Bombers reloaded and ready to rock

Transcription

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Sep
Bombers reloaded
and ready to rock
Josh Lewis
Special to The Reminder
The Flin Flon Bombers
entered last season with a talented team but struggled and
dealt some elite 20-year-olds at
the trade deadline.
With the futures they got
back, combined with the returning core, it appears the team has
quickly transitioned back into a
contender.
“That was kind of what we
were aiming to do. I think we’ll
have a pretty good team. I like
the guys we brought in, but the
league’s very competitive. It’s
always a grind, year after year,”
said Bombers head coach and
general manager Mike Reagan.
“We’re going to be a tough
team to play against. We’re going
to be a different type of team than
we have been in the past, and
hopefully that’ll put us in good
position.”
Last season, the Bombers
dealt away star forwards Brett
Boehm, Dillan McCombie and
Cam Blair, as well as the league’s
top goaltender in Devin
Buffalo.
Among the haul of futures
received in the off-season were
Chris Raukman, a 33-goal
scorer with the Drumheller
Dragons, and a pair of promising defencemen in Tanner
Lishchynsky, a key member of
last year’s national champion
Yorkton Terriers as an 18-yearold, and Braden Lacoursiere,
who impressed with the
Battlefords North Stars at 17.
T h e y a l s o g o t Ta n n e r
Lomsnes, a point-per-game
scorer with the Dauphin Kings,
but he is testing his luck in the
North American Hockey League,
along with forwards Connor
Bucsis and Paul Soubry and
defenceman Cole Nichols.
Up front, Rauckman will be
a centrepiece of the attack, with
Reagan saying the team would
be “relying on him heavily.”
Austin Calladine, who is currently trying out in the WHL, is
the team’s top scorer eligible to
return. Parker Evans-Campbell
(31 points), Erik Pedersen (30)
and Austin Evans (28) will also
be expected to lead.
Tyson Empey, who scored a
disappointing 13 points last year,
will be counted upon to make
strides in his third season.
Danys Chartrand was arguably the Bombers’ best defenceman last year, with 22 points,
and Rob Cameron is back for
his sophomore year. Combined
with the acquisitions of
Lishchynsky and Lacoursiere,
Reagan is excited about the
team’s back end.
“We really like our top four,”
he said.
“We like our core. I think it’s
a pretty big core of guys that
make up our team. It’s not just
two or three guys. The guys we
have coming back, down the
stretch, we really liked those
guys.
“We’re really happy with the
makeup of our team. We’re
going to be a hard-working
team. I think we’re going to be
a tough team to play against.
We’re going to score a lot more
goals than we did last year
because our D corps is a lot
better. One of our weaknesses
last year was the D getting the
puck up to our forwards,”
Reagan said.
The coach said there isn’t one
strength on the team that stands
out more than others, and that it’s
a solid group across the board.
“I think we’ve got a really
good balance. We really upgraded on our back end from a year
ago, but in saying that, I think
we’re going to score a lot more
up front, when you add a 33-goal
man to your lineup.”
After Buffalo’s departure,
rookie Simon Hofley was impressive late in the season and in the
playoffs. He will take over the
reins this year.
“We’re very happy with our
goaltending. Simon Hofley was
given a great opportunity to
prove himself down the stretch.
It took some time, but we’ve got
a confident goaltender in him
now. His numbers as a rookie
were better than Devin Buffalo’s
numbers as a rookie, so if you
make that comparison, the future
is looking pretty bright in
goal.”
With the likes of Boehm,
McCombie, Blair, Buffalo and
others, the Bombers were picked
by many to win the Canalta Cup
over the last couple of years.
They fell short of that goal,
and despite the era of those
players ending, Reagan said
it’s important to make a big run
this season.
“We’ve gotta make a real
strong push to win a championship or at least get really deep
into the playoffs, or else we
really wasted a year. We’ve
preached to our guys that expectations are real high for this club.
But there’s still a lot of work to
do and everybody knows you
don’t win a championship in
September. It’s going to be a
work in progress. There are
going to be some ups and downs,
we realize that.”
The Reminder September 17, 2014 Page B5
His priorities may have
changed, but his love of the
game makes him seek out
the rink when he can.
“I do try and get to the
odd Warriors game, and get
to maybe five or six a year,”
he said. “I try to follow Flin
Flon when I can and see
how they are doing. You
always wish you were part
of the game, but eventually
you have to get a real job,
as they say.”
After Flin Flon, Ernest
played some semi-pro
hockey in the UHL and
CHL before hanging up his
skates in 2002-03 as a member of the Jacksonville
Barracudas of the ACHL.
“They wanted you to
fight all the time,” said
Ernest. “I wasn’t really getting anywhere.”
In January 2003, Ernest
once again found himself a
member of the Flin Flon
Bombers, this time behind
the bench as an assistant
coach with Troy Walkington.
He finished that season and
then came back for two
more after that.
This summer, Ernest
returned to Flin Flon for the
Roller Goodwin tournament, along with his two
boys.
“We were going around
the rink looking at all the
pictures, and I was in seven
pictures,” he said. “My kids
were laughing, ‘How come
you are in all these pictures,
dad?’ I guess I was here that
long. It was kind of neat for
them to see how I looked
back in the day, with my
greasy mullet.”
When asked if he had a
favourite story from his
time in Flin Flon, Ernest
was quick to acknowledge
that it was the people that
made his time here a good
experience. “All the amazing people that you meet,”
said Ernest. “They take you
ice fishing, have you over
for suppers, and really welcome you there. There are
a lot of people that give you
a hard time as well, but
that’s part of being a player.
The good people cancel out
all the crazies.”
Now Ernest’s focus is on
his boys, who are both a
little hockey crazy themselves. “They are hockey
nuts,” he said. “My fiveyear-old is going into his
second year. My two-yearold sleeps with his stick in
his bed.”
Asked if he had any
advice for the new team as
they prepare for a new
season, Ernest had this to
say: “If you want to play
in Flin Flon, I think you
have to be able to make
sure you are there for the
right reasons. Work as
hard as you can, and do the
best you can, and don’t go
out of your element. If you
are a goal scorer, don’t try
to be fighting the tough
guy. Do what you do that
got you there. Work hard,
and you’ll be loved. All
they want as fans is a good
effort, and that’s all you
can ask for.”
The Schedule
Date:
Time:
Visiting Team:
Home Team:
Friday,
September 19
Saturday,
September 20
Wednesday,
September 24
Friday,
September 26
Saturday,
September 27
Friday,
October 3
Saturday,
October 4
Saturday,
October 11
Tuesday,
October 14
Wednesday,
October 15
Friday,
October 17
Saturday,
October 18
Friday,
October 24
Wednesday,
October 29
Thursday,
October 30
Friday,
November 7
Saturday,
November 8
Sunday,
November 9
Wednesday,
November 12
Saturday,
November 15
Wednesday,
November 19
Saturday,
November 22
Sunday,
November 23
Friday,
November 28
Saturday,
November 29
Wednesday,
December 3
Friday,
December 5
7:30 pm CDT
Nipawin
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:30 pm CDT
Estevan
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
Humboldt
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
Notre Dame
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
Battlefords
at
Flin Flon
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Humboldt
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Estevan
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Weyburn
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Notre Dame
7:30 pm CDT
Weyburn
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Yorkton
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:30 pm CST
Melville
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Kindersley
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melville
6:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Weyburn
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:30 pm CST
Kindersley
at
Flin Flon
Date:
Time:
Visiting Team:
Home Team:
Saturday,
December 6
Tuesday,
December 9
Tuesday,
December 16
Wednesday,
December 17
Friday,
December 19
Saturday,
December 20
Sunday,
January 4
Tuesday,
January 6
Saturday,
January 10
Tuesday,
January 13
Friday,
January 16
Saturday,
January 17
Friday,
January 23
Saturday,
January 24
Tuesday,
January 27
Wednesday,
January 28
Friday,
January 30
Saturday,
January 31
Wednesday,
February 4
Friday,
February 6
Wednesday,
February 11
Friday,
February 13
Saturday,
February 14
Tuesday,
February 17
Friday,
February 20
Saturday,
February 21
Friday,
February 27
Saturday,
February 28
Tuesday,
March 3
7:30 pm CST
Estevan
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Nipawin
at
Flin Flon
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Humboldt
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Battlefords
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Battlefords
7:30 pm CST
Humboldt
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Notre Dame
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Kindersley
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Kindersley
7:30 pm CST
Yorkton
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Yorkton
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Estevan
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Weyburn
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Notre Dame
7:30 pm CST
Battlefords
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Melville
at
Flin Flon
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:30 pm CST
Nipawin
at
Flin Flo
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melville
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Yorkton
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:30 pm CST
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Nipawin
at
Flin Flon
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!
s
r
e
b d
a
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e
h
o
a
n
b
o
o eas
glook at the s
A
n
i
m
e
AR
d
a
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c
e
p
er s
•
n
o
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t
l sec
4
1
0
2
,
er 17
b
m
e
t
Sep
Bombers reloaded
and ready to rock
Josh Lewis
The Flin Flon Bombers
entered last season with a talented team but struggled and
dealt some elite 20-year-olds
at the trade deadline.
