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FRIDAY, September 21, 2018

www.kamloopsthisweek.com

2018/19 BLAZERS

Bardsley ready for first season at Blazers’ helm MARTY HASTINGS

STAFF REPORTER

sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Matt Bardsley grew up in San Jose, hated the first hockey game he saw and never spent much time on the ice.

The non-traditional hockey background is what makes the 47-year-old’s rise so remarkable.

“When I first got into the business back in ’99, that was always something on my mind,” said Bardsley, who was introduced as the general manager of the Kamloops Blazers on June 1.

“It was a non-traditional route. I wasn’t a player growing up, but I really became a student of the game. I surrounded myself with quality people, hockey people. I shut my mouth and opened my ears.”

Bardsley is not a household name in the hockey

MATT BARDSLEY Hired by Blazers in off-season after lengthy stint with Portland Winterhawks

world, but his reputation in WHL circles is rock solid and based largely on his work in the Portland Winterhawks’ scouting department.

He joined the Winterhawks in 1999, knowing his background would make it tougher to prove himself. But he quickly gained favour with

recommendations of players such as Paul Gaustad and Brandon Dubinsky.

Ryan Johansen, Ty Rattie, Nino Niederreiter, Sven Baertschi, Brendan Leipsic and Nic Petan are among the NHL players Bardsley touted.

Bardsley, who formed a strong relationship with Winterhawks’ coaching legend Ken Hodge, survived an ownership change in Portland in 2008 and was kept on by Mike Johnston, who was then hired as the team’s head coach and general manager.

“As the years have gone on, I think I’ve earned that trust from people,” Bardsley said. “They put a lot of responsibility on me.

I think I’ve been able to execute.”

He became involved in trades, contracts and scouting opposing WHL teams and protected players in other leagues.

Johnston told the Oregonian in 2010 that Bardsley would have the tools to be a GM in the league within two years.

“I’ve talked to people that have worked with him and under him,” Blazers’ co-owner Shane Doan said.

“You just can’t find a single person to say something that is even remotely negative. They all go on and on and rave about his character, his work ethic, his humility and, on top of that, his understanding of this game.”

Bardsley joined the Winterhawks as an area scout in 1999, was promoted to director of player personnel in 2007 and became assistant general manager in 2013.

“I felt I’ve been ready [to become a GM], but I wasn’t frustrated,” Bardsley said.

“It’s been tremendous in Portland. I wasn’t looking to leave. It was just the oppor-

tunity to be a general manager in the league and with a franchise like Kamloops. I felt I just couldn’t pass that up.”

During Bardsley’s time in Portland, the Winterhawks claimed four U.S. Division titles, five Western Conference championships and were crowned WHL champions in 2013.

Bardsley was asked for thoughts on the roster he is inheriting and what he sees in the cupboard.

“There is certainly going to be some changes,” he said.

“I like the makeup of the team. I think there are some good young prospects that are already here.

Their recent draft was real good. There are players coming up and there are some veteran players from last year you can still work with. There is going to be a template of players that

we want. Same with the coaches. Everyone is going to know what is expected.”

Bardsley’s wife, Stacy, was the Winterhawks’ director of ticket operations, but the Blazers’ GM said there are no plans for her to work on Mark Recchi Way after the move to Kamloops.

The couple has a twoand-a-half year old daughter, Brooke, and is expecting a son in November.

“I want to make sure to say how much I appreciate her sacrifices,” Bardsley said.

“We don’t have family around anymore. It wasn’t easy to leave Portland. I’ve been there for 19 years.

“When I was making this decision, I said, ‘Are you sure you want to do this?

It’s a big sacrifice.’ She said, ‘I’ve been making sacrifices the last seven or eight years for you to get this opportunity.’”

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FRIDAY, September 21, 2018

www.kamloopsthisweek.com

2018/19 BLAZERS

D3

New head coach Lajoie takes reins behind bench MARTY HASTINGS

STAFF REPORTER

sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Serge Lajoie’s Western Hockey League statistics are forgettable.

