The Sarnia Legionnaires are moving forward after a tough 2025-26 season where they didn’t win any games in 50 attempts.
The Greater Ontario Hockey League (GOHL) team has brought on Tate Philips as their new general manager and director of hockey operations, along with Ryan Foster as the head coach.
President Theo Bet shared this news in a press release.
Foster steps in for Mike Bondy, while Philips takes over from John Periard as GM.
Back in March, the GOHL required Periard to sell the Legionnaires back to the original ownership group that includes Bet, Paul Hurtubise, Cliff Smith, and Terry Lilley.
This decision was made because the league felt Periard could not meet his responsibilities to finalize the purchase of the team.
Bet had earlier mentioned to Sarnia News Today that they were still looking for potential buyers for the club.
Foster previously coached the Elgin Bombers 16U team this past season after spending 11 years coaching in Austria and Germany.
The 51-year-old Brampton native played at the University of Guelph and had experiences playing in Austria and Sweden as well as with Canada’s national men’s team.
On another note, Philips co-founded Total Player 1, a player development and management service.
This past season, he was General Manager of the Cobourg Cougars and spent 12 years coaching AAA hockey within the GTHL with teams like Toronto Jr. Canadiens, Toronto Marlboros, and Don Mills Flyers.
The Legionnaires also revealed their new partnership with the Sarnia Sting of the Ontario Hockey League.
In a press release, Sting Owner and President Mark Guy stated that this collaboration has been anticipated for a long time by the City of Sarnia.
“Hockey working together in an infrastructure to produce and move kids on in the hockey pathway is something we strongly believe in,” said Guy. “We look forward to working with the Sarnia Legionnaires of the GOHL and developing prospects together. We can’t wait to get started.”
Philips also shared his enthusiasm about this opportunity.
“We plan to develop and move players on to the next level. We are honoured and privileged to work in affiliation with and in support of the Sarnia Sting and their prospects,” said Philips. “We are excited to work with the U18 program and midget-level players to create a true development pyramid-from U18 to Junior GOHL and ultimately to the OHL-all within the city of Sarnia. Stay tuned, exciting things are ahead.”
The Sarnia Legionnaires will host their spring training camp on June 6 and 7 at Mooretown Sports Complex. They’ll welcome players and goaltenders who are competing for spots on next year’s roster for the 2026-2027 GOHL season.
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