With the futures they got
back, combined with the returning core, it appears the team
has quickly transitioned back
into a contender.
“That was kind of what we
were aiming to do. I think we’ll
have a pretty good team. I like
the guys we brought in, but the
league’s very competitive. It’s
always a grind, year after
year,” said Bombers head
coach and general manager
Mike Reagan.
“We’re going to be a tough
team to play against. We’re
going to be a different type of
team than we have been in the
past, and hopefully that’ll put
us in good position.”
Last season, the Bombers
dealt away star forwards Brett
Boehm, Dillan McCombie and
Cam Blair, as well as the
league’s top goaltender in
Devin Buffalo.
Among the haul of futures
received in the off-season
were Chris Raukman, a
33-goal scorer with the
Drumheller Dragons, and a
pair of promising defencemen
in Tanner Lishchynsky, a key
member of last year’s national champion Yorkton Terriers
as an 18-year-old, and Braden
Lacoursiere, who impressed
with the Battlefords North
Stars at 17.
Up front, Rauckman will be
a centrepiece of the attack,
with Reagan saying the team
would be “relying on him
heavily.”
Austin Calladine, who is
currently trying out in the
WHL, is the team’s top scorer
eligible to return. Parker EvansCampbell (31 points), Erik
Pedersen (30) and Austin Evans
(28) will also be expected to
lead.
Tyson Empey, who scored
a disappointing 13 points last
year, will be counted upon to
make strides in his third season.
Rob Cameron is back for
his sophomore year. Combined
with the acquisitions of
Lishchynsky and Lacoursiere,
Reagan is excited about the
team’s back end.
“We really like our top
four,” he said.
“We like our core. I think
it’s a pretty big core of guys
that make up our team. It’s
not just two or three guys.
The guys we have coming
back, down the stretch, we
really liked those guys.
“We’re really happy with
the makeup of our team.
We’re going to be a hardworking team. I think we’re
going to be a tough team to
play against. We’re going to
score a lot more goals than we
did last year because our D
corps is a lot better. One of
our weaknesses last year was
the D getting the puck up to
our forwards,” Reagan said.
The coach said there isn’t
one strength on the team that
stands out more than others,
and that it’s a solid group
across the board.
“I think we’ve got a really
good balance. We really
upgraded on our back end from
a year ago, but in saying that,
I think we’re going to score a
lot more up front, when you
add a 33-goal man to your
lineup.”
After Buffalo’s departure,
rookie Simon Hofley was
impressive late in the season
and in the playoffs. He will
take over the reins this year.
“We’re very happy with our
goaltending. Simon Hofley
was given a great opportunity
to prove himself down the
stretch. It took some time, but
we’ve got a confident goaltender in him now. His numbers
as a rookie were better than
Devin Buffalo’s numbers as a
rookie, so if you make that
comparison, the future is looking pretty bright in goal.”
With the likes of Boehm,
McCombie, Blair, Buffalo and
others, the Bombers were
picked by many to win the
Canalta Cup over the last
couple of years. They fell short
of that goal, and despite the era
of those players ending, Reagan
said it’s important to make a
big run this season.
“We’ve gotta make a real
strong push to win a championship or at least get really
deep into the playoffs, or else
we really wasted a year.
We’ve preached to our guys
that expectations are real high
for this club. But there’s still
a lot of work to do and everybody knows you don’t win a
championship in September.
It’s going to be a work in
progress. There are going to
be some ups and downs, we
realize that.”
September 17, 2014 Page B2 The Reminder
Mike Reagan
The Coaches
Commitment and a goal:
get out from under their
shadow and really prove
myself,” he said. “Playing
for the Bombers as an
under-ager was great. My
dream was to play for the
Flin Flon Bombers. It
never was about the
Western Hockey League
or anything like that.”
Back then, it was all
about being a Bomber
and, to this day, that is
what Mike believes in. “I
think this is the best franchise you could possibly
ever play for,” said
Reagan. “It boggles my
mind when kids don’t
want to be here. I take it
personally.”
Mike played for the
Bombers for four seasons, missing out on the
Royal Bank Cup team by
one season. “Missing out
on that was tough,” said
Reagan. “Coming back
and watching it was awesome. I wish I could have
been a part of it.”
From Flin Flon, Mike
spent four seasons at
Sacred Heart University
before testing the waters
as a semi-pro, where he
bounced around between
teams for a while. “I
spent time in Laredo,
Ashville, Rockford,
Amarillo, seven or eight
different places and I was
never really given an
opportunity to just be a
player,” he said. “I was
always too small.”
He wound up playing
in Quebec for two years
before getting hired by
Doug Stokes as an assistant coach with the
Bombers.
“I just wanted to be a
part of the Bombers
again,” said Reagan. “It
was painful to watch the
team have zero success
since the Royal Bank
Cup. I thought there was
a lot that I could contribute. As an assistant
coach, I thought that was
perfect, being able to
work under a guy like
Doug, with so much
experience.”
Tim Babcock
Reminder Sports
During the hockey
season, The Reminder
spends a lot of time talking to head coach Mike
Reagan, but there aren’t
many opportunities to
talk about Mike Reagan.
Mike has the toughest
job in Flin Flon. People
will love you as a player,
but they can hate you as
a coach. His record
should speak for itself.
He has taken his team to
the North Final three
times in seven years, losing to the Humboldt
Broncos each time.
If that doesn’t impress
you, sit down and talk to
him for a few minutes
about his team. Mike’s
passion and desire to bring
a championship to Flin
Flon are unquestionable.
If you still aren’t a
believer, that’s okay, he’s
used to that. He’s been
proving people wrong his
entire life.
Mike cracked the
Bomber line-up as a player in the 1996-97 season
as a 17-year-old.
“What motivated me
the most was getting cut
from the Norman
Northstars when I was 16
years old,” said Reagan.
“All my buddies made
the team, and I didn’t
make it. I thought, ‘Where
is my hockey career going
to go from here?’ When I
made the Central Plains
team, it was the best thing
that ever happened to me.
I still use that story with
our guys today, you know.
Sometimes setbacks are
good to help you move
forward.”
When Reagan tried
out for the Bombers the
following year, he had
extra motivation to prove
to all his buddies on the
Northstars that he was
every bit as good as they
were.
“They ended up winning the league that year,
but it was good for me to
WATCHFUL EYE: Mike Reagan stands behind the bench where he was once a player.
That experience was
short-lived, however,
as Stokes soon resigned.
Mike was charged with
handling the recruiting
duties that summer,
while the board was
interviewing potential
coaches.
“I wouldn’t trade
Flin Flon fans for
anybody. We’ve
got the best fans
in the world.”
– Mike Reagan
“I remember they
brought one in, and I was
sitting at the office working on getting players
here, and they asked me
to take him around and
show him what we had
been doing,” said Reagan.
“I was kind of nervous
that he wouldn’t like the
players that I had recruited and committed to and
signed. He ended up turn-
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ing down the job.”
After handling the offseason duties for two
months, Mike convinced
the board to give him an
interview, and the rest is
history.
“The first call I made
when I got the job was to
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first game that year, but
dropped the next four
straight. “I remember people in town wouldn’t even
look at me,” said Reagan.
“So I ran the players up
and down Third Avenue
hill and we had guys
honking their horns.
We were really stern with
them, and we ended up
winning our next four or
five in a row.”
The Bombers had a
great season that year, as
Reagan guided the team
that he built to a 32-point
increase over the previous year, and all the way
to the North Final.
“It’s hard to get your
foot in the door,” said
Reagan. “There are probably a lot of people who
don’t know just how much
I care about this organization. This isn’t just a job to
me. We’re trying to bring
back a championship here.
I’m a fan just as much as I
am a coach.”
Building a championship team isn’t easy,
especially in Flin Flon.
For every player that
Mike recruits to play for
the Bombers, there are 50
more who choose to play
elsewhere.
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my college coach Shaun
Hannah at Sacred Heart,”
said Reagan. “I said,
‘Shaun, I got the job. Now
what do I do?’ He said the
first thing I should do was
to get rid of a player and
make an impact. You can’t
just trade an average player, it had to be a good
player.”
Mike remembers the
player that he sent home
just three days later. “He
screwed up,” said Reagan.
“He would have been a
real headache, but he was
a good player. Nobody
thought I’d get rid of him.
It made an immediate
impact on the guys that
were returning.”
There were a lot of
parallels between Mike
the player and Mike the
coach. There was a lot of
uncertainty surrounding
the team, which had suffered for so many years
under a handful of older,
more experienced coaches. “There was so much
doubt around me being
the coach, and what was
the board doing?” said
Reagan. “Trust me, there
were some nights when I
wondered what the hell
they were doing, too.”
