The Prince Albert Raiders announced the hiring of Cole Bell as an assistant coach this upcoming season, filling the last pair of shoes for the teams coaching staff. Here, Bell, serving as head coach of Ohio University, is seen talking with forward Andrew Sacca (18) about forechecking schemes during the intermission of the Bobcats game against Michigan-Dearborn on Friday, November 2, 2019, at Bird Arena. (Colin Mayr/Ohio University)

By Logan Lehmann

Set for the Season

Raiders hire Cole Bell as assistant coach to complete coaching staff for upcoming season

Aug 11, 2025 | 5:17 PM

The Prince Albert Raiders finalized their coaching staff for the upcoming 2025/26 hockey season.

The Raiders announced the hiring of Cole Bell as their newest assistant coach on Monday after Ryan McDonald was promoted to head coach.

“I’m really excited to be here,” Bell said. “From the start of the whole process, everyone has made me feel so welcome and has offered a lot of help in this transition. I couldn’t be more grateful for everything that everyone has done and the opportunity that they’ve given me here.”

Bell, a Davenport, Iowa native, brings an extensive coaching resume to Prince Albert, which began over a decade ago in the now-defunct Metropolitan Junior Hockey League (MetJHL). Since then, he’s bounced around different leagues and levels throughout the Eastern United States, coaching college (ACHA, NCAA III), 16U AAA, 18U AAA, and even professionally for a brief stint in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL). He’s also served as a scout in the United States Hockey League (USHL).

More recently, over the last two seasons, Bell served as an assistant coach for various men’s national teams in China, including at the World Championships, Olympic Qualifying tournament, Asian Championships, and Asian Winter Games.

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“I’ve learned a lot from a lot of different people and places. I’ve had the privilege of working with some really good coaches over the years, and I’ve tried to take a little bit from each one of them. I had an interesting challenge in China, with the language barrier and cultural differences, but I think that really helped round me out as a coach. I’m excited for this new challenge north of the border.”

Raiders General Manager Curtis Hunt said Bell checked all the boxes for the team.

“Through the interview process first with myself and then with Ryan McDonald, we felt that he was the best guy for what our club needs at this particular time. We were looking for someone with experience in skill development and experience with our age group. Some of the bonuses that we found was that Cole had coached at the college level in the U.S., and he had been part of an international program in China. In the end, with our young group, I think that Cole is going to be a really good fit.”

In addition to the hiring, the Raiders also announced they have extended assistant coach Conor Yawney’s contract for next season, as well as hired Kyle McDonald as the team’s sports psychologist.

Prince Albert is set to begin their preseason in less than a month on Sept. 2 in Saskatoon against the Blades. The Raiders will kick off the regular season at home against Saskatoon on Sept. 19 at 7 p.m.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

On Bluesky: @loganlehmann.bsky.social