Sput
08-23-2007, 01:43 AM
care of www.princegeorgecitizen.com
Prince George Cougars coaches reunited six years after leading Prince Albert Raiders
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
It’s a coaching reunion, with the nameplates switched around.
On Drew Schoneck’s desk lies the title ‘head coach.’ On Wade Klippenstein’s bureau, the descriptor is ‘assistant coach/assistant GM.’
That’s a reversal from the last time the two men worked together. During the 2001-02 season, Klippenstein was the head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, while Schoneck pushed the pucks around in practice.
Which brings the inevitable question -- how tough will it be for the newly-hired Klippenstein, Schoneck’s former boss, to be the one taking the orders?
“We did a lot of things by committee in Prince Albert, and Drew’s personality type makes it really easy to work with him,” said Klippenstein, who took over that Raiders team in mid-season when Donn Clark moved into the full-time role of general manager.
“We enjoyed working together in Prince Albert, it was just too short. He was a guy who wasn’t sure if he wanted to play or coach then, and he was a great assistant for me. We took over a team that needed a lot of work and we made a lot of progress, nearly making the playoffs after the team had an awful start. He went back to playing the next year, which was unfortunate because I thought we had a good thing going.
“The biggest thing in this industry is you have to work with people you like, and people you trust. Especially in a place like this where you travel a lot, you have to be able to work in close proximity for a lot of hours.”
Klippenstein, now 37, was fired by Clark after the Raiders started the 2002-03 season with an 11-14-2 mark.
Dallas Thompson, the general manager of the Cougars and the boss to both coaches, said he’s curious to see how their chemistry helps the team on the ice this season. This is a rebuilding year, especially up front, with the graduation of Eric Hunter, Nick Drazenovic, Jared Walker, Chris Durand and Devin Setoguchi, and the coaching staff will face a lot of pressure to come up with a gameplan to overcome the losses.
“I think the mix is going to be great for us,” said Thompson.
“Drew did a great job coming in last year (after the firings of Mike Vandekamp and Stew Malgunas in November), and now Wade will be able to come in with his experience and help Drew out. They get along very well.
“We addressed how things would work in the hiring process, and that was a question Wade had. Drew was involved in the process, and everyone’s comfortable with where they’re at and what their job is.”
Schoneck, who turns 34 in November, isn’t concerned about Klippenstein forgetting who is the head coach.
“Wade is a guy I’ve worked with and am familiar with, and he’s a guy I know I can trust,” said Schoneck.
“He knows the league, knows some of the kids, and that will help. Yes, it’s a role reversal for us, and I’ll have the final say, but we’re going to do some things by committee and tap into all the good ideas we have between us. He’ll have a different perspective coming from three years at an NCAA program, and that’s good.”
Schoneck left the Raiders after that season and returned to playing, suiting up the next two seasons for the Fresno Falcons of the WCHL. After Klippenstein was fired by the Raiders he moved to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks as an assistant coach for three campaigns.
Klippenstein, a native of Boissevain, Man., was a star winger for UAF in the early 1990s, drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 12th round in 1990.
Book-ending his time in Prince Albert, Klippenstein worked as an assistant coach in Saskatoon and as the head scout for the Moose Jaw Warriors for one season. He applied to be the UAF head coach this summer, but didn’t get the job and read that as a sign to find another place to work in the hockey world.
Prince George was a natural fit not only because of his ties to Schoneck, but also because he has family in Grande Prairie. Klippenstein’s wife Ashley, the proud mom of their eight-month-old son Bowman, has been hired as a coach with the Prince George Gymnastics Club.
“She’ll be right across the parking lot, so that works out well -- she can find me easily, and vice versa,” laughed Klippenstein.
“Her parents live in Grande Prairie and that’s part of what’s nice with this move. They’ll be able to see Bowman grow up -- Alaska is a long ways away, this is much closer.”