Mike was just 28 when
he took over as bench
boss of the Bombers. “I
wanted to change the
culture of the dressing
room,” he said. “There
was a lot of problems
with alcohol and drugs
and stuff like that. I wanted to clean that up. I
wanted us to be a harder
working team.”
The Bombers won their
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the championship
In the SJHL, only
Melville’s Jamie Fiesel
has been behind the bench
longer than Mike. After
Larry Wintoneak spent
five seasons as head
coach of the Bombers,
there was a revolving
door for the next several
years.
Heading into his
eighth season behind the
bench, Mike has not
only seen a lot of changes to the game, but has
also noticed that he has
grown as a coach. “I
think I’m better composed,” he said. “I know
what to expect now.
Before when we would
lose a game, there was
more panic. Now, I think
I understand that there
is going to be difficult
times. You are going to
go on winning streaks,
and you are going to
have losing skids.”
The players have
changed, too.
“You can’t treat players the way you used to
be able to,” said Reagan.
“I notice a huge difference between my first
year and now. You could
be harder on kids then.
Things are different, but
I think society is different, too. It’s not always
team-first mentality like
it used to be, where you
would go through the
wall and, ‘Whatever
coach says I’ll do.’ There
are a lot of different
personalities that you
are dealing with. You
are managing kids on an
individual basis, rather
than the entire team.
This isn’t their life anymore.”
This year, Mike likes
what he sees in the dressing room so far. “It’s
early in the season, but
this is a good group of
guys,” he said. “There’s
some good leadership
and good maturity. I don’t
want to get too far ahead
of ourselves right now,
but it’s a good first
impression of what type
of character we have in
the dressing room.”
Mike has two years
remaining on his current
contract with the Flin
Flon Bombers. That
would take him through
nine seasons as a head
coach in the SJHL. After
that, Mike hopes to make
the jump to the NCAA
ranks as an assistant
coach with Sacred Heart.
He’s had a taste of
coaching at the college
level in Canada, spending three weeks with
Gardiner MacDougall
at the University of
New Brunswick when his
team hosted the CIS
championship.
“Gardener is a guy
I’ve always looked up
to,” said Reagan. “I found
it reassuring that a lot of
things he was doing, we
were doing. He’s been a
winner everywhere he’s
gone. My coaching philosophy has come from
coaches that I’ve been
around, like Gardiner
MacDougall, Shaun
Hannah and Larry
Wintoneak, taking the
things that I liked and
make sure I’m not doing
the things that I didn’t
like.”
It’s not easy being a
coach in your hometown,
and if Mike has learned
anything over the last
seven seasons, that is it.
“You’re not going to
please everybody,” he
said. “It stings a little bit
when your friends have
to hear the negative talk.
It’s tough on them, and
it’s tough on my mom.”
To win over the critics, Mike hopes that people can see the strides the
team has made both on
and off the ice during his
time with the team.
Take last season, for
example. The team wasn’t
living up to expectations,
and some of the top players wanted out. Mike was
able to move those players, essentially dismantling the team, and still
got into the playoffs,
where his club delivered
one of the most exciting
series in recent memory,
against the Estevan
Bruins.
“It doesn’t matter how
much talent you have,”
said Reagan. “There’s got
to be some structure.
People don’t see the
behind-the-scenes work
that goes into running a
team, and I don’t expect
them to. We’ve given
ourselves a chance to win
every year. Only one
team wins, and it’s not
like the other 11 teams
are saying, ‘You know
what, let’s let Flin Flon
win this year.’ We’re
not an easy two points
every year.”
Only one team in
Bomber history not
coached by Reagan has
made it to a North
Division Final. That was
in 1992-93, the year they
won it all.
“I came back here to
coach to bring a championship back to Flin Flon,”
said Reagan. “This isn’t
for me. This is something
I want to do for the city,
and for the Bombers.
When I leave here, I want
to leave knowing that I
gave something back to
Flin Flon that they’ve
only experienced one
other time. I think I’m a
guy that cares about this
organization and this
community, I’m not just
Joe Blow from Winnipeg
who is coming here for a
coaching job.”
As we get set to drop
the puck on the 2014-15
season, Mike knows that
the true Bomber fans will
continue to support the
team, no matter what
happens.
“I wouldn’t trade Flin
Flon fans for anybody,”
said Reagan. “We’ve got
the best fans in the world.
This is my home, and at
the end of the day, when
I’m done coaching here,
it’s still going to be my
home.”
NEW GUY:
Garry Childerhose
played with the
Melfort Mustangs
and the Geneseo
Knights in
New York.
He joins Mike
Reagan behind
the bench this
year as assistant
coach.
submitted photo
garry childerhose
Former Mustang
steps into the ring
Tim Babcock
Reminder Sports
Three short months ago, Flin Flon
was the furthest thing from Garry
Childerhose’s mind. The 24-year-old
had just graduated from university,
where he played hockey with the
Geneseo Knights in New York.
Now, he finds himself behind the
bench of the Flin Flon Bombers as the
team’s new assistant coach.
Garry was working back home in
Altona, Manitoba, when he got a call
from head coach Mike Reagan to offer
him the job.
“For me it was a no-brainer,” said
Childerhose. “To be able to coach
under someone with his experience — I jumped all over the opportunity.”
The SJHL alumnus played three
years in Melfort with the Mustangs
while Reagan was getting his coaching start with the Bombers. He remembers his first time stepping onto the
Whitney Forum ice.
“I was a 17-year-old at the time,”
he said. “I couldn’t even hear myself
think for the first 10 minutes. I
remember getting my first shift. I
hopped the boards, and my toe caught
the edge of the boards, and I almost
took a tumble. I definitely got a couple
honks and cheers for it.”
As a player, he was the type of guy
that Flin Flon fans would have liked
to have on their side.
“I was a skilled player but when
things got a little greasy, I was always
in there, too,” said Childerhose. “I
liked to consider myself an all-around
player, a hard-working guy.”
This is Garry’s first coaching gig,
and while he obviously has a lot to
learn, he is looking forward to the
challenge and is ready to pitch in any
way he can. “I’m a real hard worker,
so I’m going to learn as much as I can
from Mike, and help the organization
to the best of my abilities,” he said.
“I’m a younger guy, so I can relate
with the players on the team. I try to
keep things light and keep the guys
positive, even when things aren’t
going their way.”
“For me it was a no
brainer. To be able to
coach under someone
with [Mike Reagan’s]
experience? I jumped
all over the
opportunity.”
– Garry Childerhose
Outside of hockey, Garry’s offseason sport is boxing. “That’s one of
my biggest hobbies,” he said. “I don’t
really hit the golf course that often. I
like to box and hang out with
friends.”
As an assistant coach, Garry will
be helping the team with marketing
off the ice. He also spends time talking
to players. On the ice, he will work
with the defence as well as running
skill practices once a week.
“It’s been good so far,” said
Childerhose. “It’s a new experience,
but a good experience, and I’m
excited for the opportunity.”
N\cZfd\YXZb
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fully licensed
Main Phone
(204) 687-7527
Emergency
(204) 687-3221
Emergency 2
(204) 271-3208
PLAY HARD! HAVE FUN!
GOOD LUCK, BOMBERS!
www.flinfloninsurance.ca
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The Alum
Once a Bomber: Dustin
Tim Babcock
Bombers Reporter
Dustin Ernest played for the
Flin Flon Bombers from 1997
to 2001, and was an assistant
captain of the team that made
it to the final of the 2001 Royal
Bank Cup.
Ernest was born in Moose
Jaw and played all of his minor
hockey there growing up. The
year before he was drafted by
the Prince George Cougars of
the Western Hockey League,
he found his way up to Flin
Flon during summer holidays,
and a seed was planted.
“That’s how I knew where
Flin Flon was,” said Ernest. “I
found the history and and I was
interested in that. When I found
out that I was listed by the
Bombers, I was on game to
play there if I had a chance.”
Like most teenage boys
who grew up dreaming of playing in the NHL, Ernest knew
his best chance to realize that
dream would be to play in the
WHL with the Prince George
Cougars. For the first couple
years of his junior career, he
would spend a couple of months
in Prince George and then get
released to finish the year in
Flin Flon.
When he turned 18, Ernest
knew his chances of sticking
with the Cougars were getting
smaller, and he decided to skip
the Cougars’ camp and play the
entire season in Flin Flon,
submitted photo
Dustin Ernest in a mugshot
from his 1999-2000 season
with Flin Flon Bombers.
He went on to be assistant
coach for the club for three
years.
where he was quickly becoming a fan favourite.
“It was a lot of fun playing
there,” said Ernest of his time
in Flin Flon. “It took a lot of
hard work to make it there. It’s
funny how nowadays it seems
harder to get players to go up
there. Nobody gives it a chance
because it’s so far away.”
