Leading the Line at the 2023 Canada Winter Games - "Our intentions are to have a very strong culture and team identity"

David Cicchini has been coaching since 1994 and has amassed over 25 years of experience on the bench. His time spent in AAA hockey and in various roles for the OHL Cup has prepared him to select, develop and lead Team Ontario when they venture to Prince Edward Island for the 2023 Canada Winter Games.

Cicchini will be leading the line alongside Head Coach Steve Devine and fellow Associate Coach CJ Bollers, long-time friends and colleagues in the game.

“How can I explain that I am super excited to be a part of this group!”, said an elated Cicchini about his Associate Coach assignment.

“I am really excited to be working with a high-performance group that starts with CJ and Steve. I have worked with these two for a number of years and we have the same set of values. The good thing about the three of us is...we are all in alignment and that we kind of grew up together in the coaching ranks.”

Development is at the core of everything David does as a coach. He is a Coach Developer, Learning Facilitator and Coach Evaluator at the GTHL and OHF as well as a Development Coach for the GTHL’s Don Mills Flyers. His philosophy aligns with that of Devine and Bollers in that, the players they select first and foremost will have good character. Their aim is to build a culture that is strong enough to carry them to the gold in Prince Edward Island.

“When we look at the things we want to focus on, our intentions are to have a very strong culture team identity…I think that will put us in great shape for the games,” said Cicchini.

“If we start with good character people, one of our jobs as coaches is to come up with a process that then takes us from where we are on day 1 to where we want to be in that last gold medal game…I think at the end of the day the results will take care of themselves.”

The 2023 Canada Winter Games is set to kick off on February 18 and go until March 5 in Prince Edward Island. 

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