A year ago, if you had asked first-year assistant men’s hockey coach Matt Revel where he thought he would be in December of 2023, being behind the bench for his old team would likely not be near the top of his list of possibilities. Having just signed a contract to play professionally for the Pioneers Vorarlberg in Austria at the start of the 2022/23 season, his plans to continue his playing career were unfortunately stopped by injury.
“It happened really quickly,” said Revel. “To get over to Austria, get the MRI and get the news that both my labrums in my hips were torn — it was pretty shocking.”
Revel was already in the midst of a major period of transition. Before his professional career in Austria, he was a key forward for the Thunderbirds, racking up 56 points in 83 regular season games over 4 seasons. For him, leaving the Thunderbirds was not just a departure from a team — it felt like leaving home.
“With the team, just not being around your friends and having a place that you come every day to kind of get away from all the stresses of life — it was a big adjustment for me,” he said.
After graduating from the Thunderbirds, and not being able to suit up professionally in Austria, Revel’s playing career had come to a close. But while one door closed, another opened.
Former men’s hockey assistant coach Jackson Playfair moved on to another coaching opportunity in the offseason, and there now was an open spot on the staff of the team he had played for just one season ago. For head coach Sven Butenschön, having Revel help coach was a no-brainer.
“It just kind of lined up well, and Sven was very excited at the opportunity of having me," said Revel. "I felt a lot of pride in that.”
The shift to a coaching career didn’t come entirely out of the blue for Revel either. While coaching was undoubtedly different from his time on the ice, it felt natural to explore another angle to the game he loves, said Revel.
“It was something I considered probably for a number of years now, extending probably even back into my days in the WHL,” he said. “I love the game. I loved strategizing about the game in different situations and things like that. So I'd say it's been in the works for maybe about seven years.”
While Revel has overseen an incredibly successful season for the T-Birds thus far, with them heading into the holiday break tied for first in the Canada West conference, the thing that he has focused most on during his first moments as a coach has been fostering the close connections that he cherished during his time as a player.
“I know how hard it is at times, [having been] a player. To see them have success after working through a hard time and being open with me about working through things — it's just been incredible to see how much these guys can get out of themselves and how well they can perform,” said Revel.
In a year of shifting plans and expectations, this brand-new role in the Thunderbirds coaching staff could've been another major change for him — but it doesn't seem like it. For Revel, to coach this team is to re-join a community he was already intimately familiar with. While he may be a rookie coach, the connections that he has built extend far beyond his few months of coaching.
“I know a lot of these players already on a personal level, so I know the challenges that they go through. I know what their lives are like when they leave the rink,” he said. “I kind of have an idea of the challenges that they face that relate to hockey. So I think the biggest thing is the comfortability with the players and the fact that they trust me not only as a coach, but as a person.”