Part of what made it easy
for Ernest to embrace Flin Flon
were his billet parents, Tom
and Diane Therien. He remembers coach Larry Wintoneak
taking him to the Co-op to meet
what was supposed to be his
temporary billet.
“Tom wanted me to stay but
Diane wasn’t much of a hockey fan, but you kind of get
attached to people,” said Ernest.
“Diane said I was a good kid.
I think she maybe went to three
games the entire time I played
there, and those were during
the Royal Bank Cup.”
Ernest tries to make it to
Flin Flon once a year to visit
the Theriens, who also travel
to Moose Jaw to visit Ernest
and his two boys.
“We’ve made a connection,” said Ernest. “We’re part
of a family now. They were
great to me. I’ve got to know
their daughter and her
husband and their kids, and
it’s like having a family away
from family.”
Ernest played with a lot of
different players over his four
years with the team, many of
whom he stays in contact
with.
“I keep in touch with David
Boehme a lot,” said Ernest.
“He’s one of my really good
friends. We played together for
three years up there.
“Todd Hornung and I are
best friends. We still see each
other once or twice a month.”
Arland Eliason, Lyndon
Leard, Todd Alexander, Ben
Lulashnyk and Mark
Debusschere are others that
Ernest has stayed in touch with.
“Everybody has their family,
and it’s hard to get away,” he
said. “I have a lot of good
friendships and had a lot of
good teammates.”
One of those teammates is
Davor Durakovic, with whom
Ernest recently connected with
Ernest
over the phone. Durakovic, a
native of Slovenia, now splits
his time between Chicago and
Europe.
“It’s kind of neat, seeing
how everyone has come along
in their lives,” said Ernest. “It’s
all because of being a Bomber,
playing hockey and having
those connections.”
Ernest remembers what it
was like at this time of year, in
anticipation of a new season,
and notices how much things
have changed.
“I think the game has
changed a lot,” he said. “Back
when I played, we didn’t have
a lot of summer hockey. You
took the summer off because
you were burnt out.”
Now there are opportunities
to play hockey year-round, and
players almost have to stay on
the ice all year to keep up with
everybody else. “I have friends
with kids in Novice and they
keep them playing all year
round so they’ll be better than
the next kid coming up,” said
Ernest. “Back when I was playing, we worked out and did a
lot of cardio and weights in the
summer, but I didn’t start skating till a couple weeks before
camp. We didn’t have ice available, and the interest wasn’t
there.”
Ernest is now back in Moose
Jaw, working at a potash mine,
and is currently in his second
year as a boilermaker
apprentice. He has two young
boys, Kyren, 5, and Fynn, 2.
submitted photo
Now living in Moose Jaw, Dustin Ernest is father to two boys,
Kyren, 5 and Fynn, 2.
You can do it,
Bombers!
Where all our profits
stay in the community
We offer only the freshest
choices in groceries, produce,
meats, deli selections and
baked goods, and we have
a full service specialty meat
counter and meat cutters on
site to make sure you get the
cut you want, just how you
like it. We can even smoke
it for you with our on-site
smokehouse.
North Of 53 Consumers
Co-Operative Limited
has been a locally owned
and operated community
grocer serving Flin Flon
since 1946.
North Of 53 Consumers Co-Operative
29-31 Main Street
Flin Flon, MB R8A 1J5
www.flinfloncoop.com
Mon-Fri 8am-8pm
Saturday 8am-6pm
Sunday 12pm-6pm
His priorities may have
changed, but his love of the
game makes him seek out
the rink when he can.
“I do try and get to the
odd Warriors game, and get
to maybe five or six a year,”
he said. “I try to follow Flin
Flon when I can and see
how they are doing. You
always wish you were part
of the game, but eventually
you have to get a real job,
as they say.”
After Flin Flon, Ernest
played some semi-pro
hockey in the UHL and
CHL before hanging up his
skates in 2002-03 as a member of the Jacksonville
Barracudas of the ACHL.
“They wanted you to
fight all the time,” said
Ernest. “I wasn’t really getting anywhere.”
In January 2003, Ernest
once again found himself a
member of the Flin Flon
Bombers, this time behind
the bench as an assistant
coach with Troy Walkington.
He finished that season and
then came back for two
more after that.
This summer, Ernest
returned to Flin Flon for the
Roller Goodwin tournament, along with his two
boys.
“We were going around
the rink looking at all the
pictures, and I was in seven
pictures,” he said. “My kids
were laughing, ‘How come
you are in all these pictures,
dad?’ I guess I was here that
long. It was kind of neat for
them to see how I looked
back in the day, with my
greasy mullet.”
When asked if he had a
favourite story from his
time in Flin Flon, Ernest
was quick to acknowledge
that it was the people that
made his time here a good
experience. “All the amazing people that you meet,”
said Ernest. “They take you
ice fishing, have you over
for suppers, and really welcome you there. There are
a lot of people that give you
a hard time as well, but
that’s part of being a player.
The good people cancel out
all the crazies.”
Now Ernest’s focus is on
his boys, who are both a
little hockey crazy themselves. “They are hockey
nuts,” he said. “My fiveyear-old is going into his
second year. My two-yearold sleeps with his stick in
his bed.”
Asked if he had any
advice for the new team as
they prepare for a new
season, Ernest had this to
say: “If you want to play
in Flin Flon, I think you
have to be able to make
sure you are there for the
right reasons. Work as
hard as you can, and do the
best you can, and don’t go
out of your element. If you
are a goal scorer, don’t try
to be fighting the tough
guy. Do what you do that
got you there. Work hard,
and you’ll be loved. All
they want as fans is a good
effort, and that’s all you
can ask for.”
The Schedule
Date:
Time:
Visiting Team:
Home Team:
Friday,
September 19
Saturday,
September 20
Wednesday,
September 24
Friday,
September 26
Saturday,
September 27
Friday,
October 3
Saturday,
October 4
Saturday,
October 11
Tuesday,
October 14
Wednesday,
October 15
Friday,
October 17
Saturday,
October 18
Friday,
October 24
Wednesday,
October 29
Thursday,
October 30
Friday,
November 7
Saturday,
November 8
Sunday,
November 9
Wednesday,
November 12
Saturday,
November 15
Wednesday,
November 19
Saturday,
November 22
Sunday,
November 23
Friday,
November 28
Saturday,
November 29
Wednesday,
December 3
Friday,
December 5
7:30 pm CDT
Nipawin
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:30 pm CDT
Estevan
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
Humboldt
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
Notre Dame
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CDT
Battlefords
at
Flin Flon
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Humboldt
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Estevan
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Weyburn
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Notre Dame
7:30 pm CDT
Weyburn
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Yorkton
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:30 pm CST
Melville
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Kindersley
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melville
6:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Weyburn
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melfort
7:30 pm CST
Kindersley
at
Flin Flon
Date:
Time:
Visiting Team:
Home Team:
Saturday,
December 6
Tuesday,
December 9
Tuesday,
December 16
Wednesday,
December 17
Friday,
December 19
Saturday,
December 20
Sunday,
January 4
Tuesday,
January 6
Saturday,
January 10
Tuesday,
January 13
Friday,
January 16
Saturday,
January 17
Friday,
January 23
Saturday,
January 24
Tuesday,
January 27
Wednesday,
January 28
Friday,
January 30
Saturday,
January 31
Wednesday,
February 4
Friday,
February 6
Wednesday,
February 11
Friday,
February 13
Saturday,
February 14
Tuesday,
February 17
Friday,
February 20
Saturday,
February 21
Friday,
February 27
Saturday,
February 28
Tuesday,
March 3
7:30 pm CST
Estevan
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Nipawin
at
Flin Flon
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Humboldt
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Battlefords
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Battlefords
7:30 pm CST
Humboldt
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Notre Dame
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Kindersley
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Kindersley
7:30 pm CST
Yorkton
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Yorkton
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Estevan
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Weyburn
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Notre Dame
7:30 pm CST
Battlefords
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Melville
at
Flin Flon
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:30 pm CST
Nipawin
at
Flin Flo
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Nipawin
7:30 pm CST
Melfort
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Melville
7:30 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
Yorkton
7:00 pm CST
Flin Flon
at
LaRonge
7:30 pm CST
LaRonge
at
Flin Flon
7:30 pm CST
Nipawin
at
Flin Flon
Stay warm
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78 Third Avenue, Flin Flon, MB
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1 Park Ave, Flin Flon
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The Team
2014-2015
AJ Kapcheck
41
Position: Defence Shoots: Right
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 200
Birth Date: September 8, 1994
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Achievements: State Championship
Connor Slipp
Position: Goalie
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 180
Birth Date: January 13, 1996
Hometown: Calgary, AB
Achievements: Minor hockey week
champs 2011 with CCMI.
Favourite Quote/Saying:
Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose.
