By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The search for a coach has taken Craig Bonner to Ottawa.
Bonner, the general manager of the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers, was scheduled to
arrive in our nation’s capital, site of this weekend’s NHL draft, sometime
this morning.
The first thing on his agenda is to interview another candidate for the
Blazers’ vacant head-coaching position.
“I have a meeting with a guy (today) and a different guy on Friday,” Bonner
said Wednesday from Calgary, where he attended the WHL’s annual general
meeting.
A week ago, Bonner said he had shortlisted and interviewed six candidates.
That number, he said yesterday, has been trimmed.
“In my mind we’re down to three guys . . . three or four guys,” Bonner said.
“Two of the guys who were among the first six I talked to . . . and these
other two.
“I haven’t talked to them yet but initially they’re interesting guys.”
One of the “three or four” is believed to be Barry Smith, a veteran coach
who spent the last five years as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Vancouver
Canucks. He was fired last month and has been interviewed by Bonner.
Bonner also has interviewed Greg Hawgood, who took over as the Blazers’
interim head coach after general manager/head coach Dean Clark was fired on
Nov. 7. Hawgood isn’t believed to be a candidate for the position, but has a
year left on his contract and may be kept on as an assistant coach.
Bonner stressed that he will be in Ottawa to do more than interview
prospective coaches.
“I’ll be there to hopefully help sell some of our guys,” he said, referring
to the Blazers’ draft-eligible players. He also plans on speaking to a
number of agents.
“The big thing is to talk to different agents about European players,”
Bonner said. “That’s the biggest reason for going to the NHL draft. Being
able to talk to a couple of different coaches is kind of a bonus.”
Barring a trade, the Blazers will select two Europeans in the CHL import
draft on June 25. Neither right-winger Juuso Puustinen nor left-winger Ivan
Rohac, both of whom would be in their 20-year-old seasons, will be back.
At the same time, Bonner will pay attention to the NHL draft, which opens
with the first round Friday and concludes with six rounds on Saturday.
In its final rankings, NHL Central Scouting had Kamloops left-winger Shayne
Wiebe at No. 144 among draft-eligible North American skaters, with
right-winger Tyler Shattock at No. 188.
Bonner said “a few teams have called about” Shattock and defenceman Jordan
Rowley, who didn’t appear in the final rankings.
“There have been some casual conversations about some other guys,” Bonner
added. “I sure hope one or two guys get drafted. If they don’t, I would like
to think a ocuple of them will get NHL tryout offers.”
“Obviously, things didn’t work out great for the players who were in their
draft year,” Bonner continued, referring to last season. “As players, they
have to realize that . . . (if they don’t get drafted) it can go either way.
They can be bummed out, take it as a negative and pout about it. Or, they
can (look at it as) motivation and a new season and they have a new
challenge ahead of them.”
JUNIOR JOTTINGS: Bonner said he hasn’t heard from Rob Daum, whose contract
as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, wasn’t renewed. Nor
has Bonner heard from former Prince Albert Raiders head coach Kevin
McLelland, who has resigned after three seasons as head coach of the
Memphis-based Mississippi River Kings of the Central league. . . . The WHL’s
AGM concluded yesterday in Calgary without an announcement regarding the
Portland Winter Hawks. A WHL spokesman said an announcement now is expected
sometime today. The Winter Hawks are coming off two abysmal seasons and the
WHL had the accounting firm KPMG perform an audit of their operation last
month. It is believed that the WHL is trying to facilitate a sale but that
the Winter Hawks’ ownership group — Jim Goldsmith, Jack Donovan and John
Bryant — is asking US$7 million for a franchise for which it paid less than
$4 million in 2006.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
