With the sting of elimination at the hands of the dastardly Drumheller Dragons slowly subsiding, the Canmore Eagles are beginning to feel pretty good about the 2013-14 AJHL season.
Ignoring the fact Dragons forward and Eagles castoff Alex Bechtold knocked out all-star goalie Ryan Ferguson with a sprained ankle, turning the tide in the best of seven AJHL playoff series, which ended with a 5-2 defeat in Game 5 on Friday (March 21), head coach and general manager Andrew Milne said the future is bright for the franchise.
An MVP season by defenceman Trey Phillips – the first by an Eagles player since Mark Bomersback in 2003 – coupled with stellar goaltending by Ferguson and a yeoman’s effort by the leadership group, led to a 32-25-3 record.
“We’ve had time to reflect and we feel positive about the season overall. Simon Philp and Nik Kosman came back from crushing injuries and were outstanding. Trey and the entire leadership group was incredible and put a good, positive spin on the season,” Milne said.
The team will need young players such as Lane Olson, Brett Radford and Kurt Hildebrand to step up next season to fill the void left by their leadership group.
Phillips is moving on to the University of Vermont, while Luke Simpson, Philp, Austen Hebert, Bryan Arneson, Jeremy Margeson, captain Nils Moser and John Stevens have all finished their junior A hockey careers.
“We’ve got some big shoes to fill, but the focus now is getting some guys back and we’ve got some work ahead in recruiting and maintaining the group we’ve got. Four of our top five scorers are returning and Ferguson will return as well, so he can sort out what he’s doing NCAA-wise next year,” Milne said.
As general manager, Milne said winning will make recruitment easier. He made a move halfway through the season to acquire Joe Serpico to help replace Simpson, who was injured much of the year.
“We were patient at times and waited for the right deal. We had a great group and the right guys on the team and we didn’t want to add pieces just to add pieces. When it came to Serpico, it’s how he fit in.”
Playing in front of record crowds with one of the best home records in the league, the Eagles’ success helped stabilize their future in Canmore, heading into the team’s 20th anniversary season.
“We were entertaining. The way we skate and play the game, we kept it clean and played an entertaining style of hockey,” Milne said. “We’re making good strides. We’ve made ourselves a presence in the community.”
Part of that play is credited to assistant coach Jeremy Reich. The former NHLer played a bigger role with the team this year and Milne said that was a positive for the club.
Three years ago, the team’s future was in jeopardy, but today the team is generating more revenue and selling more season tickets. That has allowed local players such as Philp, Stevens, Simpson, Moser, Kyle Pauls and Roman Meltzer to stay in Canmore and play junior A hockey, which is one of the team’s goals.
“At the end of the day, we broke even,” said team president Daryl Lockwood. “As far as getting the fans out, having a playoff run was huge. The goal now is to turn that into more season tickets and sponsorships, and setting us up for success.”
Lockwood said the team’s future is secure for another five years, as they’re in better financial shape. The team will need to renegotiate its arena lease with the Town of Canmore in August.
He credits director of marketing John Ross for helping the team generate more revenue and said partnering with Canmore Minor Hockey has drawn more fans to the games.
“We’re an entertainment package at an affordable price for families in town. What we’re providing is something you can’t find elsewhere in Canmore, so we’re proud when we have young families and seniors and a great mix at the games,” Lockwood said.
The bottom line, he said, is Canmore fans want a winner.
“People want to cheer on a winning team. When there’s buzz, everyone pays more attention. The diehards are always the diehards, but this year we saw the core coming back. Some that dropped off will make a jump back into the season ticket sales and I think they’re appreciative of where Andrew has taken the program.”
There is little rest for the Eagles after the playoffs. Spring camp will open on April 11 with 150 skaters expected to attend. After that, the Eagles will do it all again, confident the 2013-14 season is one they can build upon.
“I’m really looking forward to next season already. What Trey achieved, what the whole team achieved, I’m really proud of them. They were outstanding young men in the community and we’ve set up for success for next year,” Lockwood said.
