Coaching Staff

David Williams

Dave Williams enters his fifth season as Head Coach of the Stratford Warriors.

Prior to joining the Warriors, Dave was the Head Coach of the Kitchener Dutchmen for the 2013-2014 season.  With the help of Assistant Coach Mike McLeod on the bench, the Dutchmen finished the season in first place and tied the league record for most consecutive wins at 25 games.

From 2010-2012, Dave served as both Head Coach and the Director of Hockey Operations for the Listowel Cyclones Hockey Organization.  During the 2010-2011 season, Listowel lost in the Cherrey Cup Final to the eventual Sutherland Cup Champions; the Elmira Sugar Kings.

Dave’s coaching resume extends beyond the GOJHL.  From 2006-2010, he served as the Associate Head Coach with the Wilfrid Laurier Men’s Varsity Hockey Team.  Dave was fortunate to be a part of this very successful University program which saw the team make it to the National Championship before losing in the semi-finals in 2007.   Dave got his start coaching in the Midwestern Junior B Hockey League, when he coached in Listowel from 2003-2006 with Assistant Coach Jason Clarke.  During the 2004-2005 season, the team captured the organization’s first Cherrey Cup.  In addition to coaching, Dave serves as a regional scout for the Cedar Rapids Roughriders of the United States Hockey League.

A native of Stratford himself, Dave was lucky to have grown up playing for many local coaches that served as strong mentors within the Stratford Minor Hockey Association. His own hockey career saw him play for the Listowel Cyclones, the St. Mary’s Lincolns, and concluded in the 1995-1996 season as a member of Stratford Cullitons.  Dave and his family currently reside in Nithburg.

Mike McLeod

Dave Schlitt

Dave Schlitt returns to the Warriors for his third season as an Assistant Coach.

Prior to joining the team for the 2017-2018 season, Dave had twenty seasons of minor hockey coaching experience, including thirteen seasons as a Head Coach of various AA and AAA teams in the Waterloo Minor Hockey Association (1996 - 2009) and seven seasons as a Head Coach and Assistant Coach of the Huron-Perth Lakers Minor and Major Midget AAA teams (2009 - 2016).

For the 2016-2017 season, Dave was the Director of Operations for Alliance Hockey’s Under-16 Program of Excellence.

Dave was an Assistant Coach (2010) and Head Coach (2013) with Alliance Hockey’s Under-16 teams and was an Assistant Coach of Team Ontario Under-16 Men’s Hockey Team (2015 Canada Winter Games Gold Medalists).

Dave was also with the University of Waterloo Warriors Men’s Hockey program for eight seasons (2009 -2017) as the team’s Recruiting Coordinator.

Dave is the Business Manager at Spruce Lodge Home for the Aged and resides in Stratford with his partner Lisa Phillips.

Mark Nelson

Mark returns to the Warriors for his 11th season as Goalie Coach and has also been a Assistant Coach of the team in the past.

Mark is the Director of Evaluation for the Erie Otters of the O.H.L.  He was also a Canadian University Scout for Rio Grande Valley Killer Bee's Of the Central Professional Hockey League.  Mark has recently retired after 30 years at Canada Post.  Mark and his wife Patti live in Stratford and have just became 1st time Grandparents to a lovely baby boy Cameron!

Mike Graham

Mike looks forward to his second full season with the Stratford Warriors as Video Coach.  Prior to taking this position, Mike coached at various levels within Stratford Minor Hockey (SMHA) from 2012 to 2018, and served as Director, Coaching Selection Director and Vice-President of the association during that time.

Mike grew up in Stratford and played all the way up through the SMHA system.  He resides in Stratford with wife Linda and works as Construction Manager at Culliton in Stratford.