The Zone Training Staff Members

Derek Obermeyer

owner

Derek Obermeyer is the Owner The Zone Training in which he started in 2005. Derek graduated from Conestoga College with a diploma in Accounting and started his career with over seven years experience both in industry and as Financial Controller of Rebel Creek Golf Club.

Derek has been involved in the local minor hockey system for over 16 years, beginning as a player and most recently as a coach within the Waterloo Minor Hockey Association at the AA and AAA levels for 6 years.

As a player, Derek played all his Minor Hockey in Kitchener and was drafted by the London Knights of the OHL after playing for the Kitchener Greenshirts in 1996. He started his Jr B career in Guelph before joining his hometown Kitchener Dutchmen, where he was selected as scholastic player of the year in 1999. In 2000 Derek was part of the Cambridge Winterhawks winning the Sutherland Cup as Ontario Jr. B Champions. Derek was also hired over a period of two seasons as a special-skilled extra in the CTV Television series "Powerplay" where he played for several fictitious pro hockey teams.

Since the inception of The Zone Training, Derek has become a widely respected goaltending instructor working with goalies of all ages and skill levels ranging from beginner to advanced junior goalies.

Cindy Eadie

director of operations

Cindy has an Economics degree from Wilfrid Laurier University and is currently in charge of day-to-day operations at the Zone Training.

She has over 20 years of hockey experience, including 9 years as an elite goaltending coach for numerous goaltenders at the AAA, PWHL, CIS, and NCAA levels. During her career as a goaltender, Cindy backstopped Wilfrid Laurier University to a national championship in 2005 and the Brampton Thunder (Canadian Women's Hockey League) to two championships in 2007 and 2008.  Currently, Cindy serves as the head coach of the K-W Rangers (PWHL) Hockey Club.

Cindy was also a member of the Canadian Softball team from 2001-2006, where she competed in a number of international competitions. The most notable of those competitions is the Olympic Games in 2004 (Athens, Greece).

Liz Knox

HEAD goaltending instructor

Liz Knox has been working at The Zone for the past three years. A native of Stouffville, Liz played her junior hockey for the Markham-Stouffville Jr. Stars and spent the 05-06 season as a member of Team Ontario U-18. 

During her career as the starting goaltender with the Wilfrid Laurier University Golden Hawks, the team captured four straight OUA Championships and three CIS medal finishes. She was named Canadian (CIS) Player of the Year for women's hockey in 2010 and was nominated for the CIS Athlete of the year in the same term. Liz was also a member of Team Canada U22 in 2008 and has since attended several Senior National Team conditioning, evaluation and selection camps.Liz currently plays for Brampton Thunder in the CWHL

Dave Schill

head goaltending instuctor

Dave played within the Kitchener Minor Hockey system throughout his childhood and was later drafted to the OHL by the London Knights. After playing three years of junior hockey and winning the Sutherland Cup with the Waterloo Siskins, he attended two NHL tryouts with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the St. Louis Blues. Dave also played pro hockey in with the Brantford Smoke and was called up on occasion to dress with the AHL's St. Johns Maple Leafs. He was lucky enough to sit on the Leaf bench for a game as backup to Grant Fuhr!

Dave has a number of years of coaching experience. He was an assistant coach for the Waterloo Wolves Midget AA team and the Kitchener Peewee AA team. Dave was the head coach for 4 years with Cambridge Bantam AAA team and he was also the goaltender coach with the Kitchener Dutchmen for one season. He is an excellent goaltending instructor and has quickly become a favorite among goaltenders who train at The Zone!

Michel Simard

HEAD goaltending instructor

Bio Coming Soo

Kahla Stern

assistant goaltending instructor

Bio Coming Soo

Dylan Marchegiano

assistant goaltending instructor

Dylan has been a student at the Zone working with Derek Obermeyer for 6 years and played AAA in Guelph until Midget. From there he played some Jr B and Jr C hockey and is currently now working full time and is helping as the Goalie Coach with the Bantam AAA team in Guelph.

