Vancouver, B.C. – Vancouver Warriors General Manager Dan Richardson announced today that Troy Cordingley has been named the club’s new head coach beginning in the 2022.23 season. Additionally, Phil Sanderson will join the Warriors as an Assistant Coach while Curtis Hodgson (Assistant Coach), Dan Perreault (Video Coach), and Dwight Maetche (Goaltending Coach) have all been retained.
“We’re pleased to introduce Troy and Phil to the Vancouver Warriors coaching staff for next season,” said Richardson. “Troy is a passionate coach who employs an exciting style of play and has a winning pedigree in this League both as a coach and a player. Phil was an exceptional defensive player during his playing career whose expertise will be a huge benefit to our staff moving forward.”
“I am incredibly excited to be joining the Vancouver Warriors lacrosse team,” said Cordingley. “I look forward to the challenge and can’t wait to get to Vancouver to get started. I am also extremely excited to have Curtis and Phil join the staff. Both are very passionate about the game and were incredible leaders and competitors when they played.”
Cordingley, 55, most recently served two seasons as the Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting for the Buffalo Bandits, assisting with player evaluations and transactions while also overseeing the team’s scouting at the professional and amateur levels. Previously, he spent 10 seasons behind the bench in the NLL as head coach of the Calgary Roughnecks (2008-2009), Toronto Rock (2010-2013), and Buffalo Bandits (2014-2018). He has compiled a record of 103-83 (.554%) in 186 regular season games and a 14-9 record (.609%) in the playoffs.
Cordingley’s coaching resume includes two Champions Cup titles (2009 & 2011) and four Champions Cup Finals appearances (2009, 2010, 2011, 2016). He has also twice been named a finalist for the Les Bartley Head Coach of the Year Award (2009 & 2016), winning the award as head coach of the Roughnecks in 2009.
Prior to his coaching career, Cordingley played nine seasons in the NLL, recording 312 points (128-184-312) in 87 regular season games with the Buffalo Bandits (1993-1999), Albany Attack (2000-2001), and Rochester Knighthawks (2001). He also added 33 points in nine (15-18-33) career playoff games, winning championships with the Bandits in 1993 and 1996.
Sanderson, 45, joins the Warriors after spending 13 seasons as a player in the NLL from 2000-2012. During his playing career, he was a member of three NLL Champions Cup teams, including the 2005 Toronto Rock, 2008 Buffalo Bandits, and 2011 Toronto Rock.
In 192 career regular season games, Sanderson accumulated 121 points (25-96-121) and collected 1,266 loose balls, often ranking inside the top 10 league-wide in that category. He registered an additional five points (3-2-5) in 17 career playoff games.
A native of Oakville, Ontario, Sanderson was inducted into the Ontario Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2020, having also played five seasons of Ontario Lacrosse Association (OLA) Junior A with Orangeville (1993-1998) and 11 seasons of OLA major series lacrosse with Brampton (1999-2009). He also represented Canada internationally on two occasions, earning a silver medal in 1996 and bronze in 2010.
