It's official in Kamloops — Bonner's in charge

From The Daily News of Wednesday, April 23, 2008 . . .

The congratulatory hugs and handshakes behind him, Craig Bonner was
scheduled to board a plane today and head out on the scouting trail.
His first stop on Day 2 of his new career as general manager of the WHL’s
Kamloops Blazers will be the Alberta Cup, a tournament featuring that
province’s top bantam players, in Lloydminster.
Bonner, a 35-year-old native of Edmonton, was introduced by team president
Tom Gaglardi on Tuesday at Interior Savings Centre as the Blazers’
vice-president and general manager of hockey operations.
The news conference was attended by what Bonner termed “a lot of familiar
faces,” most of whom offered up congratulations to close the proceedings.
The Blazers’ owners — Gaglardi and former Kamloops players Shane Doan,
Jarome Iginla, Mark Recchi and Darryl Sydor — identified Bonner months ago
as the person they wanted for the position. They aren’t believed to have
even interviewed anyone else.
“I think he's exactly what we need,” Recchi wrote in an e-mail. “He's a
workaholic and very well prepared, and very excited to be in Kamloops. (He)
wants to make a difference in the community.”
Bonner, who had been the Vancouver Giants’ assistant general
manager/assistant coach, signed a five-year contract. Because he was under
contract with the Giants — a deal he signed in August had two years left on
it — the Blazers had to provide compensation. They did that in the form of
two third-round bantam draft picks, one in 2008 and one in 2009.
Bonner spent the previous four seasons working with Vancouver head coach Don
Hay, a coach for whom he played with the Blazers.
“Watching him the last four years mature and take a leadership role within
our group,” Hay said, “I really feel he’s ready to go out and be a GM on his
own and make good decisions.”
Bonner, a former Blazers defenceman, later served as an assistant coach with
them for six seasons. He spent one season under Ed Dempsey, two with Marc
Habscheid and three with Dean Evason.
Bonner takes over a Kamloops team that is coming off arguably the worst
season in the franchise’s existence. The season ended with 18 losses in 19
games. His to-do list is long and he knows it, but nothing is more pressing
than preparing for the 2008 bantam draft that is scheduled for May 1 in
Calgary.
At the Alberta Cup, he said, he has to “get to know the scouts and talk to
some general managers while I’m there.”
Earlier, Bonner said that getting through the draft “is the priority right
now.”
“In fairness to the scouting staff,” he said, “I don’t know a lot of them at
this point. We’ll get a good feel for what they’re like this weekend. But I
imagine in all areas there’s going to be some changes.”
Gord Loiselle, who left the Portland Winter Hawks last summer and signed
with the Blazers as director of player personnel, has a year left on his
contract.
Bonner said he has “met” Loiselle but “I don’t know him well.”
Asked if potential moves involving Loiselle and the scouting staff would be
up to him, Bonner provided an adamant “yes!”
Once the bantam draft is over, the search for a head coach will begin.
“If the right guy comes available next week and we’re comfortable with him,”
Bonner said, “and we feel he’s what we want, that’s great. But if it takes a
month or six weeks . . . we’re going to interview all the candidates we feel
are right for the job.”
One of those interviews will be with Greg Hawgood, who took over as interim
head coach when Dean Clark, who doubled as general manager and head coach,
was fired Nov. 7.
Hawgood’s “going to interview” for the head-coaching position, Bonner said.
If Hawgood, who has a year left on his contract, isn’t hired as head coach,
Bonner added, “He’s going to be part of the staff in some capacity.”
Whether part-time assistant coach Steve Gainey and goaltending coach Steve
Passmore are part of the staff will be up to the new head coach.
“I think it’s important that the head coach have some say in those guys,”
Bonner said. “They both bring a lot to the table but I don’t think it’s fair
to say to a head coach, ‘Here’s your staff.’ He has to have some input
because he has to work with them every day.”
As Bonner contemplated the Blazers’ contract offer through last week and
into the weekend — he accepted the offer Sunday — he also began to
familiarize himself with the club’s depth chart. While he isn’t yet prepared
to make his thoughts known, he did confirm that neither of the team’s import
players — Finnish right-winger Juuso Puustinen and Slovakian left-winger
Ivan Rohac — will return.
The Blazers have two first-round selections — their own and one that
originally belonged to the Kelowna Rockets — and will use both of them in
the CHL import draft on June 25.
As for the overall roster, Bonner said things are going to change.
“The sooner the players figure out that they’re not running the show around
here the better off they’re going to be,” Bonner said. “Because it’s not
happening. . . .”
Three players of this season’s roster — forwards Mark Hall, Alex Rodgers and
Tyler Shattock — attended the news conference.
Gaglardi also announced that Shane Zulyniak, the assistant general manager
and assistant coach for the last two seasons, has “accepted a position” in
the team’s sales and marketing department. Zulyniak has one year left on his
contract.
“A further announcement regarding changes to this department will follow in
the coming weeks,” said Gaglardi, who also took time to thank Brian Fortin,
who has been with the Blazers for 19 years and who served as interim GM from
Jan. 2 through yesterday.

gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca