The Rocky Rams have announced former player Braden Bystrom as the team’s new head coach for the 2026-27 season.

Bystrom recently completed his 10th season behind the bench, bringing a decade of coaching and player development experience to the West Central U18 Tigers program.

Now taking over as head coach of the Rams, team officials say they are confident Bystrom will continue building a strong, competitive program focused on skill development, teamwork and character.

Bystrom also spent two seasons at the AAA level with the Calgary Northstars and Red Deer Northstar Chiefs, serving as both an assistant coach and head coach.

Along with coaching, Bystrom has also been actively involved with Hockey Alberta over the past six years. His contributions include coaching roles at the Prospects Cup and Alberta Cup, where he has helped identify and develop some of the province’s top young talent.

Bystrom, who played for the Rams during the 2019-20 season, recalls his time with the team fondly.

“Rocky’s a great hockey community to come back to — some nights over 1000 fans would show up,” he says.

Team officials say Bystrom’s approach emphasizes the skill side of the game, using drills that mirror real game situations to help players translate practice habits into performance.

As for the upcoming season, Bystrom predicts some changes are coming.

“We have some key signings coming to Rocky, I think we can make ourselves a young, competitive team,” he says. “There’s going to be growing pains throughout the year — there’s going to be growing spurts too.”

Bystrom’s approach focuses on expanding players’ hockey IQ, encouraging them to think creatively and make smarter decisions on the ice.

In 25 regular season games with the Rams during the 2019-20 season, Bystrom recorded 10 goals and nine assists. He played four playoff games recording a pair of assists.