After going through a list of 35 applicants, extensive interviews and reference checks, the Weyburn Red Wings board of directors decided to stay local, and hired assistant coach Wes Rudy as the new head coach, and Tanner McCall as the new general manager and head scout.
The two men were introduced at the formal announcement by the Red Wings on Tuesday at Crescent Point Place.
Once the search committee received all the applications, they shortlisted the group down to six applicants, explained Wings president Brent Stephanson, and long interviews were conducted with all of them.
In addition, the committee members talked to people in the hockey world about the applicants, along with checking out their references, and in the end, Rudy and McCall were chosen as the new coach and GM respectively.
“There were people with coaching credentials, but they don’t know the community or the players,” said Stephanson, adding there were also applicants with NHL experience, but when they were checked out, they didn’t have any coaching experience.
“Playing the game doesn’t mean you can coach the game,” he said. “After talking with the guys (on the board), we kind of thought the guys we have already here are the most knowledgable about the team and the game.”
He noted Rudy’s family is here, not to mention he is familiar with all of the players, and with the direction the board would like to see the team take in the future.
As for McCall, he pointed out that as an assistant to former coach Bryce Thoma in his GM role, he helped out greatly with the bantam draft.
“He knows so much about the game, he knows details about every roster in the SJHL. He’s looking five years down the road for the Red Wings, not just at this year,” said Stephanson, adding he is knowledgable about junior hockey throughout western Canada, not just in Saskatchewan, plus he is also a scout for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL. This means he brings his contacts and knowledge of players at the major junior level as well as at the Junior A level.
A possible advantage could be taking on a 17-year-old who’s too young to play at the WHL level, and rather than sending him down to midget AAA, the Red Wings could play him for a year before moving up to the WHL level, said Stephanson.
“Tanner has coaching experience too. We were all impressed, and offered the two of them the positions,” said Stephanson.
Knowing the community and being a part of it was also a factor, he added, pointing out that the Red Wings is a community-owned team, and has a legacy of amazing talent and hard-working people who have been associated with the team in the past.
He noted two current board members are Wings alumni, Mark Schneider and John Corrigan, who both have remained in Weyburn to work and be a part of the community.
Asked if they set out to hire for the coaching and GM positions separately, Stephanson said this wasn’t necessarily their intent. Thoma combined the two positions for this past year, but in going through the applications, Stephanson said some of the applicants had no experience as a GM, and there was a problem with some of the candidates in terms of the money they wanted.
“We’re a small market team. What some wanted as a coaching wage and what we can afford didn’t always match up,” said Stephanson. “This (hiring locally) seemed like a better fit for the team.”
The team president added there was also an intangible factor to consider as well.
“Their love of the team is the biggest thing. They want to see the team grow and improve. Returning players would be really disappointed if we don’t win the division this year,” said Stephanson, particularly after an earlier exit from the playoffs than fans and the players had hoped for.
With the Red Wings fall training camp coming up on the Labour Day weekend, starting on Saturday, Sept. 3, fans and the team will get a close look at the new coach and GM, and will see some of the prospects that McCall has been finding to bring in.
One example is a goaltender from the United States who is six-foot-eight. Jack Burgart, who now has the interest of the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL, was six-foot-six, and this goalie prospect is bigger and tougher.
Stephanson also noted that while Thoma is preparing to move on to his new duties as assistant coach of the Saskatoon Blades, he has been working to make sure that players are getting their names in for the fall training camp.
Plus, Thoma has already laid some of the groundwork for the coming season, such as booking of hotel rooms for the road trips during the upcoming hockey season.
“They aren’t coming in blind to the new season,” said Stephanson, adding the board and fans are looking forward to seeing the players that McCall has found, who will be coming for the training camp.
Thoma spent a total of three seasons with the Red Wings hockey team, winning the division in 2016.