Mathew Smishek
Danys Chartrand
18
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 190
Hometown: Winnipeg, MB
Dean Allison
24
Position: Centre
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 185
Birth Date: April 21, 1994
Hometown: Surrey, BC
Achievements: 2012-13 BC & National
“Keystone Cup” Junior B champion
aspiration: Win the SJHL championship
Favourite Quote/Saying: Anything in life worth
doing is worth overdoing. Moderation is for cowards.
Michael Knaub
Neil Woolfrey
Alex Smith
20
Position: Centre
Shoots: Right
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 188
Birth Date: July 10, 1995
Hometown: Edmonton, AB
Achievements: 3-time Iline National Champs
Love the game, and it will love you back.
Dustin Perillat
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 179
Hometown: Saskatoon, SK
Achievements: NAHL Champs 2014
You miss 100 per cent of the shots you don’t take.
Nick Shumlanski
39
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 195
Birth Date: February 22, 1997
Hometown: Regina, SK
Achievements: Silver Inline Nationals/
Position: Forward
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’5”
Weight: 225
Hometown: Dortmund, Germany
Achievements: Bantam league champs/
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 180
Birth Date: May 15, 1995
Hometown: Corner Brook, NL
Achievements: Winning NL Major Midget
Position: Centre
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 142
Birth Date: June 12, 1997
Hometown: Tisdale, SK
Achievements: Bantam AA Provincial
Every day is a great day for hockey.
Favourite Quote/Saying: We come as a team.
We fight as a team. We win as a team.
Favourite Quote/Saying: What are y’at by/
If you’re not first, you’re last.
Every day’s a great day for hockey.
Simon Hofley
1
Tanner Lishchynsky
25
Provincial Champ Baseball
Position: Goalie
Shoots: Left
Height: 5’11.5”
Weight: 195
Hometown: Ottawa, ON
Achievements: Telus Cup top goaltender
Favourite Quote/Saying: Rise and rise again
until lambs become lions.
provincial champs.
League
Tyson Empey
22
Champion
Zach Garrett
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 180
Achievements: Winning the RBC Cup last
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 185
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 200
It’s a great day for hay.
year, Western Canada Cup and Canalta Cup
Birth Date: May 22, 1994
Hometown: Swift Current, SK
Hometown: Creighton, SK
Achievements: 2012-13 Most Improved
Get ’er done.
for the Bombers
Austin Evans
19
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Height: 5’8”
Weight: 155
Birth Date: November 6, 1994
Hometown: Whistler, BC
Achievements: Graduated High School
Work hard and have fun!
Erik Pedersen
27
Pos: Right Wing
Shoots: Right
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 175
Hometown: Aidrie, AB
Braden Lacoursiere
26
Chris Rauckman
16
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 205
Hometown: Unity, SK
Achievements: Midget AA League
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 190
Hometown: Wollaston Lake, SK
Achievements: National Aboriginal Hockey
Love the game, and it will love you back.
Favourite Quote/Saying: Losers do whatever
they want to do…winners do what they have to do.
Position: Left Wing
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 215
Birth Date: December 7, 1994
Hometown: Red Deer, AB
Achievements: Playing IIHF Roller Hockey
W.I.N. What’s.Important.Now.
Kristian St. Onge
12
23
Mason Etter
6
12
champs, 2013-14 Humanitarian Award
Evan Akkerman
14
Position: Forward
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 188
Hometown: Flin Flon, MB
Achievements: 2012 MBAAA All Star Game
Favourite Quote/Saying: Show class, have pride,
and display character. Winning will take care of itself.
Parker Evans-Campbell Robbie Cameron
21
8
Position: Centre
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 205
Hometown: High River, AB
Achievements: Unsung Hero and Best
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 184
Achievements: Flin Flon Bombers rookie
Go Bombers, Go!!!
Defence wins championships.
Defensive Player (Bombers 2013-14)
Bryson Aistine
23
of the year 2013-2014
champion
Position: Right/Left Wing Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 185
Achievements: Nominee for Aboriginal
Position: Defence
Shoots: Right
Height: 6’0”
Weight: 192
Hometown: Cedarburg, WI
Achievements: State Championships
Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is
progress, working together is success.
Youth Award
Favourite Quote/Saying: Way she goes,
best way to predict the future is to create it.
Seamus Maguire
13
Shane Kumar
Pos: RIght Wing/Centre Shoots: Right
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 186
Birth Date: December 31, 1995
Hometown: Victoria, BC
Achievements: Midget AA Provincials
Favourite Quote/Saying: To give anything less
than your best is to sacrifice this gift.
Position: Defence
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 194
Hometown: North Delta, BC
Achievements: Drafted to the WHL
Favourite Quote/Saying: You miss 100 per cent
of the shots you don’t take.
Flin Flon Bombers 2013-14
Record:
23-30-1-2
49 points, third in Sherwood
Playoffs:
Lost 3-2 to Estevan in survivor series
Leading scorer:
Austin Calladine, 46-17-17-34
Starting goaltender:
Simon Hofley, 11-13, .916 SP, 3.28 GAA
Goals for:139 Goals against: 169
* Players without jersey numbers shown have not yet been assigned
A preview of SJHL teams, 2014-15
The League
By Josh Lucas, Sports Editor, Estevan Mercury
La Ronge Ice WolvesCoach: Shawn Martin, 2nd season Melfort Mustangs
Having missed the playoffs the past
two seasons, the La Ronge Ice Wolves
are ready to start the season with seven
returning players.
The Wolves lost six players to
graduation and 20-year-olds Dasan
Sydora, Joren Johnson and Cole Golka
are also not back.
Other players were moved out in
trades, with the Wolves and Kindersley
Klippers swinging a blockbuster that
sent star forward Colby Daniels and
Dylan Tuskey to La Ronge for star
Owen Laclare and Rhett Kehoe.
“At that point, we wanted to change
the dynamic in our dressing room.
Owen wanted to go somewhere else,
and we immediately identified Colby
as the guy we wanted, and we went out
and got him,” said Ice Wolves head
coach Shawn Martin.
Tuskey is going to university, as is
20-year-old goaltender Tanner Kovacs,
who was acquired this summer.
With last year’s starter Tyler Fuhr
being at Regina Pats camp and his
status up in the air, the Wolves brought
in several goalies to compete for the
two spots.
The most notable are Kris Joyce, the
MVP of the Kootenay International
Junior Hockey League last year, and
former Swift Current Legionnaires
starter Luke Grassl. Both are 19.
“We’ll let (Fuhr’s situation) play out,
but we had to recruit like he wouldn’t
be here. He’s an option if things don’t
work out for him,” said Martin.
Up front, Daniels will be the go-to
guy after putting up 87 points the last
two years in Kindersley. He’s joined
Ice Wolves 2013-14
Record:
20-33-3-0
43 points, fourth in Sherwood
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Leading scorer: Sebastien Beauregard
56-32-25-57
Tyler Fuhr, 13-21, .903 SP, 3.68 GAA
by Jared Iron, who had 35 points last
year and is entering his fourth season.
“Iron had a pretty good year for us
last year. He’s had a long relationship
with Colby Daniels. They’ve played a
lot of hockey together in the past, so
obviously those two will be front and
centre,” said Martin.
Off-season pickups Cole Porter,
Matt Painchaud and Toby Shattler will
join returnees Kyle Campbell and
Connor Kortko in forming the supporting cast.
Defencemen back from last year
include Caley Bjork and Brandon
Hodge. “We’re confident in those guys
to lead the way,” said Martin.
Kyler Wilkinson, 20, and Kyle
Lamont, 19, were also added over the
summer to help out on the back end.
“It’ll be a little bit of a work in progress till everyone gets used to playing
with each other, but the final product
should be good on the ice,” Martin
said.
After missing the playoffs the last
two years, including Martin’s first
season behind the bench, he acknowledged it will be another building year,
with the focus on the future.
Melville Millionaires
The Melville Millionaires have
more bodies than they know what to
do with, at all positions.
Look no further than the number of
goaltenders competing for two spots in
training camp.
“The wide open thing is goaltending
right now. We have 11 coming to camp
and all of them could be the starter this
year. They’re not here for the experience. We brought all of them in to
compete,” said Millionaires head coach
Jamie Fiesel.
With more than half the team returning and plenty of players from all over
coming in to compete for spots —
Fiesel has brought in 14 Americans
alone — it’s anyone’s guess who will
fill out the depth positions.
“There are no real headliners (coming in), but when you return as many
as we do, you gotta expect that,” said
Fiesel.
Last year’s team surprised everyone, and most of that core is back, so
the Mils are excited about this season. “We have high expectations
every year. We even had them last
year when we only had four returning
guys. I think we were the only ones
that did. I don’t think it’ll be as much
of a surprise this year that we expect
to be in contention.”
Fiesel said the team’s biggest
strength isn’t necessarily on the ice.
