By GREGG DRINNAN
Daily News Sports Editor
The Kamloops Blazers have all but completed the restructuring of their
scouting staff, something that began May 23 with the firing of director of
player personnel Gord Loiselle.
Loiselle, who had a year left on his contract, was relieved of his duties by
general manager Craig Bonner, who had signed a five-year contract on April
22.
Since then, Bonner has rebuilt the coaching staff and, with Matt Recchi, the
WHL team’s new director of player personnel, redone the scouting staff.
That staff is headed up by Ken Fox, the Swift Current Broncos’ assistant
scouting director last season who also spent four seasons scouting for the
Vancouver Giants and nine seasons with the Red Deer Rebels.
At the moment, Fox is the only Saskatchewan-based scout on the Blazers’
staff.
“One place we might be looking is in the Saskatoon area,” Bonner said. “But
I’d rather have quality over quantity with those guys. I like the staff now
. . . but we might need another guy in Saskatchewan.”
Also included on the Blazers’ scouting staff are:
Greg Batters, who played four seasons (1984-88) in the WHL, mostly with the
Victoria Cougars, and handles Vancouver Island; Grant Evans, who grew up in
Kamloops, worked for the Prince George Cougars for a bit and now is on the
Lower Mainland; Mark Blair, who works out of Edmonton; Warren Renden, who is
in Calgary; Cliff Cumiskey, who is on the Lower Mainland; and, Gerry Hogue,
who handles the Winnipeg area.
Gone from last season’s staff are Barry Bartholomay, Cam Camden, Todd Hansen
and Terry Reich.
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Bonner spent Thursday in Kelowna as the Western Conference’s 10 teams held
their scheduling meeting.
The WHL stuck a gag order on team personnel, so Bonner wasn’t able to say
who will supply the opposition when the Blazers open at home on Sept. 19.
However, he was able to provide some information:
l The Blazers will play a total of 16 Friday and Saturday home games;
l They will play four back-to-back Tuesday-Wednesday doubleheaders at home;
l Only three times will they play three games in three nights;
l On opening weekend, they will play at home Friday and on the road Saturday
(Sept. 20); and,
l The Blazers will play the Kelowna Rockets nine times and meet the other
three B.C. Division clubs eight times apiece.
Bonner seemed pleased with the schedule, with the exception of the
Tuesday-Wednesday home doubleheaders.
“We ran out of dates,” he said. “The (Interior Savings Centre) seems to be
quite busy this season. Four times we play back-to-back Tuesday-Wednesday at
home. When you looked at it, there was nothing else there. So what do you
do?
“The building had a lot of dates blacked out on us. That’s good that the
building’s busy but it makes it challenging.”
JUST NOTES: Scott Ferguson, who was named an assistant coach by the Blazers
on Tuesday, signed a three-year contract. Geoff Smith, the other assistant
coach, signed a one-year deal, as did goaltender coach Steve Passmore. . . .
Head coach Barry Smith is on a three-year deal with the club holding an
option on a fourth season. . . . The CHL again is playing host to the
six-game ADT Canada-Russia Challenge series in late November and early
December. Two games will be played in WHL centres but Bonner said he doesn’t
expect the Blazers to be involved.
gdrinnan@kamloopsnews.ca
