The Vancouver Warriors’ coaching staff has a wealth of experience and success across multiple levels of lacrosse.
Building a program takes time, requiring alignment on systems, structure, and building chemistry while navigating the highs and lows of a season together. To succeed, every franchise needs a coaching staff that provides steady leadership and consistently develops players.
In The LAX Mag’s NLL player poll of 75 active players, the Vancouver franchise scored high marks, including recognition for best coach in the league and being the most desirable team to be traded to.
Warriors’ General Manager and Head Coach, Curt Malawsky has assembled a coaching staff that runs like a well-oiled machine. Each coach brings a unique perspective, creating a dynamic synergy that’s building something special in Vancouver.
“That’s really humbling and I’m appreciative that the organization’s done a great job making it an attractive place to play,” Malawsky said. “It’s nice to hear that, especially from the players in the league.”
Alongside Malawsky is Assistant GM and Offensive Assistant Coach, Bob McMahon, Defensive Assistant Coach, Rob Williams, and Director of Player Development and Goalie Coach Tyler Richards.
His group features key figures from each chapter of his lacrosse journey: a former coach, a Junior A teammate, and a goaltender he recognized as a special talent in the early 2000s.
Malawsky says his staff all have the same passion for the game, and exude his list of non-negotiables: hardworking, strong character, and winning pedigree. He surrounds himself with like-minded coaches that care about the players as people off the floor as well.
“Being around guys that live it, sleep it, breathe it 24-7, it can’t help but translate into a good group of hardworking men that want the best for the organization and the players on the floor,” Malawsky said.
“Loyalty comes to mind with our coaching staff. You need to have people you can trust on the floor, off the floor, and supporting you in your role,” Malawsky said. “I know I can trust all of those guys with my life, it’s a special group to be around.”
Here’s a look at Malawsky’s coaching staff and how they’ve come together to build something special.
Bob McMahon
McMahon has coached in the NLL since 2000. In 2002, he guided the Albany Firewolves to an NLL-best 14-2 record and the NLL championship game. They lost in the finals, but McMahon was named coach of the year.
Malawsky considers McMahon one of the best lacrosse minds in the game and his mentor. The pair got to know each other well in 2007 when Malawsky played for the Arizona Sting and McMahon was on the coaching staff.
Their obsession with the game brought them closer in 2007 and the two haven’t stopped talking lacrosse since. Whether that was playing cards or riding the bus to games, Malawsky was picking McMahon’s brain.
“I felt he had so much to offer and so much to teach me as a player, I just knew when the opportunity was there to fulfill the coaching staff, he was a guy you had to have. He’s been a head coach, assistant coach, he’s done general managerial stuff as well,” Malawsky said.
Learning is part of coaching and Malawsky surrounds himself with people he can learn from.
“You can’t quantify what he’s taught me. I’m a better father, better person, better coach, and better mentor because of him,” Malawsky said. “He’s an extremely hardworking guy and extremely intelligent. He analyzes situations better than anyone I know.”
McMahon’s coaching philosophy has been shaped by a few coaches throughout his career: Brian “Butch” Keegan, John Lovell, and Terry Sanderson. He’s taken bits and pieces of coaching styles from all three and he says key things he looks for in players is coachability and adaptability.
“I like people that just want to be at the arena. They come to the arena, are excited to be there, and are fun to be around. That parlays into being good players as well,” McMahon said. “Skill is a big one, you have to have some modicum of skill too, but kids today are just so good – so big, strong, and fast.”
Having been in the game for six decades, he loves coaching because of the people he meets, and he finds tackling new challenges each season exciting. He’s seen the evolution of the game, but he says the principles of the game don’t change, it’s just about adding to what you already have.
A self-described pen-and-paper guy, McMahon works on the scouting reports, detailing player tendencies and strategies to help the Warriors’ offensive group, while Williams and Malawsky work on the film; cutting clips to go over with players each week.
McMahon has incredible respect for Malawsky due to Mouse’s meticulous preparation and giving the team a chance to win every time they step on the floor. It’s that lay-down-in-traffic mentality for the person next to you that McMahon aligns with.
“I think strategy wise Curt’s the best thing going. We saw that when we coached him way back in Arizona. We’d sit on the bus and talk about ‘What would you do in this situation? What would you do in that situation?’ He was light years ahead of everybody,” McMahon said.
“In terms of personality, I love his passion, he’s so passionate about the game. He’ll do anything to help his players be better and help his team to win every night, so I really like that about him, and we have a lot of laughs together too. It’s very serious when it’s time to be serious, but we really enjoy each other’s company outside of the game as well.”
On the road, it’s customary for the two assistant coaches to room together and the head coach to have his own room. For the past 13 years, Malawsky has bunked with McMahon because he loves to chat and maximize the time they have to talk shop, which is something they both enjoy.
Rob Williams
Williams and Malawsky take it way back.
The two have been best friends for 40 years, playing Junior A lacrosse together with the Coquitlam Adanacs. Williams played against Malawsky in the NLL and the two made their way back to each other as coaches in Calgary, winning a championship in 2019.
