Coaching Profile: Mike DeRenzis & Staff
Meet the Staff:
Mike DeRenzis: Often the head coach at U14 & older, as he is HP1 Certified.
Ryan DeRenzis: Mike's brother, Head Instructor at FSH, often the Co-Coach from U13 & lower and Assistant Coach at U14 & older.
Dominic DeRenzis: Mike's dad, 25+ years coaching experience, often Head/Co-Coach U13 & younger, and Asst Coach U14 & up.
Tyler Stothers: Former Pro Player, Captain of team at Laurier CIS, has been Assistant Coach with the Staff for 7 years (all 6 years with 2008's).
Jeremey DeFazio: Very well-known Oakville hockey family - Jeremey played NCAA D3 hockey at Brockport (and is now a school teacher & counsellor), his older brother had a Pro career between the NHL, AHL and Europe and is now a Scout with the Pittsburgh Penguins, his dad played in the NHL, was an Oakville Firefighter Captain, and now is the Assistant Coach of the Oakville Blades. Jeremey has been coaching with the Staff for the past 3 years.
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Mike's Plans:
Mike DeRenzis has been coaching since 2010, and has coached at every level from U10 to Jr A. Though multiple offers have been presented to him at the OHL & OJHL levels, at the current moment, Mike does not have plans of moving up to Jr A or the OHL (unless the opportunity were a perfect fit), as he enjoys the minor hockey level and has been proven to be very successful with the process.
Mike is set to coach the U18 AAA Oakville Rangers for the 2025-26 season, and will be an Assistant Coach to his staff members with the U13 AAA Oakville Rangers.
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Mike & His Staff's Success:
Mike and his staff's most notable success came with the 2008 age group, taking the AAA Oakville Rangers team from U11 to U16. In those 6 seasons, they had some amazing accomplishments:
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OMHA Regular Season Record Streak: Undefeated for 1,420 consecutive days from U12 to U16.
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​U14 to U16: 175-25-10 record overall, finishing Top 3 in Ontario Rankings each season.
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U15 Season: Perfect 32-0 in Regular Season and 3 for 3 in Tournament Championships (Toronto Red Wings Early Bird, Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic, and Oakville Rangers Winter Classic).
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U16 Season: 31-1-1-1 in U16 Regular Season, Peterborough Pete's Tournament Champions, and the only team to make it to the top 4 of each of the following: Titans Early Bird, Whitby SilverStick, Marlboros Holiday Classic, OHL Cup.
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U16 OHL Cup Champions (becoming only the 5th OMHA team to ever do it and only the 2nd Oakville team to accomplish it). Ranked 4th going into the OHL Cup, eliminated the #3, 2, and 1 team in that order from Quarter Finals to Champioship.
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U16 OHL Draft & NCAA Commitments: 12 players drafted to the OHL (including the 1st overall pick), 2 players committed to NCAA D1 (Boston College & Yale).
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Team Canada Representation: 1 player represent Team Canada at the Youth Olympics in Korea, 2 players win Gold with Canada at the U17 World Championships.
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Mike & His Staff's Philosophy:
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Team Culture: Most important to Mike & the staff is the team culture - they will obviously evaluate on-ice talent, but there is much more than just "points" and "skill" to them - they will evaluate the human being and type of person they are bringing into the team dressing room, making sure they are building a team-first culture. Along with the player, the parents and family will also be evaluated - making sure they are going to be a good fit with the parent group and the types of people they want in the stands supporting their team.
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Balance Winning Now vs Long-Term Development Plan of All Players: This is the most challenging thing to do, and the thing parents often don't see/won't understand. There will be times we as a staff feel "we must win this game today", there's times we may not do everything possible to win that day because we see the bigger picture long-term development plan for the future. You won't know why or how we choose that, nor will we explain it - just need to put your trust in us like the 2008's did.
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Honest, Committed, Knowledgable and Fun Environment: Mike and his staff don't make promises and don't blow smoke - they will always be honest with players and parents, regardless if it's something they want to hear or not. While Mike might not have the "pro playing career" card to use like some other coaches, he uses that as a chip on his shoulder and makes sure him and his staff are the most committed staff your player will ever have with all of the extra they will do on top of team practices. Mike and his staff will never think they know it all - they have plenty of knowledge from their experiences of going through the minor hockey cycle multiple times as coaches, but they will also continue to learn from coaches above them and make sure your player is learning everything they should to succeed and advance. And lastly, they will accomplish all of this while making sure your player has FUN - they will make it an environment where your player wants to come to the rink and looks forward to every game and practice.
But don't take our word for it, see what former players and parents had to say about their experience - check the Testimonials tab or click here to be redirected.
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