Prince George Cougars coaches reunited six years after leading Prince Albert Raiders
by JIM SWANSON, Citizen Sports Editor
It’s a coaching reunion, with the nameplates switched around.
On Drew Schoneck’s desk lies the title ‘head coach.’ On Wade Klippenstein’s bureau, the descriptor is ‘assistant coach/assistant GM.’
That’s a reversal from the last time the two men worked together. During the 2001-02 season, Klippenstein was the head coach of the Prince Albert Raiders, while Schoneck pushed the pucks around in practice.
Which brings the inevitable question -- how tough will it be for the newly-hired Klippenstein, Schoneck’s former boss, to be the one taking the orders?
“We did a lot of things by committee in Prince Albert, and Drew’s personality type makes it really easy to work with him,” said Klippenstein, who took over that Raiders team in mid-season when Donn Clark moved into the full-time role of general manager.
“We enjoyed working together in Prince Albert, it was just too short. He was a guy who wasn’t sure if he wanted to play or coach then, and he was a great assistant for me. We took over a team that needed a lot of work and we made a lot of progress, nearly making the playoffs after the team had an awful start. He went back to playing the next year, which was unfortunate because I thought we had a good thing going.
“The biggest thing in this industry is you have to work with people you like, and people you trust. Especially in a place like this where you travel a lot, you have to be able to work in close proximity for a lot of hours.”
Klippenstein, now 37, was fired by Clark after the Raiders started the 2002-03 season with an 11-14-2 mark.
Dallas Thompson, the general manager of the Cougars and the boss to both coaches, said he’s curious to see how their chemistry helps the team on the ice this season. This is a rebuilding year, especially up front, with the graduation of Eric Hunter, Nick Drazenovic, Jared Walker, Chris Durand and Devin Setoguchi, and the coaching staff will face a lot of pressure to come up with a gameplan to overcome the losses.
“I think the mix is going to be great for us,” said Thompson.
“Drew did a great job coming in last year (after the firings of Mike Vandekamp and Stew Malgunas in November), and now Wade will be able to come in with his experience and help Drew out. They get along very well.
“We addressed how things would work in the hiring process, and that was a question Wade had. Drew was involved in the process, and everyone’s comfortable with where they’re at and what their job is.”
Schoneck, who turns 34 in November, isn’t concerned about Klippenstein forgetting who is the head coach.
“Wade is a guy I’ve worked with and am familiar with, and he’s a guy I know I can trust,” said Schoneck.
“He knows the league, knows some of the kids, and that will help. Yes, it’s a role reversal for us, and I’ll have the final say, but we’re going to do some things by committee and tap into all the good ideas we have between us. He’ll have a different perspective coming from three years at an NCAA program, and that’s good.”
Schoneck left the Raiders after that season and returned to playing, suiting up the next two seasons for the Fresno Falcons of the WCHL. After Klippenstein was fired by the Raiders he moved to the University of Alaska-Fairbanks as an assistant coach for three campaigns.
Klippenstein, a native of Boissevain, Man., was a star winger for UAF in the early 1990s, drafted by the Quebec Nordiques in the 12th round in 1990.
Book-ending his time in Prince Albert, Klippenstein worked as an assistant coach in Saskatoon and as the head scout for the Moose Jaw Warriors for one season. He applied to be the UAF head coach this summer, but didn’t get the job and read that as a sign to find another place to work in the hockey world.
Prince George was a natural fit not only because of his ties to Schoneck, but also because he has family in Grande Prairie. Klippenstein’s wife Ashley, the proud mom of their eight-month-old son Bowman, has been hired as a coach with the Prince George Gymnastics Club.
“She’ll be right across the parking lot, so that works out well -- she can find me easily, and vice versa,” laughed Klippenstein.
“Her parents live in Grande Prairie and that’s part of what’s nice with this move. They’ll be able to see Bowman grow up -- Alaska is a long ways away, this is much closer.”