An undated handout photo of Kamloops Blazers players.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Kamloops Blazers
June 15, 2018 - 7:00 PM
KAMLOOPS - A new face in the Kamloops Blazers hockey club's head office could mean new hope for the struggling team.
Matt Bardsley was recently named the club's new general manager, bringing with him years of experience from his time with the WHL's Portland Winterhawks. His vision for the Blazers is to have players who can lead on and off the ice.
"I plan on bringing the same values we have in Portland," Bardsley says.
The Blazers didn't make last season's WHL playoffs, and the year prior they lost to Kelowna in the first round. During the 2013 to 2014 season, the Blazers set a team record of fewest wins, with just 14 victories.
Bardsley isn't focusing on the team's past, instead he's keeping his eyes on what will help the team move forward, and there's no doubt a new head coach will help achieve that. The team's former head coach Don Hay announced his retirement earlier this year.
Puck possession, creativity, and well-roundedness are some of the on-ice traits Bardsley wants to see in his players, but just as important, he wants players who can bring a good energy to the dressing room, and help make a positive environment for the team on and off the ice.
"When it comes to hiring a head coach, I certainly want a coach that has those same philosophies as well," he says.
Bardsley found success during his time as assistant general manager and director of hockey operations with the Winterhawks. The team won the league's championship title in 2013, while Bardsley was with the club. But he knows all teams go through rough patches, and he's confident the future unnamed head coach and the team will be able to battle through.
Kamloops Blazers general manager Matt Bardsley.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/Kamloops Blazers
"Even when there’s tough times, we have to make sure we’re positive," Bardsley says. "There’s always going to be some tough times, everyone goes through it. It’s how you battle through that.”
Scouting, which Bardsley has previous experience in, will be a major part in having a successful team. He says it's important to have players than can excel in certain areas, but can perform in all aspects of the game. Finding those players comes from having a consistent template scouts can look to when searching for future Blazers.
"If you want to play a certain way, you have to have the types of players that can make that happen," he says. "Whether it's your draft, it’s a list player, or you acquire a player via trade, it has to fit the template of what we want in a player.”
The Blazers' success isn't reliant on new players, Bardsley says, adding that veterans and returning players will be looked to help lead the team.
Once training camp gets underway this summer, the hockey club will have a better idea of what the Blazers are going to look like, and what their identity is going to be. It'll be clearer who can lead the team, and who's receptive to the vision coaches and managers have for the club.
"I like the players that are returning, I like the young players that will be coming in the league this year," Bardsley says. "I also expect our veteran players to set the bar for everything, how we play on the ice, how we are off the ice. They set the example.”
There's a lot of work to do before the Blazers take the ice for their first pre-season game, when they face off against the Prince George Cougars on Aug. 31, but Bardsley is excited for what this team will look like.
Earlier this month the team signed three players who were selected by the Blazers in this year's bantam draft.
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