YORKTON - A former member of the Estevan Bruins is back in the SJHL, as he has been hired as the new head coach and general manager of the Yorkton Terriers.
The board of directors of the Terriers has announced Emery Olauson to fill the dual role left vacant when Mat Hehr left the team earlier this month.
Olauson joins the Terriers from Invermere, B.C., where he was head coach/general manager of the Columbia Valley Rockies in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League.
Olauson does have previous experience in the SJHL as his junior playing career included time with the Estevan Bruins and Weyburn Red Wings and his coaching career started in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Flin Flon Bombers.
Olauson played parts of two seasons in Estevan. He was shipped to the Estevan Bruins by the Weyburn Red Wings in a five-player deal at the trade deadline in the 2000-01 SJHL season. He remained with the Bruins until the following January, when he was traded to the Topeka Scarecrows of the U.S. Hockey League.
Since then he has coached in the Southern Professional Hockey League, KIJHL and Maritime Junior Hockey League.
“This opportunity means a lot to me and my family,” said Olauson in a Terriers' news release. “Having played in the SJHL, I have a great appreciation for the league and joining a storied franchise like Yorkton is a responsibility I take very seriously. I am grateful to Corvyn (Neufeld) and the Yorkton Terriers' board for their trust in me and I look forward to working with the staff and players to build a championship calibre team in Yorkton.”
“On behalf of our board of directors, I am thrilled to welcome Emery and his wife Lauren and their three boys Porter, Anders and Bodhi to Yorkton,” stated team president Neufeld in the same release. “Emery is a leader with a track record of success every where he has been. He is focused on developing players on and off the ice. He understands our commitment to this community and we are confident he will build on the Yorkton Terriers’ long history of success.
“We look forward to working with Emery through the upcoming season.
Olauson will be in Yorkton in time to oversee the Terriers' fall camp from Sept. 1-3.
The club also announced that assistant coaches Scott Musqua and Zach Rakochy will be returning for the 2023-24 season.