Only ardent fans will remember the 17-yearold defenceman who had two points, both assists, in seven games with the Kamloops Blazers in 19861987.

“Those two assists came when I lost the puck,” Lajoie quipped, noting he watched more games than he played that season. “Rob Brown picked it up and probably went end to end.

I’m grateful for that. I am on the stat sheet.”

Lajoie, 49, wants to make an indelible mark this time around.

The Bonnyville, Alta., product, who is bilingual and proud of his French roots, was named the Blazers’ head coach on June 25 and succeeds Kamloops legend Don Hay, now an assistant coach with the Portland Winterhawks.

Blazers’ majority owner Tom Gaglardi cleaned house in May, demoting Hay to an advisory role and jettisoning general manager Stu MacGregor, director of player personnel Matt Recchi and assistant coach Mike Needham.

Gaglardi told media to expect incoming GM and head coach hires to be younger than their predecessors. MacGregor’s replacement, Matt Bardsley, 46, was tasked with finding a bench boss.

Bardsley wanted an adept communicator who understands today’s junior hockey player and he emphasized how much value he places on skill development.

Lajoie, who led the Alberta Golden Bears to a U Sports hockey title earlier this year, emerged with the job.

Here are a few reasons why:

ON THE SAME PAGE Lajoie’s crash course in communicating with the modern-day junior player began when his children were born.

Marc, 15, is a 6-foot-3, 209-pound defenceman the Tri-City Americans picked 14th overall at the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft in Red

Deer.

Isabelle, 17, has won back-to-back Esso Cup championships, claiming the national female midget AAA title with the St. Albert Slash in 2017 and 2018.

Prior to the draft this spring, Lajoie helped coach a group of elite 2003-born players from Alberta, some of whom went on to be first-round picks.

“I never see them as entitled,” Lajoie said. “I see them as informed and with high expectations. They push their coaches to really be prepared and challenge them.”

The inmates can’t run the asylum. Lajoie explained his plan for discipline.

“It comes back to the fundamental piece of you’ve got to build relationships,” Lajoie said. “You’ve got to build trust. You’ve got to show them you care.

I know that they may be fluffy words for people to hear, but that’s important.”

Being adept in skill development would seem like a no-brainer prerequisite for any coach, but the term has a specific meaning to Bardsley and Lajoie.

“Skill that is transferable to a game situation,” said Lajoie, who brought his skill-development guru to Kamloops.

Dan Kordic, a former NHLer who was an assistant coach on Lajoie’s staff with the Golden Bears for the past two seasons, replaces Needham as the Blazers’ assistant coach.

“He’s studied endless video of NHL teams and players,” Lajoie said. “The game is evolving because of all the individual skill coaches that are out there.”

The plan is to give players ample time to work on skills in isolation with Kordic, goaltending coach Dan De Palma and parttime assistant coaches Chris Murray and Aaron Keller.

“Conceptually, it’s my job to figure out how those skills translate into game situations.”

GOLDEN PEDIGREE Lajoie can be excused for twice catching himself saying Golden Bears instead of Blazers during an interview with KTW. The University of Alberta has been a formative insti-

KTW FILE PHOTO Serge Lajoie is about to begin his first season as a Western Hockey League head coach following a stint behind the bench with the University of Alberta Golden Bears.

tution for the proud alumnus.

He manned the Golden Bears’ blue line from 1988 to 1993, the highlight of his university playing career a national championship in 1992.

Lajoie considers Billy Moores his No. 1 hockey mentor. Moores, whose brother, Don, is the Blazers’ president, compiled a record of 220-80-23 as head coach of the Golden Bears and led them to national titles in 1980 and 1992.

The Blazers’ bench boss earned a teaching degree from the U of A in 1993, with a major in French and minor in physical education, but continued pursuing a career on the ice after university, playing pro hockey in Germany for four years with Bad Nauheim EC. He met his wife, Kelly, in St. Albert and the couple settled there after Serge returned from Europe in 1998.

Kelly has a teaching degree from the U of A and played volleyball briefly for the Pandas. The Lajoies taught in the St. Albert area in the seven years following Serge’s playing career.

