For Love of the Game: Investing in the Game’s Future from Grassroots to Pros

The Vancouver Canucks continue to make an impact on the hockey landscape, celebrating South Asian coaches across the province for Diwali.

Abbotsford Head Coach Manny Malhotra and Assistant Coach, Harry Mahesh surprised a group of Surrey minor hockey players with a memorable skate, serving as guest coaches, and presented the kids with tickets to a Canucks game.

They both feel a responsibility to give back. Malhotra mentions he was always humbled when South Asian fans would tell him they got into the sport because they saw him play.

“You realize it is important for kids to see somebody of their background or of their upbringing in higher positions. Looking back, I see the importance and how cool it was,” Malhotra said.

Leading up to the Diwali Night celebration, the Canucks also invited minor hockey players to Rogers Arena for a skills and scrimmage skate led by coaches Partap Sandhu and Haneet Parhar, who are also two of our featured coaches helping grow the game.

For Diwali, we’re honoured to feature four B.C. coaches supporting the next generation of hockey players who are making an impact, driven by a shared commitment to growing the game at every level.

Whether they’re teaching young athletes just starting on the ice, or helping junior players take their next steps, each of these coaches recognizes the importance of representation in shaping the future of hockey.

Their stories mirror each other, all having influential people inspire them to get into coaching and give back and they are passing on their love of the game. Their efforts go beyond the technical aspects of the game, emphasizing values like teamwork, resilience, and self-confidence.

Partap Sandhu

Sandhu’s love for hockey began when he was just a kid, playing in the Surrey Minor Hockey Association growing up, but his coaching journey began in 2008. He started out coaching a few athletes, which has now grown to his TAPS Hockey Development program, coaching players as young as three years old to professionals in the NHL.

“I love coaching because it allows me to guide and develop athletes not just in their skills on the ice, but also as individuals,” Sandhu said. “Watching them grow and achieve their potential, while working towards team goals, is incredibly fulfilling.”

Sandhu is going into his second season as an assistant coach of the University of British Columbia women’s hockey team, and he wants to build on the foundation they established last year.

While he’s always tailored his teaching to the individual, coaching at UBC has reinforced that adaptability is key. Every athlete and season bring unique challenges and being flexible in his approach allows him to meet the needs of the team. He’s also realized the importance of fostering a team-first mentality, which has helped the team create a strong, unified group.

While he’s coaching university hockey, Sandhu likes staying involved at the grassroots level to encourage children of all different backgrounds to stick with the sport.

“It’s crucial to me because growing the game at all levels ensures that we continue to foster a passion for hockey, especially among young players,” he said. “Helping to develop talent and create opportunities is something I’m passionate about.”

Haneet Parhar

Parhar is from the North Shore and has over eight years of experience coaching female and male athletes at the community level and the high-performance level throughout Greater Vancouver. She helped coach U15 A for the North Shore Avalanche and the Vancouver Angels, the PCAHA U13 Elite Team, and the U12 Vancouver Aeros. She is also on the bench with Sandu at UBC, as an assistant coach for the women’s hockey team.

She was a student-athlete at UBC and won six Canada West Championships – three as a player and three as a coach. At the U SPORTS Women’s Hockey Championship, she won a silver medal in 2015-16 and two bronze medals during the 2016-17 and 2022-23 seasons.

Every year, BFL Canada recognizes the country’s best women behind the bench with the BFL Coach of the Year award. In 2023, Parhar was recognized for BFL Coach of the Year in the High Performance category.

Now, she’s in her fourth season behind the bench for the Thunderbirds, in addition to coaching a U12 team and her day job as a lawyer.

She never set out to be a coach, but opportunities continued to present themselves at different points in her life and her passion for the game and helping the next generation of hockey players compelled her to get involved.

Having played for Head Coach of UBC women’s hockey team, Graham Thomas, she understood his philosophy well, and understood the role she could fill as a coach. While she has several male coaches who inspired her growing up, she had few female coaches to look up to and female representation in the sport is important to her.

“What really stood out to me was that there was always a void with female coaches. There were a few female coaches I had that were assistant coaches and I always got along with them; they were always engaging and it’s a different sense of camaraderie,” Parhar said. “When I was asked to come back and coach, one of the things that really helped me as a player was having a female presence to connect with.”

Seeing the players get excited about the game reminds her of what the game means to her and why she played the sport for as long as she did. She wants young women to feel comfortable owning their space at all levels of hockey, encouraging them to follow their dreams.

“I just love hockey, and I think that’s where it starts,” she said. “If you have that passion, you want to pay it forward, inspire the next generation, and let them know ‘If I can do it, you can do it’ and you can even go beyond what I did and do so much more if you channel that energy and passion into good things.”

