Driven by hometown roots: Stouffville’s Cadaret takes next step in OHL coaching career

By Gene Pereira, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

Two years ago, when Stouffville’s Connor Cadaret first joined the Barrie Colts as a video coach, he ran into major car trouble that left him without a set of wheels.

Rather than let transportation stand in his way, Cadaret bundled up and relied on public transit, taking the bus all the way from Collingwood to make sure he never missed a beat.

“He would bus from Collingwood, get to the rink at 7 a.m. in minus 40 degrees, and walk from the bus stop to the Sadlon Arena,” recalled Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz. “I remember seeing him leave because he had to catch his bus. He’d zip his jacket up, his hood was tucked over his head because it was freezing out, and he bused all the way home.

“He never missed a day. He was never late, and he’d stay late to help the players. He’s a special guy, and I couldn’t be happier to have him on the bench this year.”

That relentless work ethic and dedication have paid off. Cadaret has been promoted to the role of a full-time assistant coach for the upcoming season.

For the young coach, the promotion represents a welcome return to the bench after spending the last two seasons serving as the team’s eye in the sky.

“I’m definitely excited,” Cadaret said. “As a competitor in the role I was in the last two years, you want to be down in the fight and with your team on the bench. That was something that was an adjustment to all the prior years I was on the bench, but I was really happy to work with the players that we had.”

Cadaret’s hockey roots run deep in Stouffville. Born and raised in the hockey-crazed town, he played single-A hockey growing up, knowing early on that his career wouldn’t lead to playing in the NHL. After graduating from university, he returned home to coach minor hockey in Stouffville for some six years and served as a video coach for the OJHL’s Stouffville Spirit.

“Hockey is a big thing in Stouffville,” Cadaret said. “I still have a ton of support from everyone I know back there, and they’re all following along. So I kind of have that in my back pocket, that I have a lot of people in my corner. I’m just trying to work every day to make them proud.”

His passion for coaching grew directly from his deep connection to the sport and his hometown environment.

“My dad played a lot of hockey and was a good player, and we were always involved in the game,” Cadaret shared. “I played all the way growing up, and just the team aspect of the sport I really fell in love with. I think I really didn’t know how much I loved it until I went to university and lost that part of my life. When I graduated, I got back into coaching, and then again fell back in love with the game and got my spark back.”

That spark, combined with a sharp tactical mind, made an immediate impression on the Colts’ coaching staff. Even while up in the press box, Cadaret played an active role in real-time game adjustments alongside Smoskowitz and fellow assistant Patrick Sexton.

“The way his mind works is so special when it comes to reading the game, thinking the game, and then coaching the game,” Smoskowitz praised. “Patty Sexton and I talk about it all the time. If you ever want someone to challenge you on the way you think about hockey, you talk to Connor because he’ll definitely challenge you.”

Cadaret appreciated the open, collaborative culture Smoskowitz fostered among the staff.

“It was amazing to work for someone like Marty [Williamson] who has coached so long, but Dylan is an incredible coach to work for,” Cadaret noted. “The way he can make everyone feel involved… He would take in whatever I see, or someone else sees, and then take out what he needs to tell the players. I couldn’t have asked for a better coach to work for as far as allowing me to have a voice and feel like part of the team.”

In his new full-time bench role, Cadaret will take charge of the forwards, oversee bench video reviews, watch for structural game adjustments, and run the power play, including pre-scouting and unit deployment.

“It’s something I’ve done before and am very confident in,” Cadaret said. “I’m really looking forward to that added responsibility this year.”

As the Colts prepare to launch the new season with a young core, Cadaret is eager to help guide the group’s development from the ground up, bringing the same tireless preparation that defined his early days of catching early-morning buses.

“Any coach knows if you win, it feels great, but if you win with a team that you’ve gone through that adversity with, built that up and everyone’s gone through that together, I think it means even more,” Cadaret said. “Looking at the big picture, it’s very exciting to work with the high-end talent we have at a young age, and really make sure we’re on the same page as we build this thing up for the next few years to come.”

Photo: Connor Cadaret has been promoted to the role of a full-time assistant coach for the upcoming season for the Barrie Colts. (OHL image)