ABOUT OTE OUTLAWS HOCKEY

Our Mission

To keep proven hockey development local and affordable. Our spring and summer hockey programs are built to ensure the experience is rewarding for players, coaches, and parents alike. We take great pride in creating a culture that families are proud to be a part of. We are motivated by helping aspiring players prepare for the next step in their hockey journey.

We are constantly searching for creative ways to build even more value into our programs. We firmly believe in delivering cost-effective elite development while keeping things ‘simple’ for busy families. Scarce volunteer requests mean no more shift work for parents to make it all happen - just enjoy watching your child develop and play the sport they love.

We have valuable community sponsors who care about youth sport and truly help us improve the experience for everyone involved. We do our best (through open communication with sport leaders and families) to mitigate the schedule overlap with other popular spring sports as we strongly believe in playing multiple sports. We are timely to respond, considerate of all participants in our approach, and we simply love what we do!

WHY OTE OUTLAWS hockey?

We know how important having reliable hockey development programming is. We are hockey parents too. Our programs are intentionally designed to bring the skill development to where the player is now. Each age group and program level is structured specifically to challenge each level of player to help them grow with confidence and foster a continued love for the game.

OTE Outlaws are proud to offer the Okanagan this level and breadth of spring and summer hockey programming. We live here. Community service is important to us. Our programs offer families many great options to fit your needs, driving schedule, and budget! Take a moment to truly measure your time, effort, and money spent on hockey programming and it is easy to see why the OTE Outlaws comes out as the right choice.

Meet the OTE OUTLAWS Team

Our dedicated staff brings years of experience, passion, and leadership to every player (and family's) journey. From skill development to team culture, they’re the heartbeat of the OTE Outlaws program—committed to helping every athlete reach their full potential.

Director, OTE Hockey Programming

SAM MOWAT

Sam has been involved in coaching minor hockey/athletic development for 25 years,18 of those here in Vernon. The first 8 years of coaching he was an assistant coach/off-ice development coach with elite teams in Toronto (NYHL, GTHL). There he got exposure to NHL Players/Coaches and their development programs. Moving to Vernon, Sam quickly recognized a gap in skill development opportunities for the majority of players as he searched for programming for his own two AAA players. Ice and some skill development existed but was hard to come by. Consistent and reliable programming was scarce. There was opportunity to help change this situation. Sam combined his knowledge as a former Sales & Marketing Senior Manager, Hockey Coach, S&C and Nutrition Coach to help launch On The Edge Hockey Academy (OTE link) in 2012. During that time, he also operated a successful private training facility for aspiring Junior players. Sam took over sole responsibility of OTE in 2016 and has grown and invested in the program significantly since that time. OTE is now widely recognized for delivering leading edge skill development along with SD22 approved course credits, at family attainable pricing and schedules.

OTE Outlaws Program Manager

& 2016 Head Coach

dave higgins

Dave is your primary OTE Outlaws program contact. He has been an avid hockey player and fan his entire life. Having grown up under the influence of 3 older sisters he also tends to be quite organized! The OTE Outlaws program has been the perfect outlet for Dave to combine his lifelong love of hockey with his passion for building well-run, meaningful experiences for young athletes. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the program, including registration, tryout evaluations, coaching, Spring Shootout tournaments, sponsorships, equipment needs, and OTE Outlaws social media — along with just about everything else that keeps the program running smoothly. Dave has volunteered as a coach in Vernon for the past 11 years, taking on Head Coach and Assistant roles with 18 different teams from U5 to U15. He currently serves as an Assistant Coach with the U13 Tier 1 Mustangs and U15 Tier 1 AA North Zone Kings. He believes youth hockey should inspire a lifelong love of the game. His approach prioritizes effort over perfection, development over short-term results, and confidence through positive experiences. He is passionate about creating an environment where every player feels valued, challenged, and excited to come to the rink. For Dave, the goal is simple: help young athletes grow their skills, build character, and create memories that last far beyond their minor hockey years.

OTE Outlaws Head Skills Instructor and 2012–2013 Head Coach

MAX MOWAT

Max has spent 4 seasons as Head Coach of the U15 AAA Okanagan Rockets, is in his seventh season as Head Skills Instructor/Assistant Director at OTE Hockey Academy, and his 4th season as OTE Outlaws Head Skills Instructor. In 2022/23 Max was named Coach of the Year by BC Hockey for the U15 AAA division (BCEHL). Prior to being named U15 AAA Head Coach, Max served as Assistant Coach for the U15 AAA (2019/20) and U18 AAA (2020/2021) BCEHL Championship teams. His one year as Head Coach with the North Zone U15AA Kings in 2024/25 lead to a Bronze medal performance at the BC provincial championships. Max earned his HP1 in 2023 which is an intensive program offered by Hockey Canada’s High Performance Coaching Stream. He has also been a coach and evaluator for BC Hockey’s Program of Excellence U15/U16 Regional Camps. An ardent student of the game, Max prides himself on staying on the leading edge of skills development and works hard to ensure his programming keeps today’s players in touch with tomorrow’s game. In his playing days, Max was a smooth-skating offensive defenseman who led all U18 AAA Defencemen in the BCMML in points in his second year. He also took home league first team all-star recognition as well as Team MVP and Rookie of the Year honours. He went on to play for the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL and the Okotoks Oilers of the AJHL. The Vipers team won the Doyle Cup and were finalists at the RBC Cup. After his four year junior career, he went on to spend a season with the Calgary Dinos of USport West before retiring from competition.

Our family has been a part of OTE Outlaws programs since their first year of operations. We’ve been lucky enough to participate in Performance teams, Development teams, and 3v3 Summer League. Across the board, programming has been organized, professional and fun. Our boys have built lasting friendships, developed skills and most importantly had a blast. They LOVE spring hockey with the OTE Outlaws! I’ve taken on both assistant and head coach roles for the Outlaws, offering an inside perspective. Dave, Max and Sam are great hockey minds and run a tight ship. The culture they have created is positive and promotes growth. It’s been incredible to watch how much development can take place over a short spring season. OTE Outlaws hockey has been a huge part of our boys hockey development and a great experience across the board.

Matt Brenton – 2017/2014 Parent & Outlaws Coach

My 3 kids have participated in the OTE Outlaws 3v3 Summer League for the last 2 years. There is no other program they look more forward to after their minor hockey seasons end as it allows them to skate with buddies outside their regular teams, work on their dangles without pressure, and have fun in a competitive environment. My 2 boys also played with the OTE Outlaws U15 training team and looked forward to every session with Max. Each week they were presented with drills they hadn’t seen before and were pushed out of their comfort zones in order to become better players. We have always stressed the importance of being coached or trained by a variety of different people and the Outlaws program was a great addition to their off-season training.

Brandi McCrimmon – 2011 Parent

Our boys had an incredible experience with the OTE Outlaws Spring Performance Team. The coaching was exceptional and the high quality drills translated directly into noticeable development and improved their on-ice performance. Our oldest also participated in the OTE Outlaws 3v3 Summer League and absolutely loved it. Both boys came away more confident, skilled, and excited about hockey. As parents, we truly appreciate how the Outlaws focus on growth while keeping the game fun. We highly recommend this organization to any family looking for a strong hockey program!

Susan & Ryan Niro – 2015/2017 Parents

REGISTER FOR OTE OUTLAWS HOCKEY

Ready to play? Join the OTE Outlaws and own the ice this season.