Suneil Karod

Karod’s coaching journey began over two decades ago, a path inspired by his own experience as a young player, along with some encouragement from his minor hockey coach. What started as a way to stay connected to the game soon became a lifelong passion for mentorship.

The Nanaimo native started coaching U12 and it took off from there. A few of his stops include Assistant Coach for the Victoria Cougars from 2009-16 and then Head Coach and General Manager duties from 2016-22. He was part of the coaching staff that won the 2018 Royal Bank Cup with the Chilliwack Chiefs and coached the Swan Valley Stampeders in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.

He’s in his fourth season with the Victoria Grizzlies as the Director of Skill Development and Assistant General Manager and has coached players like Nashville Predators first-round pick Matthew Wood.

Karod quickly realized that his coaching style resonated with the players, noting that they respect structure and authority, but he prides himself on being a personable coach that is available for discussions about anything on or off the ice.

He looked up to Robin Bawa as a young hockey player and he wants to be a role model for South Asian athletes in the hockey community. He’s proud to represent his heritage on the bench, knowing that young players see him as a reflection of what’s possible.

“Parents come up to me and say, ‘My kid sees you on the bench, that's encouraging that there's a pathway for him in hockey,’” Karod said.

“It’s inspiring when parents tell me their kids look up to me as a coach. I want them to know that there’s a place for them in the game.”

That sense of responsibility to helping the next generation is deepened through Karod’s children, his 18-year-old stepson and his one-year-old son. He sees his coaching not only as a way to guide young players, but also as a means to give back to a sport that has given so much to him.

When he was younger, he was often told he would make a great teacher because of his engaging personality and how he cares for others, but he said it never really interested him. Now, he thinks about that from time to time and it makes him laugh because that’s exactly what he does every day.

“I enjoy stopping a drill and teaching these kids and making them better, helping them get to where their dreams are taking them,” he said.

His work on the bench is a testament to the joy and pride he finds in giving back, something he says he couldn’t do without the support of his wife.

Gary Mahesh

For Mahesh, coaching hockey in B.C. has been about more than strategy and skill development; it’s about sharing his passion for a sport he grew up playing and inspiring young athletes. He recognizes the significance of representation and views his role as a way to empower players from different backgrounds.

Mahesh is from Vanderhoof, B.C. and is the younger brother of Abbotsford Canucks’ assistant coach Harry Mahesh. Harry served as an inspiration to Gary, following in his big brother’s footsteps as a player and then as a coach.

Growing up with few South Asian role models in hockey, Mahesh also found inspiration in pioneers like Gary Toor and Manny Malhotra and now he strives to be the same beacon of possibility for young players.

“The game doesn’t owe us anything,” Mahesh says, “but we owe the game everything. It’s given me so much, to my family, and it’s our responsibility to give back.”

“There’s a big [South Asian] hockey community, and they can relate to our path, relate to our culture, and we can kind of blend the two together.”

Gary played junior hockey in Alberta, B.C. and is a two-time BCIHL champion with Trinity Western University. Upon entering the workforce once his playing career was over, he trained players on the side and his contacts through hockey continued to reach out asking him if he could be more involved.

“The rink has always been a second home. Our parents worked quite a bit, my dad was in the sawmill, my mom was in a restaurant, and as a kid I was either at school, in an arena, or my mom's restaurant and it was like another home. I just felt very comfortable in an arena. Any chance that I got, anytime someone reached out and said, ‘Hey, can you come out and help? Or do you want to coach?’ it felt comfortable to go back into that,” Mahesh said.

He’s coached junior hockey over the last decade and is currently in his third season as assistant coach for the Langley Trappers of the Pacific Junior Hockey League. Mahesh was part of the 2021-22 Trappers team that won the Cyclone Taylor Cup Provincial Championship, winning the PJHL regular season championship and PJHL playoff championship.

He’s a big proponent that to get the best out of people you have to allow them to be themselves, and for hockey players that means playing to their strengths.

“It’s about connecting with players as individuals,” he shared, highlighting how each player’s needs shape his approach. If he notices an athlete might need a different coaching support or approach, he taps into his list of contacts to help bring out the best in his players.

“You can't just be a one size fits all coach. It's important to have a mindset of continually learning and networking and using your summers to educate yourself,” he said.

Insider Extra

Growing up, hockey was central to his family’s bond and, over the years, has given them special core memories. Last weekend marked a meaningful moment for Mahesh and his family who were all together for the first time in 20 years to attend the Abbotsford Canucks’ home opener to support Harry. It was a weekend-long celebration, also celebrating their father’s 75th birthday.