Lajoie’s Golden Bears hibernation ended in 2005, when he returned to the bench as an assistant coach, the position he held when Alberta won national

championships in 2006 and 2008.

He remained in the role until 2010, when he completed his master of arts in coaching and accepted the head coaching position with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology Ooks Under Lajoie, the Ooks claimed two Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference titles (2013, 2015) and were twice runners-up (2012, 2014).

He was named ACAC men’s hockey coach of the year in 2014 and 2015.

The Lajoie connection to the U of A will soon grow stronger.

Isabelle, who is heading into Grade 12, will join the Pandas in time for the 20192020 U Sports season.

Kelly, Marc and Isabelle will remain in St. Albert while Serge coaches in Kamloops and lives out of a hotel room this season.

Marc and Isabelle are partly responsible for their dad landing a new job.

When Lajoie took the Golden Bears’ head coaching reins in 2015, it was with knowledge that Ian Herbers, a friend and mentor, may return to the position after a three-year sabbatical.

Herbers, who left the U of A after the 20142015 season to join the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach, will be back behind Alberta’s bench this season.

“When I was put in a situation where I had to move away from U of A with Ian coming back, I contemplated teaching for a year to reflect on what to do,” Lajoie said.

“Both kids said, ‘You’re not a teacher. You’re a coach and you’ve got to pursue that.’ They only know me as a coach. When I went to the U of A, they were four and two.”

PHILOSOPHY There is an in-vogue hockey expression — we want to play fast — that, like skill development, is vague and needs an explanation.

Lajoie listed a few examples of what playing fast, a strategy he aims to employ, means to him: Outsupport the other team; put the puck in good areas so

you can maximize speed (which requires players to think quickly); get defencemen back to pucks quickly in their own zone; D-men should initiate the rush, not lead it; have forwards in good supporting positions; get moving north quickly; hunt and strip pucks; have a high shot volume; and work feverishly to retrieve rebounds.

“Outwork your skill,” Lajoie said. “Habits, details — everything matters.

“And, if you want to play fast, first of all, you’ve got to develop good practice habits and practise the way you want to play.”

EXPECTATIONS Fans in Kamloops are hungry for a winner, as is ownership.

“My expectation is to compete for the Memorial Cup,” Lajoie said. “If I work backwards from there, it’s what do we need to do to get there? We want to get better every single day. I’m really excited, but I’m going to cut myself some slack.

It’s not going to happen overnight.”

As for game-day emotions on Sept. 21 and the feeling of accomplishment that often accompanies a major career step, Lajoie is not expecting to be overwhelmed.

“My kids always say I never smile, but inside I do take things in,” Lajoie said. “There will be a sense of pride. You have to earn your opportunities. I think I’ve earned this through the time I’ve put in.

“Once the pucks drops, it’s all business.”

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D4

FRIDAY, September 21, 2018

www.kamloopsthisweek.com

2018/19 BLAZERS

No. 1 spot in Blazers’ net is Ferguson’s to lose MARTY HASTINGS

STAFF REPORTER

sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Dylan Ferguson woke up to about 1,000 new Instagram followers on Nov. 15, the day after making his improbable NHL debut for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Most Kamloops Blazers fans know the story by now.

A string of injuries forced the Knights to call up their fifth-string netminder, 19-year-old Ferguson, who was thrown into action against the Oilers in Edmonton on Nov. 14, when fourth-string goalie Maxime Lagace left the game with 9:14 remaining in the third period.

The Lantzville product enjoyed a taste of life in the NHL and the money that comes along with it, about $63,000 (base salary divided by number of days in season multiplied by days

on active roster) for what amounted to about $7,000 per minute played in the The Show.

Ferguson entered his 20-year-old campaign prepared to ride buses across Western Canada, but remains focused on pushing his way into pro hockey, mentioning in an interview with KTW his desire to play this season for the Chicago Wolves, the Knights’ AHL affiliate.

Vegas has a logjam of capable goaltenders that grew when it signed 23-year-old Zach Fucale on July 1.

