Brantford bumps up Burnell
Brantford Bulldogs of the Ontario Hockey League have boosted 27 year old Owen Burnell from his sole role as video coach to assistant coach on the staff of veteran bench boss Jay McKee.
Burnell has been Brantford’s video director for the past two seasons and will continue to provide that service to the Bulldogs as part of his increased duties as an assistant coach with an added focus on analytics.
Burnell takes on an expanded position in the Brantford hockey department under McKee and alongside associate coach Vince Laise and assistant coaches Ryan Kuwabara and Laura Fortino — with Spencer Hyman at the helm as general manager.
Originally a seventh round pick by the Soo Greyhounds at the 2014 OHL priority selections draft, Burnell then made his way to the Hamilton (now Brantford) Bulldogs.
Overall, Burnell played in 49 games for the Bulldogs and was part of their 2018 OHL championship team that, ironically, upset the Greyhounds in the finals. Burnell then went on to play hockey — and earn a degree — at the University of Waterloo.