Daily News Sports Editor
All the Kamloops Blazers need to do now is get their coaching staff in line
and they’ll be ready to open their 2008-09 training camp.
But the WHL team isn’t likely to have a head coach in place for more than
two weeks; in fact, it may be into July before general manager Craig Bonner
completes his search.
Bonner said Wednesday that he is scheduled to meet with two candidates at
the NHL draft, which is scheduled for Ottawa on June 20 and 21.
Bonner, who was named general manager on April 22, has said he has
interviewed six candidates, two of whom were former Vancouver Canucks
assistant coach Barry Smith and Blazers interim head coach Greg Hawgood.
Bonner also is believed to have spoken with former Prince George Cougars
head coach Mike Vandekamp, now the GM/head coach of the AJHL’s Grande
Prairie Storm.
While looking for a head coach, Bonner was able to find time to firm up the
scouting side of his hockey department.
He announced Wednesday that, as expected, Matt Recchi will be the club’s
director of player personnel. Recchi, the 35-year-old brother of Blazers
co-owner Mark Recchi, has spent the last three seasons as an amateur scout
with the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, an association that now is over.
“I am through with them,” Matt said. “I wanted to get started here as soon
as possible.”
Recchi and Bonner have worked together before, as Recchi was an advance
scout for the Vancouver Giants, with whom Bonner was assistant GM and
assistant coach before joining the Blazers’ front office. Earlier this
decade, Recchi and Bonner were on the Blazers’ coaching staff under head
coach Dean Evason.
“I’ve talked all along about loyalty, trust and work ethic,” Bonner said in
introducing Recchi at a news conference, “and that’s why Matt’s our guy. I
know he’s going to work hard and his heart is definitely in the right
place.”
Recchi said the first thing he will do is contact all the Blazers’ list
players and “find out a bit about them.”
“I’ve only seen about six or seven of them play,” he said, “so I want to get
them to tell me a little about themselves so I have an idea what to expect
when they come to training camp.”
Recchi will be working alongside Ken Fox, a veteran WHL scout who has been
named the Blazers’ head scout. Fox was the Swift Current Broncos’ assistant
scouting director. He also scouted Saskatchewan and Manitoba for Vancouver
for four years, getting to know Bonner at that time, and spent nine seasons
with the Red Deer Rebels where he worked under the well-respected Carter
Sears.
“My duties will be to oversee the whole scouting staff,” Recchi explained.
“Ken will work directly under me. The biggest thing is that I will have a
guy in Saskatchewan. With two guys — one in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and me
in B.C. and Alberta — combined and crossing over, we’ll really have a good
handle on things.”
As for the scouting staff, Recchi admitted “there may be some changes. We’re
going to look at that. . . . Ken and I will decide whether to make any other
changes.”
Recchi and Fox replace Gord Loiselle, the director of player personnel who
was fired May 23 with a year left on his contract, and head scout Brian
Fortin, who has joined the staff of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
Recchi knows that he is going to hear the whispers — that he got the job
because he is Mark’s brother — but said that “doesn’t add any pressure.”
“I’m connfident in my abilities as a scout,” Matt said. “I feel I have a
real good eye, especially for character and players who care. That’s one
thing . . . everybody can go to a tournament and find the best player. It’s
important to find those players who bring the character and desire to the
game.
“They maybe aren’t going to be on your top line, but they play on the second
and third lines and are gritty and hard-nosed and compete. Those are the
players that make you win at the end of the day.”
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The Blazers have released two veterans of last season’s team.Sasha Golin, a defenceman/right winger from Summerland, and defenceman
Spencer Fraipoint of Kelowna, both 20, now are free agents.
Golin, who was acquired from the Portland Winter Hawks for centre Matt
Schmermund during 2006-07, had 16 points, including five goals, and 100
penalty minutes in 71 games last season.
Fraipoint came over from the Regina Pats in January, along with D Nick Ross,
for D Ryan Bender and D Victor Bartley. In 30 games with the Blazers,
Fraipoint had one assist and 22 penalty minutes.
Bonner had made both players available via the WHL’s trade wire but there
wasn’t any interest.
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The WHL’s annual meeting is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Calgary.The Eastern Conference teams will hold their scheduling meeting there on
Monday, but the Western Conference, including the Blazers, won’t schedule
until July 24 in Kelowna.
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The Blazers have signed D Jordan Beveridge, who was a second-round selectionin the 2008 bantam draft. The 6-foot-0, 146-pound Beveridge, from Ridge
Meadows, had 35 points and 48 penalty minutes with the bantam AAA Ridge
Meadow Rustlers.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
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