Bio

Bill has been involved with hockey as both a player and coach for seven decades. Born in Thunder Bay, Onatrio, he spent most of his childhood playing "pond hockey" on outdoor rinks. Over the years, Bill and his goalie skates have travelled the world, and he moved to Sault Ste. Marie in 1989 and began coaching minor hockey in 1990. 

Bill has been a coach and/or scout for a number of teams in Canada and the United States including the Soo Hawks U18AAA, Soo Eagles Junior A, Soo Jr. Greyhounds U18AA (female), and Sault College. In addition, he has run numerous goalie clinics for all ages, and is both Hockey Canada and USA Hockey certified. Most recently, he has become a guest instructor for the Algoma District School Board Hockey Canada Skills Program.

As you can imagine, Bill's had the opportunity to watch the development of hundreds of talented players, many of which continued their hockey careers at the professional level, including the NHL. 

Vanderleest was a key contributor behind the bench during the 22-23 season when the Cougars celebrated a 31-0-0 record and were named ACHA National Champions after a 6-1 win over Northeastern University.