The WHL veteran was returned to Kamloops from Vegas on Wednesday.

Ferguson has a greater knowledge of hockey business than most players his age and will be aware of his trade value, especially if the Blazers snare the 2020 Memorial Cup. Instead of looking at the

what-ifs — one of which is playing full-time for the Blazers throughout the 2018-2019 campaign — the confident goaltender is focusing on getting better every day.

“I’m here now and I’ve got to focus on being here,” said Ferguson, noting he toiled hard at Prime Sport Performance in Nanaimo in the off-season to stay in shape.

Three backstops came to Blazers’ training camp last month looking to make the major-junior team — 18-year-old Max Palaga, 17-year-old Rayce Ramsay and 16-year-old Dylan Garand.

Palaga, from Kamloops, won a job at training camp last season, edging Kyle Dumba to become the Blazers’ backup netminder.

He played in 17 games in 2017-2018, posting a .875 save percentage and 3.71 goals-against average.

“This is a pretty important year for me,” Palaga said.

“The most important thing is not to worry about anyone else. My confidence is where I want it to be.

Just play my game. There’s no reason to make drastic changes. Just be myself.”

Palaga trained in the offseason on the Coast with established goalie coach Eli Wilson.

He also worked with junior A Coquitlam Express goaltending coach Matt Korchmar and local netminding coach Lucas Gore.

Meanwhile, Victoria product Garand was training six times a week and earned an invite to Hockey Canada’s under-17 development camp in Calgary in June.

See SEASON, D9

KTW FILE PHOTO Blazers’ goalie and Vegas Golden Knights’ prospect Dylan Ferguson is expected to carry the bulk of the workload in net for the Blue and Orange this season.

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2018/19 BLAZERS

D9

Season starts with plan to carry two netminders From D4

KTW FILE PHOTO Dylan Garand, shown here in pre-season action against Victoria on Sept. 1, is aiming to earn the second-string job in the Kamloops crease.

“I expect to be here for sure,” said Garand, noting he enjoyed working in the summer with Maxime Vaillancourt, goaltending coach for the BlainvilleBoisbriand Armada.

Garand is the only WHL-drafted goalie pushing for the Blazers’ No. 2 job, selected by former Kamloops GM Stu MacGregor in Round 3 of the 2017 bantam draft.

The domino effect from Ferguson’s whirlwind tour of the NHL resulted in Garand’s WHL debut.

Garand, then 15, was twice called up to the Blazers in November and played in three games, finishing with a .877 save percentage.

He earned his first WHL win against Red Deer on Nov. 10, making 31 saves in a first-star performance.

Ramsay, from

Saskatoon, was not drafted, but impressed enough at Blazers’ training camp last year to earn a WHL contract.

“I don’t really look at anything with labels,” Ramsay said.

“I’m just another guy at camp here fighting for a spot. All the other goalies are the same.”

Off-season work for Ramsay included training with Blaine Whyte of Pro Sport Rehab and Fitness and Sheldon Goertzen, an assistant coach for the Saskatchewan Huskies women’s hockey team.

“It’s very humbling,” Ramsay said. “I’m grateful to be given this opportunity. My No. 1 goal is to make this team.”

The Blazers plan to carry two goaltenders this season.

Four remained on the roster as of Thursday morning.

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D10

FRIDAY, September 21, 2018

www.kamloopsthisweek.com

2018/19 BLAZERS

Veteran leadership expected to bolster defence MARTY HASTINGS

STAFF REPORTER

sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Montana Onyebuchi fought his way into hearts of Kamloops Blazers’ fans last season, both literally and figuratively, showing a penchant for pugilism and a flamboyant fearlessness.

Now 18 and motivated to be selected in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 6-foot-3, 210-pound right-shot from Dugald, Man., is among four defencemen who seem safe bets to play regular minutes this season.

Nolan Kneen, a rightshot 19-year-old, Luke Zazula, a left-shot 18-yearold, and Jonas Sillanpaa, a left-shot 17-year-old, are also in that category.