“I think it’s our overall leadership,
because we had a culture change last
year in how we did things, the guys
bought in and it definitely helped with
the success we had. Those kids are
back, and they have the work ethic we
Coach: Jamie Fiesel, 11th season
Millionaires 2013-14
Record:
34-16-2-4
74 points, second in Viterra
Playoffs: Lost 4-0 to Yorkton
in league final
Leading scorer: Colin Mospanchuk
53-20-28-48
Isaiah Plett, 28-13-4, .924 SP, 2.37 GAA
expect and things to make ourselves
better. We don’t have the superstars on
paper that scare people, but we’ve got
a very solid group and good leadership
and that’ll be the key.”
Landon Farrell (37 points) and
Allen Kilback (33 in 28 games) are the
team’s top remaining forwards.
Fiesel noted the likes of Reed
Murray and Lane Harbor will be part
of the supporting cast.
“We definitely have numbers at
forward, especially with the recruits we
brought in. There’s going to be some
tough decisions up front, that’s for
sure.”
On the blue line, Hubic will be a key
player, should he play there, while Cole
Berreth and Joseph Sutherland will
also be relied on.
As with the forwards, a lot will
depend on who comes back from WHL
camps. “If you get a Devan Fafard
back, our D looks different again.
We’re real deep and there are lots of
options,” Fiesel said.
Last year, it was a big surprise when
the Mils contended for first place in the
Viterra Division. It certainly won’t be
this year.
After three seasons in various
stages of rebuilding, the Melfort
Mustangs believe they’re ready to
make a deep run.
Last year was an encouraging step
forward for the Mustangs, as they finished over the .500 mark and won the
weak Sherwood Division.
They have 18 players returning, and
head coach Trevor Blevins pulled no
punches about the team’s expectations
in his first full season.
“Our goal is to win a championship
here, no question. I just think we’ve
got the makeup to compete for that
SJHL championship and we’ve got the
veteran presence. We feel we’ve got
the chemistry in the dressing room. I
think all the pieces are here. It’s just a
matter of making sure it all comes
together throughout the season,” he
said.
Travis Mayan had a strong rookie
season with 42 points, and he and
20-year-olds Adam Fauchoux (38 points)
and Cole Hyrsky (36 points) will be at
the core of the team’s attack.
“Up front, we have a solid returning
core there with some skill. We’ve got
some very solid veterans. We’ve got a
really good core of forwards back. We
just need to add some pieces and hopefully we can be a contender,” Blevins
said.
Returning defencemen David Heath,
Jay Aasen and Riley Boomgaarden will
be leaders on the back end. Preston
Eshenko left to go to college, so the
team acquired 20-year-old Luc Lemire
from the Camrose Kodiaks.
Blevins is high on Lemire, who had
Coach: Trevor Blevins, 1st full season
Mustangs 2013-14
Record:
26-23-1-6
59 points, first in Sherwood
Playoffs: Lost 4-2 to Humboldt
in quarterfinals
Leading scorer: Anthony Pickering
53-19-34-53
Austin Rediron, 15-11-1, .910 SP, 2.59 GAA
23 points last year. “He’s a very solid
two-way defenceman. The only veteran we lost is Preston Eshenko, and
we felt the need to get a veteran presence on back end. Luc was a former
Prince Albert Minto for three seasons,
and it was a nice fit to get him back
here in Saskatchewan.
Melfort also has a full crop of rookies that will be expected to contribute
at both ends of the ice, highlighted by
Teal Sobkowicz, captain of the Telus
Cup champion Mintos, and third-round
Brandon Wheat Kings pick Dakota
Boutin.
The Mustangs had eight goalies in
training camp, with some of them challenging returning 20-year-olds Austin
Rediron and Jack Romanuik. The two
split games last year and Blevins said
if that is the tandem again, they will go
with the hot hand.
“That’s the way it goes all year,
right. Will we have a definite No. 1?
Who knows, that’ll play out throughout
the year. We’ll give either goaltender
a chance, and if they’re playing well,
it is about wins and losses, so we’ll
make sure we take care of that.”
Battlefords North Stars
It has been an off-season of change
for the Battlefords North Stars, but
fourth-year head coach Kevin
Hasselberg is optimistic about this
year’s squad. “We’re doing a bit of a
facelift,” he said.
Last year, the Stars were unbeatable
in the second half and made it to the
SJHL semis. A good deal of the core is
gone through graduation and trades,
but Hasselberg expects the club to go
at least as far as it did in 2013-14.
Over the summer, the North Stars
jettisoned key forward Luke McColgan,
defenceman Latrell Charleson and last
year’s strong backup Darren Martin in
trades, and also lost forwards Blake
Young (university) and Jack Petrino
(NAHL).
Added to the roster were starting
goalie Spencer Tremblay, forwards
Adam Smith, Matthew Saharchuk and
Carson Boehm, along with defencemen
Michael Statchuk and Brock Weston.
Hasselberg hinted that there were
trade requests.
“At the end of the day, every player
has to do what’s best for themselves. A
lot of players have guidance and advice
and make opinions based on their
evaluations of the current situation, and
we have to respect that. Our obligation
is to our players, and part of that obligation is to have players who want to
be part of your program,” he said.
“We’re really excited about the
players coming to camp, and they’re
coming for the right reasons. They
believe in our program.”
Tremblay, 20, has some major
junior experience, but struggled last
Coach:
Kevin Hasselberg, 4th season
North Stars 2013-14
Record:
36-17-0-3
75 points, first in Kramer
Playoffs: Lost 4-1 to Melville
in semifinals
Leading scorer: Cam Blair, 39-19-24-43
Starting goaltender: Michael
Gudmandson, 20-3-1, .944 SP, .174 GAA
year with the BCHL’s Chilliwack
Chiefs, with a 5.15 goals-against average and .878 save percentage in 25
games.
Still, the Stars have faith in his
ability.
“We’re very confident in Spencer.
He’s got a great attitude. He’s got a lot
to improve in his game, but he wants to
be a player and to lead this team and
help our team be successful.”
Although there are some returning
20-year-olds, youth will be important
this year, with the likes of Jake
McMillen, Reed Delainey and Regan
Yew up front and Kendall Fransoo and
Robin Yew on the blue line.
On the blue line, veteran Jake
Erickson and youngsters Fransoo and
Robin Yew are back. Statchuk and
Weston are also expected to be key
contributors.
“We’re not going to have guys like
Latrell (Charleson) and Dillon (Forbes)
with their size, but we will have strong
skating defencemen with creativity and
the ability to do different things on the
rush. We’re going to look different, but
that’s exciting for us as coaches,” said
Hasselberg.
Nipawin Hawks
After a year in which they were
knocked out in the survivor series, the
Nipawin Hawks have an especially
good reason for wanting to get better.
“We’re pretty excited about this
season. It’s our 30th anniversary, so we
want to make it special for our fans. I
think if you’re not going into every
season with the focus on winning
championships, you’ve got the wrong
attitude. That being said, there are 11
other teams. We think we’ve assembled
a team to give us a good chance,” said
fifth-year head coach Doug Johnson.
The team’s biggest strength could
be on the blue line, where 20-year-old
Reece Forman is joined by a trio of
19-year-olds in Jivan Sidhu, Jayden
Piattelli and Zackary Klebaum.
“Our back end should be significantly better than last year. We have
four guys returning and all four played
significant minutes last year,” said
Johnson. “It’s a diverse group, especially when you add our recruits,” he
added, saying Forman and Piattelli will
be key pieces of the puzzle.
“If Sidhu isn’t in the top 20 in scoring, I think we’ve failed him. He wants
to succeed and be the offensive catalyst
we think he can be. Klebaum can
anchor that D corps.”
Joe O’Brien was a rookie starter last
year and posted a strong .927 save
percentage. Johnson believes the
American will be better this year.
“He understands the league better
and also the country better. Hockey in
Canada is different than hockey in the
US. “He’s not the biggest guy and he’s
not the most athletic guy, but he’s very
technically sound. He has great focus
on the game and is a student of the
game. He understands what will happen and reads the play well. He’s a year
Coach: Doug Johnson, 5th season
Nipawin Hawks 2013-14
Record:
25-27-1-3
54 points, second in Sherwood
Playoffs: Lost 3-1 to Notre Dame
in survivor series
Leading scorer: Tad Kozun, 56-38-27-65
Joe O’Brien, 13-15-3, .927 SP, 2.57 GAA
older and a year wiser. He’s not the
young guy any more. We need him to
be our quarterback back there and help
our with breakouts and rushes and be
a vocal leader on the ice.”
Putting the puck in the net, however, could be an issue for this year’s
edition of the Hawks.
“Losing (Tad) Kozun, (Tayler)
Balog and (Mitch) Doell, our top three
scorers from last year, obviously scoring goals is going to be at a premium,
so we change our philosophy a bit,
focus on special teams and hope the
young guys have done their work this
summer,” said Johnson.
Carter Danczak is the team’s top
returning scorer with 13 goals and 31
points last season. Garret Lockeridge
(23), Kris Spriggs (22), Evan Mignault
(22) and Carter Coben (21) will also
have to contribute.
A pair of off-season trade pickups
will also be leaned on in the effort to
score goals.
“We’re pretty excited to have
Torrin Grange and Chase Thudium in
the fold. They’re two key acquisitions
that give us a deeper scoring group
than we had last year. We don’t want
to be a one-line team. We need to have
four lines that can put the puck in the
net, and hopefully we’ve assembled a
group that can do that.”
Estevan Bruins
Whether the Estevan Bruins sink or
swim this season will depend on the
performances of their 18 and 19-yearolds. The Bruins will rely heavily on
their youngsters this year to take them
deep into the playoffs. Is there some
danger in this approach? “Absolutely,”
said head coach and general manager
Chris Lewgood.
“You’re relying on inexperienced
players and as a staff, we have to make
sure we prepare them properly and
bring them along and put them in situations in which they can succeed.”
However, the Bruins are bidding to
host the Western Canada Cup in 2016
and by running with a core of players
that can return next season, they hope
to be in good position should they host
the tournament.
“That’s the centrepiece of our
hockey team, is our ’95s and ’96s. The
young guys are really the guys we
expect to make a difference for us this
year,” Lewgood said.
Key players up front will also
include second-years Lynnden
Pastachak, Keegan Allison and Jason
Duret, along with 20-year-old wingers
Wyatt Garagan and R.T. Rice.
With the Bruins losing their top six
scorers from last year, Allison is the
highest remaining producer, with 10
goals and 21 points last year. He carved
out a reputation as a hard-working,
gritty forward who wins battles for the
puck and can bang in a few.
Jason Duret was acquired in a midseason trade and filled a void down the
middle, with seven goals and 16 points
in 29 games with the Bruins.
Chris Thorimbert and Keaton
Longpre will also be expected to contribute more as sophomores.
“Some of our young players have to
Coach: Chris Lewgood, 2nd season
Estevan Bruins 2013-14
Record:
27-20-3-6
63 points, third in Viterra
Playoffs: Lost 4-1 to Battlefords
in quarterfinals
Leading scorer: Austin Daae
55-30-41-71
Matt Gibney, 19-21-3, 2.99 GAA, .912 SP
come into their own physically. We need
some of these young guys to reach their
potential, and we need to be healthier
than we were last year. Last year was a
year filled with injuries. Even an average year (injury-wise) would have
helped us,” Lewgood said.
Estevan’s back end is expected to
be a strength, anchored by overeager
David Robertson and 19-year-olds
Zach Douglas and Nolan Nicholas.
“I think we have among the best
blue lines in the SJHL, and I’m confident we can, as a result, compete with
anybody in the league.”
Newcomer Josh Rieger has been at
the top of the team’s prospect list for
years and there are high hopes for fellow rookies Mason Benning and Cody
Durdle.
Between the pipes, 19-year-old
Brett Lewchuk takes over from outgoing starter Matt Gibney. Lewchuk was
sidelined for two months with an
injury, but was stellar in the 13 games
he did play, with an 8-2-2 record and
.923 save percentage.
Lewgood said the club is “very”
confident in having Lewchuk in the
crease most nights. “He stops the puck.
He’s not a big goaltender. He’s fundamentally sound, athletic and most importantly, competitive. The bottom line is
he keeps the puck out of the net.”
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Humboldt Broncos
Ryan Smith’s first big challenge as
the new head coach and general manager of the Humboldt Broncos is to find
a starting goalie.
The Broncos lost both of last year’s
star rookies over the summer. Ryland
Pashovitz, who broke some SJHL
records in a spectacular year, has joined
Waterloo of the USHL. His backup,
Cade Spencer, has decided not to play
hockey this year.
Smith said several goalies would be
coming in to compete for spots, including 18-year-old Brandon Holtby from
the Tisdale Trojans.
Smith, the reigning MJHL coach of
the year in Selkirk, was not hired to
replace legendary coach Dean
Brockman until late August, meaning
he didn’t have much time to familiarize
himself with his new team.
“I’m inheriting a team. I personally
have a few feelers out on players, but
I have not recruited anyone personally.
That was all done by Dean and Brayden
(Klimosko),” said Smith. “It’s huge shoes to fill. (Brockman)
is a real good person and he’s an excellent coach. His track record speaks for
itself. When you think about the SJHL
and coaching in particular, his name
comes up right away. I’m not naive to
think there isn’t pressure. I realize I’ll
be under a microscope, and I think
people will be curious to see how it
works out.”
After reaching the league semifinals
last year, Smith sees his team as a contender this season.
“I believe that we have a good
nucleus. I think the players we had last
year grew as a group and grew as a
team ... I think we have a strong team
and we’ll make some noise and be in
contention. ”
Coach: Ryan Smith, 1st season
Broncos 2013-14
Record:
31-20-1-4
67 points, third in Kramer
in semifinals
Leading scorer: Jarrett Fontaine,
56-15-21-36
Ryland Pashovitz, 18-8-3, .948 SP, 1.60 GAA
Jarrett Fontaine, Ryan Aubertin,
Dylan Fluter and Gray Marr are among
the Broncos’ top returning forwards
and will be expected to lead the way.
“I think you’ll see Gray Marr step
up. He had a pretty good year last year.
He’s going to come into his own,” said
Smith.
The Broncos scored only 146 goals
last year, putting them 10th in the
league, but Smith believes he can help
change that.
“I think we have a group that has
struggled to score some goals, but I
think we have some players who can
score, I just don’t think they have the
confidence right now. We’re going to
try to pull that out of them.
“Our forwards are fast, strong, they
compete hard, they’re very well disciplined. There’s just a little lack of
confidence in the goal scoring department and offensive play.”
On the blue line, Smith said Greg
Moro and Connor Swystun will need
to step up.
“Our back end is very strong. It will
probably be our most competitive position in our camp. With five or six guys
returning and some high end recruits,
it is going to be a big strength of ours
this year. Our back end is going to be
a battle to get on the ice and get into
the lineup.”
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The bodies are there. Now it’s time
for them to prove they can play leading
roles on a good team.
The Notre Dame Hounds have
almost their entire team back from last
year, but that alone isn’t enough for
first-year head coach Clint Mylymok
to declare them a contender.
“Our expectations are always to be
competitive. We’ll see where things
shake out over the first 10 or so games,
then we’ll have a better idea. There’s
some depth on the team. We have bodies, but will the bodies translate into
scoring and what we need? We’ll find
out pretty quick at training camp,” said
Mylymok, who has been an assistant
coach to Kevin White the last two
years.
The Hounds have a full complement
of forwards back, led by star sniper
Sam Aulie, who is entering his final
year. “Sam scored 26 goals, and surprisingly 17 assists. I think most people
would think he’d have the opposite
numbers, based on his style of play, but
that tells you the sky’s the limit for
him,” said Mylymok.
Ian Williams is entering his third
season and had 35 points in just 42
games last year, with Mylymok pointing out he needs to stay healthy. The
likes of Ryan Donovan (30 points),
Dion Antisin and Jared Martin will also
be expected to lead offensively.
On the back end, 20-year-olds
Austin Lightfoot and Yanni Mamais
will be relied upon, along with secondyears Spencer Trapp and Nathan
Walsh.
In goal, 19-year-olds Alexi
Thibaudeau and Brett Soles return, but
Mylymok said it might not be easy to
keep them both happy. Thibaudeau was
the starter last year.
Coach: Clint Mylymok, 1st season
Hounds 2013-14
Record:
22-27-2-5
51 points, fourth in Kramer
in quarterfinals
Leading scorer: Sam Aulie, 55-26-17-43
Starting goaltender: Alexi Thibaudeau,
15-20-4, .910 SP, 2.69 GAA
“Having two 1995s in year one it’s
easy, they’re both excited and young
and happy to play. This year? It’s
hard to carry two guys in the same
birth year, unless you’re in the NHL.
I don’t anticipate it being a perfect
situation if they’re both here, but if
they are, you make the best of it and
go with the hot hand.”
Mylymok believes team attention
to defence will be a strength, but he
isn’t sold on the team’s ability to
score.
“You look at it and you would think
they know how to play defence. It’s a
team that you look at the guys coming
back, they’re very responsible two-way
players. I think that’s a strength. I don’t
look at it and go, ‘Jeez, I don’t know
if they can play defence or not.’ That
should be something that, yes, we’ll be
working on, but if I have to spend more
time on that than teaching them how to
score goals, we’re in trouble.”
The Kramer Division was tight
last year, and with the Hounds likely
to ice an improved squad, it should
be a dogfight. “You look at the teams
and the year they had last year, and I
anticipate it’ll be another tight division, with a lot of tough points to
earn. The whole SJ, on any given
night, as soon as your players take
someone for granted, you lose.”
Providing you with the
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with made to order:
Fruit Trays
Vegetable Trays
Daintie Trays
Meat & Cheese Trays
Cakes & Cupcakes
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We deliver twice a day!
