There are three new coaches learning to guide a team behind a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) bench in the Viterra Division this season with each hoping to place their own stamp on their respective club while also looking to advance the gains made under the previous regime.
“I was involved with the team the last three years,” said Wes Rudy, who took over the head coaching duties of the Weyburn Red Wings from Bryce Thoma this off-season. “Bryce had a (plan) going forward and if it isn’t broke don’t fix it. So, (we’ll) just keep moving forward that way.”
The Red Wings finished atop the Viterra Division last season, but they’ll enter 2016-17 without star netminder Jack Burgart and high-scoring forwards Aidan Teilborg and Drake Glover. Rudy said the club is welcoming back top scorer Braden Mellon and has acquired veteran goaltender Nathan Hargrave from the Kindersley Klippers to help make up for the losses.
“We’ve got a good core of guys coming back this year,” said Rudy. “We’re happy with what we have and it’s a good mix with the young guys coming in.”
The Melville Millionaires head towards a new direction in 2016-17 with former Nipawin Hawks assistant coach Devin Windle taking over the top job from Jamie Fiesel, whose contract was not renewed after the club finished at the bottom of the SJHL last season. Windle will have returning scorers Tyler Kreklewich and Keegan Milligan to count on this season, while Teal Sobkowicz, a 20-year-old forward acquired from the Melfort Mustangs, is expected to provide some leadership.
Longtime Yorkton Terriers assistant coach Casey O’Brien will also be taking over the head coaching and general manager duties this season after Trent Cassan moved on to the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen as an assistant coach earlier this month. O’Brien inherited a young team with a lot of potential led by twin brothers Carson and McKenzie Welke up front and Regan Seiferling and Tyler Baier on the blue line.
Chris Lewgood, who is entering his fourth season as head coach and general manager of the Estevan Bruins, said his goal this season is just to have his new crop of players improve after the club saw most of its veterans move on after the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup in early May. He said they are just setting short-term goals at this point and the main one is being a winning team out of the gates and from there they’ll look to build.
“I don’t believe returning players make a team a favourite,” said Lewgood. “What you do when you get to the rink makes you a favourite. Our division is going to be hard fought this year and I think it’s going to be lots of parity.”