The coaching staff have their own language that only they understand and with that Williams and Malawsky talk lacrosse every day during their morning commutes, which is usually a good 45 minutes.
“Robby might be the hardest-working coach that I’ve ever been around, he spends hours and hours on video and preparation. That’s the way he was as a player, and I feel he supersedes that as a coach,” Malawsky said.
Williams had the instinct to protect his teammates on the floor when he was a player, and Malawsky says the defensive coach’s personable style helps set their players up for success.
“I really think that people gravitate to him because he’s got that work ethic. I always say belief is in a person’s eyes and you can’t fake it if you care. People recognize that he’s genuine and they play hard for him. He’s one of the best player-coaches I know,” Malawsky said.
A lot of Williams’ approach to coaching stems back to how his parents raised him and his Junior playing days when he learned the value of being a tight-knit team and taking care of your teammates on and off the floor.
“I probably celebrate the good plays more than I do get angry at bad plays, but you’re able to do both, because the players understand it’s not personal because you have that connection,” Williams said.
He loves the nonstop grind of coaching. In addition to practices and games during the season, Williams’ video duty consists of cutting clips the morning after a game and a couple hours every night after work to prepare for the next game. He sends players specific clips, and the coaching staff works together throughout the week to make sure they’re as prepared as possible for the games.
“We’re constantly going over systems, but it’s what it takes to win, and Curt’s taught me that for sure,” Williams said.
As a coach, he feels it’s important to be exposed to new ideas and keep things fresh and continuously learn the craft. Williams coaches year-round including summer ball in the WLA and with Team BC where he gets a first-hand look at the up-and-coming talent in the lacrosse community.
“The biggest change we’re seeing is in the athletes themselves. It’s their ability and athleticism that’s more advanced than it used to be. I keep up the video in the summer and pay attention to what other people are doing; adjusting to that keeps you sharp,” Williams said.
Coaching in Vancouver means a lot to Williams. The team made great strides last season, and he wants to see them continue to push the envelope.
Tyler Richards
Richards first crossed paths with Malawsky in the early 2000’s, playing Midget lacrosse.
“He was always one of the best in his age group. He’s always had that championship pedigree and that work ethic and that competitive spirit,” Malawsky said.
Richards and Malawsky competed against each other for years in the WLA and NLL before working together with the Roughnecks. This past summer, Malawsky promoted Richards to Director of Player Development and Goalie Coach, and in addition to his on-floor duties, Richards works on the business side with player negotiations.
“Tyler has won at every level; he’s an NLL champion. He’s a student of the game and he’s an excellent teacher and he does a really good job with our young goalies. He’s very technical, he doesn’t need to see a drill for 20 minutes, the first couple of looks at it and he’s going to make adjustments for the young guys. He’s a fierce competitor and he’s a very good person off the floor and our goaltenders have a lot of respect for him,” Malawsky said.
Richards retired from the game the first time in his late 20’s and came back to the game to play a couple more years. When it looked like he might have to retire for good, Malawsky picked him up in Calgary.
“He gained my loyalty for giving me that second opportunity in my career. I have always felt so grateful to him for believing in me and giving me that opportunity,” Richards said.
Richards is the youngest of the Warriors’ coaching staff and didn’t have a coaching background before 2021. He’s learning as much as he can from his counterparts and doing anything they need him to do to help the players. In addition to working with the goalies, he helps out on defence, offence, and working in the faceoff circle.
Even though he never thought it would be his path, Richards loves passing on knowledge and helping players achieve their potential. Working with Warriors’ goaltender Aden Walsh last season was inspiring for Richards who saw the third-year netminder take significant strides in his game.
“Watching him develop, implement the things that we are working on, and seeing the look in his eye when he makes the adjustment [was exciting]. He started to build his confidence and make some saves that he wasn’t making before,” Richards said.
Richards impresses upon the young goaltenders coming into the league that you have to love the game so much that the sacrifice is worth it.
“You have to be obsessed with lacrosse and really love it, and you have to be obsessed with winning. And that’s something I even try and drive into the young goalies: if you don’t love this, it won’t be fun in a couple of years,” Richards said.
Malawsky is a fan of giving his staff the opportunity to grow and when Richards expressed an interest in getting into the business side of the game, Malawsky figured out a way to help him gain the experience he was looking for.
“He’s got a great business acumen and a great way with people. T-Rich has a way of tying everything in, having a good go-between the players, myself and ownership and he has a way of getting the job done. He’s a phenomenal mediator and he’s phenomenal at his job,” Malawsky said.
————-
Since the coaching staff took over in Vancouver a year ago, they’ve been consistently building and are continuing that again this year.
The Warriors’ success last season was a result of the buy-in from the players on the systems the coaching staff laid out. The team has familiarity with the systems, now, it’s about elevating their level of play within their structure.
“One of the things that comes with some success is the expectation and teams are now ready for what you have to bring. I think the preparation and the actual performance that we need to be able to deliver, gets a little bit higher this year,” Richards said.
The Warriors’ coaching staff is laying a foundation for sustained success in Vancouver, creating a culture where hard work, preparation and execution are habits. With a cohesive team and high expectations for themselves, the Warriors are building something special in Vancouver.
