OTTAWA – Ottawa Black Bears head coach and general manager Dan MacRae announced the rest of his staff for the 2025-26 NLL season.
The Black Bears staff will consist of the following members for the upcoming campaign:
Dylan Evans – Offensive coordinator
Brian Beisel – Defensive coordinator *
Ken Gillies – Assistant general manager
Bennett Drake – Video coach *
Sean Gillies – Director of scouting
Rod Wade – Western scout
* Returning from 2024-25 season
“I’m confident we have the right mix of experience and youth,” says MacRae of his staff. “We know what the younger generation of players wants and needs from a coaching staff. And we know the current prospect pool better than anybody because our staff has spent more time in arenas watching lacrosse than anybody else over the past 10 years.”
In adding Evans to his coaching staff, MacRae is bringing an element of familiarity.
“I’ve known Dylan since were both 10 years old and he’s been on a number of championship teams. He knows what it takes to win and he’s been around the best players in this league,” explains MacRae. “We’ve got a lot of great offensive players and coupled with Dylan’s leadership, communication and work ethic, it will set our offence apart from the rest of the league.”
Bringing Beisel and Drake back for another season was important for MacRae, who believes it was imperative to have some consistency with the coaching staff.
“Each player I spoke with thought it was important to bring Brian and Bennett back,” says MacRae. “They appreciated how much time and passion they put into the program and I’m excited they both wanted to stay to keep the continuity.”
MacRae will be buoyed by having Gillies serve as his assistant general manager. The two have a longstanding history, which includes Gillies coaching MacRae when he was a youth. MacRae firmly believes that Gillies’ differing skill set will provide the perfect balance inside the front office.
“Ken is really going to help me a lot on the numbers and financial side,” adds MacRae. “With his lacrosse IQ, previous general manager experience and financial acumen, Ken has a lot of strong skills that will complement me quite well.”
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