Expectations for Kneen, the highest bantam-draft pick in Blazers’ history, were high when he was selected third overall in 2014, but patience has been required

KTW FILE PHOTO Kamloops Blazers’ defenceman Nolan Kneen spent the summer training on and off the ice in preparation for this season, when he will expected to be one of the team leaders.

for those with interest in his development.

The 2017-2018 campaign, in which he set career-highs in goals (seven), points (37) and penalty minutes (75), was Kneen’s best to date.

He spent the summer training off-ice near his home in Duncan and onice in Campbell River and Nanaimo, knowing he will be counted on to assume a leadership role, with last year’s elder-statesmen

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defenders, Joe Gatenby and Brady Reagan, having aged out of junior hockey.

“It’s going to be a big step and I’ve been waiting for it for a long time,” said Kneen, who stands six feet, weighs 187 pounds and plays a physical game.”

Zazula, diminutive at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, showed flashes of his potential last season, at his best when hounding opponents in the defensive zone and moving the puck quickly up ice.

More will be expected of the Langley product in his 18-year-old campaign. What to expect of Finnish import Sillanpaa is uncertain, but it’s no leap of faith to suggest his game will be much different than Zazula’s.

For starters, he is 6-foot6 and 187 pounds. Early signs suggest Sillanpaa, from Espoo, is not afraid to make his big frame an asset, with physical play seem-

ingly among his attributes.

Sillanpaa must adjust to a smaller ice surface and culture shock (neither of the European imports, the other being Czech forward Martin Lang, have a great grasp of the English language), but Blazers’ head coach Serge Lajoie expects the sizeable D-man to be a quick study.

“For a defenceman, we use dots as kind of our landmarks,” said Lajoie, a former blue liner. “Jonas is used to playing on the big ice, so that’s going to be a bit of an adjustment.”

Jostling behind Kneen, Onyebuchi, Zazula and Sillinpaa are Sean Strange and Devan Harrison, both left-shot 18-year-olds, and Tylor Ludwar, a right-shot 19-year-old.

Strange, a 6-foot-1, 190pound Saanich product, earned a roster spot after training camp and preseason in 2017, but did not draw big minutes in

52 regular-season games, finishing the campaign with eight points, all assists.

He did enough to earn an invite to the Colorado Avalanche’s development camp, an experience that should bode well on his quest to see more ice in 2018-2019.

Ludwar, from Regina, is 6-foot-1, 205 pounds and started his WHL career in 2016-2017 as a defenceman, but spent much of last season adjusting to a new role as a forward.

Three right-shot and five left-shot defencemen remain on the roster, an imbalance that may help right-shot Ludwar’s chances of making a bigger impact this season.

Schmiemann, a 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Wilcox, Sask., and Harrison, the Dysart, Sask., product who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 182 pounds, are part of the left-shot log jam.

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www.kamloopsthisweek.com

2018/19 BLAZERS

D11

Lajoie identifying duos to anchor forward lines MARTY HASTINGS

STAFF REPORTER

sports@kamloopsthisweek.com

Pairs with chemistry will anchor forward lines in the Serge Lajoie Era. The Kamloops Blazers’ head coach is searching for dynamic duos to deploy, while aiming to earmark players who can be complementary to those harmonic couples — ideal third wheels, if you like.

Orrin Centazzo, 18, and Connor Zary, who turns 17 on Sept. 25, have played regularly at centre throughout training camp and preseason and have both found suitable sidekicks.

Brodi Stuart, entering his 18-year-old season as one of the team’s brightest prospects, has been clicking with Centazzo, who was acquired by the Blazers last season in a blockbuster deadline deal with the Everett Silvertips.

“Serge has kept us together at practice so far and we like it,” said Stuart, who had 16 goals and 38 points in 70 games last season and is comfortable on either wing. “Hopefully, we can continue that going forward.”

Zary, who had 29 points, 11 of them goals, in 68 games as a 16-year-old in 2017-2018, has been paired with 20-year-old Luc Smith, who last season had careerhighs in goals (21), assists (23) and points (44).

Smith, listed as a centre, has been playing on the right wing.

