Mike Janda is already the San Jose Jr. Sharks’ director of coaches and player development and the club’s 16U AAA coach, but when you have the passion to be involved in the game, that isn’t enough.

Janda will be taking on additional roles next season as coach-in-chief for the California Amateur Hockey Association (CAHA) and the director of coaches for the Northern California Junior Hockey Association (NorCal).

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“I always wanted to teach, whether it be hockey or something else, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would be in California,” Janda said. “Even when I moved here, I didn’t think I would be here this long, but I genuinely love what I do and the people I work with. It’s an honor to work for the Sharks and serve all of NorCal as we strive to grow hockey.”

Having just been appointed to the CAHA and NorCal positions in recent weeks, Janda said he is still “ironing out the details” for both roles.

“At this time, I know I will be doing some coaching development for both entities and running the NorCal Select Camp in December,” said Janda. “I look forward to spreading out and helping our coaches in NorCal and the state improve so we can see more California players have success at the national level.”

Janda played NCAA Division I hockey at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York from 2007-11, going to the Frozen Four in 2010. After graduation, he wound up in San Jose.

“When I first got to the Jr. Sharks in 2011, I believe we had 20 teams,” said Janda. “This season, we will field 32 teams. As you can see, our club continues to grow by numbers every year and our in-house program has stayed strong. We have a fearless leader in Curtis Brown and our goal is to pioneer youth hockey and be the first to do things. We are constantly striving to make Jr. Sharks hockey better but also to improve all of NorCal.”

His first season in the Bay Area, Janda was with the Jr. Sharks’ 16U and 18U AAA teams as an assistant coach. He then moved to Springfield, Ill., to coach in the NAHL for a season with the Springfield Jr. Blues and then returned to San Jose for the 2013-14 season. Since his return, Janda has coached 14U AAA, 15U AAA, 16U AAA, 18U AAA and 12U AA. He has also served as the player advancement coordinator for the program’s families.

But this fall when he adds the CAHA and NorCal jobs to his list of duties, Janda sees nothing but positives for all involved moving forward.

“I don’t foresee any problems, to be honest with you,” Janda said. “I am heavily involved with CAHA and NorCal already and these roles will give me more of a leadership position.”

Until then, even in the dog days of summer, Janda is keeping busy, on and off the ice.

“We currently have two rinks under construction, so it has been a quiet summer around the rink, but I have been keeping busy with camps during the day,” explained Janda. “We have wrapped up our Sharks Summer School Camp and will begin our AAA Development Camp later this month.”

And as hockey continues to grow in California, especially at the youth level, Janda is elated to be part of the steady boom across the state.

“We are constantly growing and adding players to our programs in NorCal,” said Janda. “We have seen a lot of players have success in the past, but the biggest success we have right now is the number of 6U and 8U players registered in NorCal. We want to continue to grow the game and foster a love for the game. As coaches, our job is to make the game fun and return players every year.”

Photo/Dean Tait/HockeyShots

— Matt Mackinder

(July 30, 2018)