August 25, 2025 – The Brooks Bandits of the BCHL have announced Wayne Labrie has been promoted to Director of Hockey Operations, Dakota Mason has been promoted to Head Coach and Keven Sajinovic to Assistant Coach.
This news comes following the August 14th announcement that Ryan Papaioannou has resigned as Head Coach and General Manager after accepting the position of Head Coach of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers.
Mason and Sajinovic will be joined by Assistant Coach Cole McCaig, who was hired by the team earlier this month.
Statement from Ryan Papaioannou:
“Dakota is deserving of this opportunity and has spent four years as a player and coach with the organization. We had significant interest in the position but ultimately my recommendation to the board of directors was to approach this from an internal standpoint with continuity for our players. I have faith in Dakota’s abilities as a coach and he does a great job building relationships with the players and staff.”
“Wayne has been at this a long time and is a huge factor in our success. This promotion gives him some added responsibility to lead hockey operations while allowing him to stay focused on player recruitment. In the ever-changing world of junior hockey, Wayne’s relationships and adaptability will be crucial to future success.”
“Keven has been an integral part of our staff for a number of years. His connection to our goaltenders and ability to get the best out of them has been instrumental in our championship success. This new role with increased responsibility is something he is ready for. Keven will continue to prove his value in helping all members of our team.”
“This staff with the inclusion of Cole McCaig and Taylor Smith have an opportunity to defend the BCHL Championship and I am looking forward to watching the season unfold and all their continued successes,”
Statement from President Paul Seaton:
“The Board of Directors are delighted to announce their decision on a forwards direction with personnel that will be a sound continuation of the long established winning formula our organisation has enjoyed for well over a decade.”
“As we lose our esteemed coach, taking his place will be an outstanding student he tutored first as a high end player who contributed to our first nationals title and then as an assistant coach for the two years we championed the BCHL.”
“The Board believes preserving the proved culture and adding to our successes is also best achieved using the services of support personnel already in place on our staff so Dakota Mason will be assisted by both our long time head scout (in Wayne Labrie) and prominent goaltender coach (Keven Sajinovic). Both have been key components and contributory factors in our achievements.”
Wayne Labrie has served as Head Scout of the Bandits since 2017. During his tenure, the Bandits have won three National Championships, the Rocky Mountain Challenge, the U20 Super Challenge in Sweden and the 2025 Fred Page Cup. During his time, several Bandits have been drafted by NHL teams, including Corson Ceulemans (2021 – Columbus Blue Jackets), Taylor Makar (2021 – Colorado Avalanche), Hudson Malinoski (2023 – Toronto Maple Leafs), Aiden Celebrini (2023 – Vancouver Canucks), Aiden Fink (2023 – Nashville Predators) and Logan Sawyer (2024 – Montreal Canadiens).
Dakota Mason has been named the eighth Head Coach in team history, and marks the first change at the position for the team since 2009. Mason, 33, played two seasons for the Bandits from 2011-13, winning two AJHL Championships and the 2013 National Championship.
Following his playing career, the Edmonton, AB product was hired by the Princeton Posse of the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) as Associate Coach in 2021. Mason then made the jump to ‘Junior A’ in 2022 where he was named Assistant Coach of the Swan Valley Stampeders of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL). The Stampeders finished 3rd that season and made the MJHL Semifinal.
He was hired by the Bandits in the summer of 2023 as Assistant Coach, and joined the team for the U20 Super Challenge in Sweden, which the Bandits won. During Mason’s two seasons as Assistant, the Bandits had the number-one ranked penalty kill in both the AJHL and BCHL. The Bandits won 58 games during the 2023-24 regular season (AJHL and BCHL combined), and led the league in goals for and goals against. After defeating Sherwood Park in the BCHL Alberta Final, the Bandits won the Rocky Mountain Challenge over the Surrey Eagles. The 2024-25 season saw the Bandits finish with a 40-10-2 record, surrendering the fewest goals against in the league. Brooks won all four rounds of playoffs, capturing the Fred Page Cup in May.
Keven Sajinovic has been named Assistant Coach. He’s served as Bandits Goaltender Coach since the 2019-20 season. Under his coaching, the Bandits won the AJHL Top Goaltender Award in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons. During the 2023 Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie, MB, the Bandits set a tournament record for fewest goals against, only surrendering four in six games. During the 2024-25 BCHL Season, the Bandits surrendered a league-low 123 goals against in 54 games. Sajinovic has won two National Championships, the Rocky Mountain Challenge and Fred Page Cup.
The Bandits congratulate Wayne, Dakota and Keven on their new positions.
The Bandits Golf Tournament is August 29th at the Brooks Golf Club, followed by Training Camp opening on August 30th at the Centennial Regional Arena. The Preseason begins when the Bandits host the Trail Smoke Eaters on September 6th. The Bandits Regular Season Home Opener is Saturday, September 20th vs Okotoks.
Season Ticket Holders are reminded to renew their seats by calling 403-501-0122.
