“I am honoured to be named the Nex Gen Lead Coach and have the opportunity to work with some of the country’s best athletes as they enter the national team pathway,” said Krueger.

“Thank you to head coach Shannon Winzer and Volleyball Canada for entrusting me to continue upholding the high standard of the reputable National Excellence Program (NEP). I am very excited to get to work with an incredible staff and create a learning environment that prioritizes skill acquisition, high-performance habits and long-term athlete development.”

As well as training and preparation of athletes in the National Excellence Program (September to December), the role includes assisting in the identification and preparation of athletes in the women’s development pathway and liaising with the senior program, college and university coaches, and provincial and territorial development programs.

Krueger is currently an assistant coach with the UBC Men’s Volleyball team and an assistant coach with the Senior Women’s Canadian National team now competing in VNL (Volleyball Nationals League). As a player, he was a varsity athlete at Thompson Rivers University.

While at McMaster, he was named OUA Coach of the Year seven times and was National Coach of the Year three times.

Among many other accolades, Preston is a member of the Chatham Sports Hall of Fame, his hometown prior to playing for Western University. He would go on to become head coach of his alma mater and led the Mustangs to six OUA West Division titles from 1993 to 2002 before joining McMaster.

Under his leadership, McMaster became a perennial powerhouse in the OUA and one of the most respected collegiate programs in North America – winning 10 conference titles and making 14 trips to the U SPORTS National Championship.

Preston joined the Australian program in 2022 where he was responsible for a nationwide athlete identification and selection process as well as the day-to-day training of high-performance athletes for international competitions, including 2022 VNL and the 2023 AVC Challenge Cup. He returns to Canada to work full-time with the men’s indoor program.

Volleyball Canada’s Next Gen program, based in Gatineau, Quebec, provides athletes with a full-time training environment that focuses on technical and tactical development. Athletes have access to coaching staff and an integrated support team to guide their development and growth as high-performance athletes with the potential to compete for Team Canada’s Senior Men’s National Team in the future.