Versatility will be looked upon highly by Lajoie.

“I’ve also had [Kobe] Mohr and [Zane] Franklin together, but even when I say those three pairs, there’s still some interchangeability within that, and that’s what I’m encouraged with,” Lajoie said.

Mohr, 19, was traded to Kamloops from Edmonton in May in a deal that sent 20-year-old Quinn Benjafield the other way.

Franklin, 19, was acquired from Lethbridge in July in an exchange that sent 18-year-old Jackson Shepard to the Hurricanes.

Franklin quickly reinforced his reputation — energy-bringing pest who can contribute offensively — in training camp this summer and has shown leadership qualities.

KTW FILE PHOTOS ABOVE: Forward Carson Denomie, shown here leading the rush in pre-season WHL action against Kelowna at Sandman Centre, is one of the Blazers’ sizeable forwards. RIGHT: Dallas Stars prospect Jermaine Loewen is expected to be a big part of the Blazers’ offensive success this year.

The three mentioned pairings are more examples of Lajoie’s blueprint for success up front than established duos that will stick, but it does seem like the Blazers’ bench boss wants to waste little time in uncovering tantalizing twosomes.

“I’m not one to commit early, but I’m definitely not one to constantly throw different lineups to start a game,” Lajoie said. “I always start with trying to find chemistry between two guys. That’s kind of been the mindset through training camp and the exhibition games.”

Lajoie went on to list a few players he called “singles.” “[Kyrell] Sopotyk, he can move up and down in your lineup and complement any of those pairings,” Lajoie said. “You have a [Martin] Lang, who should really view himself as a pure shooter. If he’ll elevate his play away from the puck, then I think he’s going be a really good complementary player. Jermaine can fit in anywhere, with his style of play.”

Loewen, 20, was the Blazers’ MVP last season, finishing with 36 goals and 64 points in 66 games.

Sopotyk and Lang, both entering their 17-year-old campaigns, are unproven at the WHL level, but both are rookie prospects who have potential to improve the perception of the Blazers’ forward group.

“It’ll take some confidence to play in this league, compared to midget, but it’ll come along,” said Sopotyk, the 5-foot-10, 176-pound left-shot from Aberdeen, Sask. “I like to play in the offensive zone.

Anything in the offensive zone is lots of fun to me.”

Sopotyk displayed fantastic scoring touch playing for the Prince Albert Mintos in the toptier Saskatchewan midget league. He had 42 goals in 42 games as a 15-year-old in 2016-2017 and notched 10 goals in nine playoff games last season.

Lang, the 5-foot-10, 171-pound Czech Republic import, was the 12th overall pick in the 2018 CHL Import Draft and comes touted as a

European sniper.

Whether they adapt quickly to the WHL remains to be seen.

Jerzy Orchard, 17, and Josh Pillar, 16, will be looking to push their way into the lineup in their rookie seasons.

“When it comes to Sopotyk and Orchard, I keep saying, you earn your confidence through preparation, through hard practices, and that’s where they have to continue to focus,” said Lajoie, noting some of his charges will be asked to play away from their preferred positions.

“Sopotyk has shown that he’s been able to complement any line and is quite reliable defensively and he’s only going to improve in that area. Jerzy needs to play with more confidence.

I see that he has the ability.

He has to recognize that.

But I see that he’s trending in the right direction.”

Travis Walton, 19, and 18-year-olds Ryley Appelt and Carson Denomie represent a good portion of the Blazers’ bulk, sizeable forwards who must be hard to

play against if they want to increase their minutes.

There is no doubt offensive production is an area of concern for the Blazers, who scored 212 goals in 72 games last season, thirdleast in the WHL. Moose Jaw led the league with 326 goals.

This season’s forward group might have potential to improve that statistic, but is largely unproven at the

WHL level. Those who want to play key roles will have to impress their new head coach. It appears working hard is a smart way to do that.

“They have to apply themselves at practice,” Lajoie said. “That’s not just the first- or second-year players. We‘re just not playing at the pace I feel we need to be playing at to be successful.”

D12

FRIDAY, September 21, 2018

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