Colin Furlong

assistant goaltending instructor

Colin has been a student at the Zone working with Derek Obermeyer for 6 years now and is currently playing for the Guelph Hurricanes Jr B team. Colin has progressed his skills from when he was 11 years old and now is in a position where he is an Assistant Goalie instructor helping young goalies with those skills he has mastered over his time training at the Zone.

Ben Nelson

assistant goaltending instructor

Bio Coming Soon

Andrea Ironside

head instructor & head learn to skate instructor

Andrea is a recent graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University where she obtained a degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education. Andrea has been playing highly competitive hockey for the majority of her career and brings with her a wealth of knowledge, talent, and experience.

Andrea is currently playing hockey for Brampton Thunder as part of the Canadian Women's Hockey League. Prior to the start of her CWHL career, Andrea enjoyed a successful 5 years with the Laurier Golden Hawks. Throughout her stint with Laurier Andrea earned numerous accolades – 3 CIS Tournament All-Stars; a CIS All-Canadian; and 4 OUA All-Stars. Serving two years as an Assistant Captain and one year as the team's Captain, Andrea was a large factor in the Golden Hawk's overall success. The team won 5 consecutive provincial (OUA) championships and 3 national (CIS) silver medals during her career.

Kody Kirton

head instructor & power skating instructor

Kody is a recent graduate of the University of Waterloo with a degree in Therapeutic Recreation. He played for the Fergus Devils Jr. C Hockey Club for 7 years serving as team captain for the last year. He is a certified Power Skating Instructor through Skate Canada, and has had his NCCP Level D1 coaching certification through the OMHA since 2003. He has experience coaching athletes at a beginner level, to those playing major junior in the QMJHL and OHL.

Kody started at The Zone in January 2010 as a power skating and treadmill instructor, and has since had the opportunity to work in many other programs offered at The Zone from shooting and stick handling, to goalie and defensive clinics.

Brock Schultz

head instructor & power skating instructor

Brock is a Waterloo native who played his minor hockey with the Waterloo Wolves and went to the OHL cup and Air Canada Cup in his Midget year. Brock was drafted to the Sudbury Wolves in 2003 prior to joining the Waterloo Siskins Jr. B club where he has played the past 4 seasons, last season being named team captain. He has worked at other local hockey schools for several years; Brock also volunteered with a Girls MD Peewee Hockey team last season.

Michael Cinelli

head instructor

Michael brings a wealth of experice to The Zone as a player, NCCP certified coach, certified athletic trainer, and instructor. He has been playing highly competitive hockey in the GTA since the age of five and started instructing at local hockey schools as a teenager. His coaching career really began to flourish once he became the Head Coach of the University of Waterloo Women's Hockey Team. During the three years he spent behind the bench for Waterloo, he finished his Master's of Science in Biomechanics and began to pursue his Ph.D. in Kinesiology, specializing in behavioural neural science. Michael's most recent coaching experience is with a senior women's team in Rhode Island as well as some local Waterloo Wolves teams.

Greg McCarthy

head instructor & Power Skating instructor

Bio Coming Soon

Jimmy Gagnon

head instructor

Bio Coming Soon

Zac Jones

head instructor

Bio Coming Soon

Chad Drown

head instructor / referee

Chad is a native of Waterloo who has had 5 years coaching experience within the Waterloo Minor Hockey Association. Chad is currently working as a linesman in the OHL and studying Athletic Therapy at Sheridan College.
We have been fortunate enough to have Chad with us since The Zone's opening in the spring of 2005. Chad is NCCP Development 1 Certified and brings with him a wealth of knowledge to all of our programs.

Learn to Skate Instructors

Katelyn Lepold

Heather Doerbecker

Katelyn Doerbecker

Jaime Read

Hannah Askin

Karleigh Herd