Leadership is a quality new Swift Current Broncos assistant coach Brandin Cote is all too familiar with.

Cote, named an assistant coach earlier this week, bring a heavy dose of leadership at the WHL level from his playing days with the Spokane Chiefs.

He donned the red-and-blue of the Chiefs for five full seasons from 1997-2002. Including playoffs, the Swift Current-born Cote played 404 WHL games in the Pacific Northwest, logging 282 total points. His 352 career regular-season games with Spokane are the most all-time in franchise history. 

More importantly for his current role as assistant coach at the Major Junior level, Cote was named an alternate captain in his second and third seasons, ultimately serving as the team captain in his final two campaigns.

That leadership and experience at the WHL level is certainly a quality he looks forward to bringing back to southwest Saskatchewan.

"I think I was just really committed player. I wasn't the most talented, but I had some skill and I combined that with a strong desire and work ethic," said Cote, recounting his playing days in Spokane. "I went to the rink every day to try and get better, and I think it was recognized by my coaching staff - at that time it was Mike Babcock."

"He (Babcock) instilled that in me right when I was a 17-year-old and kind of grew from there. Just having that confidence and that preparation was really something that I took pride in. The same thing as a coach - just transferring those skills that I learned in Spokane and through my professional career to just be a good teammate, and do the things necessary to get the job done."

That preparation certainly seems to have spilled over into both his professional playing career and his coaching career.

Cote rounded out his playing career with five teams in five different leagues.

He spent a three-year stint with the AHL's Norfolk Admirals, one season with the British Elite League's Nottingham Panthers, a year with the Texas Wildcatters in the ECHL, one season in Italy with Cortina, and finally a single campaign with the Fischtown Pinguins in Germany's second division.

As for his coaching career, Cote has had the ability to grow behind the bench in several different levels of the game.

He helped coach the Bentley Generals to an Allan Cup win in 2012-13, was an assistant coach with Red Deer College the next season, before a two-year gig with the Red Deer Optimist Chiefs' Midget AAA club - the same club Tyler Steenbergen spent time on before his journey to the Broncos.

Cote then moved up to the WHL level with a one-year stint as an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2016-17 season, before heading back to Alberta for 2017-18. He was an associate coach at Red Deer College again, as well as an assistant coach with Team Alberta at the WHL Cup.

The Broncos job isn't the only coaching position Cote will hold this up-coming season. He'll be an assistant with Team Alberta at the Canada Winter Games, as well as an assistant coach at the U17 development camp.

A lot may be going on for Cote this season, but his resume boasts an ability to be well prepped for what's to come.

"I'm a very detail-oriented person," he said. "I take pride in my preparation to make sure that there's no excuses for the players, and they can just go out there and play. Those types of qualities I think are going to be important for me as I continue to progress as a coach within in this role in Swift Current."

Those 404 WHL games also bring relatabilty to Cote's current roster of players he'll be helping coach in Swift Current.

"You know I did play the game for a long time. I played in the league, I have a familiarity to that," he said. "I can relate to these kids in terms of what their schedule is like, and just the rigors of the everyday life of a WHL player. So, I think that part of it is really going to be an asset for me to come in and bring that to the table."

Having understandably grown up a Broncos fan, the hometown product noted getting to be a part of a staff intertwining their culture with the existing one was one he couldn't pass up.

"I understand the success they had last year, and with that comes some transition and some change," Cote said. "I think it's an opportunity where we can come in as a new staff and really put our own stamp on the team in a way where we can move forward and continue to build and sustain and maintain that culture that's already been established. As a coach, that's an opportunity you want to be in. It's a challenge, we're going to be able to develop, learn, and grow together as a whole organization."

The full interview between Cote and voice of the Broncos Shawn Mullin can be heard below: