BY KELLY FRIESEN
JOURNAL EDITOR
Bob Woods is heading back to Saskatchewan.
The LeRoy native was named the Saskatoon Blades' new general manager and head coach on June 2.
"I'm really excited to go back to Saskatchewan," said Woods. "I grew up there and have a lot of family still there. My parents still live in LeRoy and I have sisters and brothers all over the country (including a sister in Humboldt and a sister in Annaheim)."
Woods joins the Blades with an extremely impressive hockey resume. He spent five years in the NHL as an assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks and Washington Capitals. In addition, he won a Calder Cup as a player, assistant coach and head coach with the AHL's Hershey Bears.
Woods, 44, left his assistant coach position with the Ducks to take the Blades' opening. His road to eventually accepting the position all started with a phone call from the Blades' trainer, Steve Hildebrand.
"I found out about the position from Steve Hildebrand; he's a family friend of ours," said Woods, who is believed to be one of the highest paid executives in the Western Hockey League. "Steve put in a word and told me about what the job involved. Then I put in my name and was contacted and that's when the process started. I talked with the owner (Mike Priestner) and spent three hours on the phone with his son and managing partner Colin (Priestner). It's been a whirlwind, but I'm happy that it all came together."
Becoming a WHL architect and bench boss is a lifelong dream of Woods. He has had a desire to return to the league ever since he left the Brandon Wheat Kings as a player in the late '80s for the pros.
"I've kept up on the league since I left Brandon," he said. "I've always been interested in the league and have paid attention to the standings and how teams are doing."
The addition of Woods is the first major hire done by Mike Priestner, the Blades' new majority owner. Priestner, who's also the CEO of Go Auto, bought the team from Jack Brodsky last September for roughly $9 million.
Woods takes over from former GM Lorne Molleken and bench boss Dave Struch, who were both let go by the club at the end of March.
Woods is ultimately taking charge of a major junior team that is heading into their second year of an extended rebuild. The Bridge City Boys weren't in the playoff mix last season with a 16-51-2-3 record. They sat at the bottom of the East Division because their cupboard was extremely thin after Molleken sold the farm in 2011 to acquire Brayden Schenn from the Wheat Kings and loaded up in 2013 to host the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
Despite the notable challenges, Woods believes he will be able to build the Blades up to a contender by 2016-17.
"I think three years is enough time to put together a very competitive team," said Woods. "Saskatoon has never won a championship and that's the goal (to win their first title). We want to get better every year and move forward towards our goal."
As for this upcoming year, the Blades' goal is to get back into the second season. This isn't out of the question because they have a handful of high-end players returning next year such as Russian sniper Nikita Scherbak, stay-at-home defenceman Nelson Nogier and skilled blueliner Jordan Thomson. It will, however, be an uphill battle as the Bridge City Boys need a lot of things to go right to crack the Eastern Conference's top eight.
