Coaching staff to stay the same

[WHEATMAN]

WHEAT KINGS COACHING STAFF INTACT
Friday, August 05, 2005


McCrimmon led Brandon to 45-21-5-1 mark


Brandon, Manitoba – With the start of training camp less than a month away, the Western Hockey League’s Wheat Kings have announced that the three coaches that led Brandon to its third Eastern Division pennant in four years as well as the Eastern Conference Championship title will remain behind the bench for the 2005-2006 campaign.

The WHL club has confirmed that General Manager and owner Kelly McCrimmon will stay on as head coach while Brad Wells and Dwayne Gylywoychuk will return to the Wheat Kings as his two assistants.

A former WHL and Canadian Hockey League Executive of the Year, McCrimmon took over as coach of the club in March 2004 and promptly led the Wheat Kings to a first round playoff upset of the Prince Albert Raiders. This past season, he led Brandon to an impressive 45-21-5-1 regular season record and a berth into the league Championship Final for the first time in seven seasons.

McCrimmon arrived in Brandon in 1988 from the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League where he had served as both coach and general manager of the Lloydminster Blazers and North Battleford North Stars. After taking over a franchise that had been mired near the bottom of the WHL standings for most of the eighties, the Wheat Kings have been one of the Canadian Hockey League’s most successful franchises since. From an eleven win season in 1991-92, the Wheat Kings have qualified for post season play in eleven of the last twelve years, winning six Eastern Division pennants, one WHL Championship and earning two trips to the Memorial Cup during that time. In the process they have won more games in the last 13 seasons than any team in Major Junior Hockey.

A former bench boss with the Manitoba Junior Hockey league’s Neepawa Natives, Wells will be entering his sixth season as a member of the Brandon coaching staff while Gylywoychuk returns for his third season as an assistant and fourth within the organization.

McCrimmon is also pleased to announce that Rob Stouffer will return for his sixth season as the club’s athletic trainer. A graduate of Brandon University as well as the athletic therapy program at Calgary’s Mount Royal College, Stouffer served as head trainer for the Brandon University hockey Bobcats for four seasons before joining the Wheaties in August 2000.

The Wheat Kings, who open this year’s training camp on the Labor Day Long Weekend, will kick off the 2005-06 season with a home and home series against the Regina Pats, beginning with the club’s home opener on Friday, September 23rd.

[WHEATKINGS 04-05 CHAMPS]

We might actually have a decent team with Kelly coming back I belive we will still be a contender for 1st in the east again

[WHEATMAN]

the race for first will be between the wheaties and pa, saskatoon and moose jaw will be battling for third and regina, well.. will be regina