Josh Tripp coached the Parkland U-18 Rangers for the first 15 games of the season.
They won their first four games and went 10-5 with Tripp as head coach. Then, an opportunity presented itself to move up to the next level when Barry Wolff and the Stampeders mutually agreed to part ways after a tough start to the season.
While Tripp was committed and ready to continue leading the Rangers, Swan Valley reached out to Josh and asked him if he wanted to become head coach of his hometown team. One thing led to another and on November 7, the Stampeders announced the hiring of Tripp.
It was a short tenure with the Rangers but a beneficial one for Josh and he's honoured to have been given the chance to represent the region's lone AAA team.
"Everything leading up to this is all thanks to the Rangers. They gave me a chance to be the team's head coach and I owe them a lot," said Tripp. "The team is full of great guys who want to improve and represent the crest. I learned how to become a head coach because of the Rangers and for that, I will forever be grateful for the organization."
Tripp was born and raised in Swan River and debuted with the team during the 2015-16 season, playing 55 games and accumulating 47 points. Tripp collected 84 points in 57 regular-season games and 21 in 17 playoff games helping the Stampeders advance to the Turnbull Cup final in 2019. They lost that series in seven games in what was the team's most successful season to date.
After graduating from junior hockey, Josh remained in his hometown and joined Barry Wolff's staff as an assistant coach last season. He also served as an assistant coach for Team Manitoba in the 2024 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships.
"It feels great to be back with Swan Valley, this is a team I grew up watching and loved my time playing with," said Tripp. "This is a great opportunity that I am very excited about, it feels amazing to be their head coach."
Josh made his debut behind the bench as head coach on November 8, losing 5-3 to Niverville. The team then lost a close 3-2 battle against Portage the following night. Two weeks later, Tripp earned his first win in his seventh game as head coach, the Stampeders were in Winkler to play Jayce Legaarden and the Flyers.
Landen Gulutzan scored the overtime winner as Swan Valley snapped their seven-game losing streak as Josh earned his first win as head coach of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) club.
"That was very special, it's always nice to get that first one out of the way. I knew it was coming soon because we were playing pretty good hockey," said Tripp. "Great to see it happen against such a strong team like the Flyers and now we have to move forward and dig deep to get more."
The Stampeders are at the bottom of the West Division with a record of 3-18-2-1. They're 11 points back of the Virden Oil Capitals for the fourth and final playoff spot. Despite this, Swan Valley does have some elite talent and while they have struggled to win games, this is a much better team than their record indicates. Six of their losses have been by a single goal, and three have been in extra time.
"That's something that we have been talking about in the room with the guys, we have played well enough to win more games than we have," continued Tripp. "Once we find a way to close out games, things will turn around. We have a great group that comes to the rink every day with their work boots on, they want to be here to win games and represent the community."
A bright spot for the team this year has been the play of Landen Gulutzan. He's tied for third in league scoring with 11 goals and 18 assists for 29 points. That has him tied with Cayden Glover. The 20-year-old from Calgary has 12 power-play points and one game-winning goal.
"He's a guy that drives the team. He is excellent in the room and he's always making sure every other guy never quits," commented Tripp. "He's an excellent player and a great guy. He leads this team on and off the ice. It's great to see him enjoy success, he deserves it. Doing what he's doing shows his drive."
Another bright spot is the play of Trace Langan. Born and raised in Swan River, Trace recorded eight points in eight games to start the season playing for the U-18 Rangers. He quickly made the jump up to the junior game and has three points this year.
He's just 16 years old, a prospect of the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League (WHL) and the future is bright for the young star from Swan River.
"His game suits the junior game better than U-18, he plays that hard-nosed game and never shies away from contact despite his age," ended Tripp. "He's always in the mix and is a valued member of this team."
Swan Valley welcomes Steinbach on Friday and Niverville on Sunday.
