also helping out with Pembroke’s Junior A team and he formally joined the staff for the 2016-17 season.
“I learned a lot playing for Sheldon Keefe (now head coach of the AHL’s Toronto Marlies),” Reinhardt said. “I also got to learn as a coach from guys like Dale Mc Tavish [formerly Pembroke’s head coach and general manager] and Sean Crozier (another former Lumber King head coach). It’s a lot different as a coach because you can’t step into the game yourself and try to change it. It’s more about working with the players, preparation, teaching, strategy and systems and I really enjoy that.”
About 18 months ago Reinhardt accepted a new job and moved to East Ottawa. Nevertheless, he continued with Pembroke making the 90-minute trip each way for practices and home games. Although he thoroughly enjoyed coaching, the grind became too much so Reinhardt resigned after last season.
As luck would have it, he would soon be a coach once again. One of Reinhardt’s colleagues at his job is OJS assistant coach Chris Kushneriuk.
“I know Chris pretty well and he kept picking my brain asking me to come out and told me the Junior Senators might have a spot for me,” Reinhardt said. “Then one day Marty called. We met and talked and here I am.”
“Marty” is Martin Dagenais, the Junior Senators’ GM/Coach.
“Ben’s a well-respected coach who’s also had a lot of success as a player,” Dagenais said. “His primary job will be to work with our young defensemen. We have five rookies on the back end, and that’s where we think Ben can make a difference. He’s been there before so he knows what it takes to succeed at this level.”
Reinhardt said he’s still getting the “lay of the land” with Ottawa, but he’s excited about the Junior Senators potential.
“There’s a winning culture here and it’s always exciting to be a part of something like that,” he said. “I think I have a lot of offer and it’s been fun working with Marty and his staff. They’ve got plenty of talented players who want to learn and improve.”
As a former college player, Reinhardt can also help youngsters make the transition from junior to the NCAA.
“It’s a different game and you’re going up against men every day in practice and in games,” Reinhardt said. “It’s a transition because you become a student-athlete. You have to balance the demands of the classroom with all the demands of a hockey player. I look forward to working with players not just while there here in Ottawa, but after they move on.”