Plus, we’ll make up & deliver orders for
exploration companies & fly-out camps
Eddie’s Family Foods
306-688-3426
557 South Hudson St., Flin Flon, SK
STORE HOURS
M-F 8 am - 9 pm
SAT 9 am - 6 pm
SUN 11 am - 5 pm
Yorkton Terriers
Last year, the Yorkton Terriers did
what every Junior A franchise in
Canada dreams of by winning the
RBC Cup — and in dramatic fashion.
Despite their run to the top, the
Terriers have most of their forwards
back and should be able to score on a
regular basis. Unlike past squads, however, the Dogs could struggle in their
own end, losing all but two defencemen
and goaltender Kale Thomson.
“It’s different in that in the last three
or four years, we’ve always known we
have our top three defencemen pencilled in. That’s a big change,” said
Yorkton head coach Trent Cassan.
Despite being crowned national
champions, Cassan said the goal
remains the same this year and the team
Coach: Trent Cassan, 5th season
can’t rest on its laurels. “I hope they
come back very hungry and motivated.
We don’t expect or tolerate any kind of
complacency. Our guys still have to be
humble and know that it’s a new year.
It’s a very good league.
“Last year was obviously a tremendous year and a great year for the organization, but that means we have to work
that much harder this year to maintain
the foundation that’s been built.”
A strong group is back up front, led
by 19-year-old Kailum Gervais, who
had 32 points in 46 games last year. The
likes of Tyson Enzie, Zach Zadorozniak
and Dylan Johnson, who each had 20
points last year, will need to step up.
The team also added Kurt Johnas, who
scored 17 goals in Virden last year.
Weyburn Red Wings
In a league where 10 of 12 teams
make the playoffs, missing the dance
two years straight doesn’t often happen, and the Weyburn Red Wings are
aiming to get back in this year.
The Wings lost only a handful of
players to graduation, but a few other
players won’t be back.
“We’ll see who shows up at training
camp. It happens in major junior and
it happens in Junior A. I’m not sure if
it’s burnout for players, but some kids
decide to walk away from the game,”
said second-year head coach Bryce
Thoma.
Ty McLean, who led the club in
scoring as an 18-year-old, is believed
to be among the players not returning
to the club.
In addition, last year’s starter,
17-year-old Rylan Parenteau, was trying out with the Prince Albert Raiders.
Thoma said he won’t be back whether
he makes the WHL or not. That leaves returning backup Jack
Burgart, along with four other goalies
Thoma said would be attending training camp.
“It’ll be no different than last year,
we’ll start with three and get down to
our two,” he said.
Up front, the Red Wings will need
several players to help get the job done,
including returning captain Josh Lees
(26 points) and Jon Brumwell (23).
There is also a solid group of returning
youngsters, including Jacob Jeske,
Matt Eng, Donavon Lumb, Nick
Pouliot and Braden Mellon.
“We kept three 17-year-old forwards last year who all played very
well for us, especially in the second
half of the year, in Lumb, Mellon and
Pouliot. We expect them to take a step
forward and be better players, and Eng
Coach: Bryce Thoma, 2nd season
Red Wings 2013-14
Record:
21-28-3-4
49 points, fourth in Viterra
Playoffs: Did not qualify
Leading scorer: Ty McLean
51-15-27-42
Starting goaltender: Rylan Parenteau,
16-22-2, .926 SP, 2.72 GAA
and Jeske to build on the years they had
last year. “Having a big centreman like Jon
Brumwell, who plays a very honest
game, is definitely an asset to have
down the middle,” Thoma added.
“I don’t think we’re a team that has
one guy that’s going to put up 75 points.
We’re going to win by committee, with
good goaltending, good defence and
being strong up the middle.”
Colton Laroque and Mason
Anderson will be two of the leading
men on the back end.
“The blue line is always a work in
progress. It’s a tough position to play,
along with being a goalie. Any time
you make a mistake on the back end,
it’s in your net.”
Thoma said having Lees back is
encouraging.
“At the end of the day, it depends
on who shows up at camp. It’s a work
in progress and I think Josh Lees,
returning as our captain, is a guy who’s
going to be relied on to lead the way
on and off the ice. I think it starts with
him. He’s a guy who wants to be in
Weybyurn and is from Weyburn. He’s
our captain and heart and soul.
“We missed the playoffs by one
point, so obviously our goal is to make
the playoffs this year. I think that’s
every team’s goal.”
The Flin Flon Bombers are a proud
tradition in the Flin Flon area.
Good Luck in the
2014/2015 Season!
Clarence Pettersen
MLA for Flin Flon Constituency
Box 331, 33 Church Street
Phone: 204-687-3367 | Fax: 204-687-3398
Flin Flon, MB R8A 1N1
[email protected] | ClarencePettersen.ca
Terriers 2013-14
Record:
37-12-2-5
81 points, first in Viterra
Playoffs: Won Canalta Cup and RBC Cup
Leading scorer: Brett Boehm
48-31-35-66
Kale Thomson, 31-11-3, .934 SP, 1.89 GAA
On the blue line, the Terriers have
lost the undisputedly best top three
group in the league, in Chase Norrish,
Brady Norrish and Devon McMullen.
“Those guys were dynamic, exceptional players and exceptional leaders.
(Dallas) Rossiter and (Dylan) Baer are
both good-sized guys. They’re going to
get a lot more responsibility than they’ve
had in the past, but we’re not putting a
whole lot of pressure on them either.
Cassan said he was working on adding a veteran defenceman. “With the
amount of turnover we have, there’s
going to be four or five rookies on the
back end. If we can have one more
veteran back there, that would help.”
Backup goaltender Riley Medves is
back and the team has brought in some
other options for the No. 1 job. “When
Riley got an opportunity to play, he
played very well, but as a 20-year-old,
he’s going to be challenged.”
With a team much different than the
kind of club they’re used to icing, the
Terriers may not be at the top of the
standings again, but their aim is to
contend.
“Our ‘94s have played in a lot of big
games over the last couple of years and
have learned what it takes to get to the
top, and now they’re going to have to
learn what it takes to try to stay on top.”
Kindersley Klippers
It’s tough to find a weakness on
the Kindersley Klippers. After two
significant off-season trades, the
Klippers are looking to contend for
the second straight year, with better
results than last season’s quarterfinal
sweep, they hope.
It was a busy summer for head
coach and general manager Rockie
Zinger. One of the two major deals saw
the team flip leading scorer Colby
Daniels to the La Ronge Ice Wolves for
19-year-old star Owen LaClare.
“LaClare is a big physical presence. You really notice him. Every
time we played them up in La Ronge,
he was always around the paint, right
in that area. He gets a lot of goals
down there. He’s hard to contain
along the wall. He’s big, he skates
well, he doesn’t shy away from those
hard areas. He’s a proven player who
(tripled) his point total last year.”
“We also needed to rebuild our
right side. (Cody) Thiel, (Brandon)
Lauder and (Eric) Pouliot were gone.
We took one of our assets, a left
winger, which we had a few of, and
moved one of them to try to acquire
a guy on the right side.”
The summer’s other big trade sent
starting goalie Tyrell King to B.C.,
with the Klippers getting defenceman
Joel Webb in return.
Zinger said with 17-year-old
backup Evan Weninger looking so
impressive, it was a chance to add an
asset somewhere else.
“Weninger’s going to be the best
goalie in the league. Tyrell King was
unreal for us, but so was Evan
Weninger. From a position of strength,
we needed to acquire a defenceman,
because we were losing (Austin)
Yano and (Jared) Pilet, who logged a
Coach: Rockie Zinger, 4th season
Klippers 2013-14
Record:
34-16-3-3
74 points, second in Kramer
Playoffs: Lost to Melville 4-0
in quarterfinals
Leading scorer: Colby Daniels
55-13-28-41
Tyrell King, 23-13-3, .930 SP, 2.16 GAA
lot of minutes. We needed someone
to plug into that situation.”
Zinger said Weninger is “phenomenally quick down low and gets from
post to post. The other thing is he’s
unfazed. He has an ability to release
the past. He lives in the moment ... it
seems like the bigger the game, the
better he plays.”
LaClare joins a forward group
with a lot of weapons, including
Stefen Seel (38 points) and Connor
Garden (29). “I think we have to have
a balanced attack. We’re not built to
have one line that just goes, goes,
goes,” Zinger said.
Another strength for the Klippers
is on the back end, with Shaun
MacPherson back from Portland.
“Shaun MacPherson has the ability, in my mind, to be the best
defenceman in our league ... I think
he’s going to be the core of it, and
then you’ve got Joel Webb. He’s
going to step in and be a top four
defenceman for us.
“You look at guys who logged a
lot of ice time last year with little
fanfare, in (Branden) Scheidl and
(Conner) Veroba. They got overlooked a bit. If they can take steps in
the right direction, that’s a pretty
solid nucleus to work with.”
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