The Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Preseason is coming to a close, and Grande Prairie Storm Officials say expectations are high going into the regular season.
During the offseason, the Storm made a few changes to their coaching staff, the most notable being new Head Coach Chris Schmidt. Schmidt says he is excited to be behind the bench and looks forward to building on former Coach Eric Thurston’s approach to acquiring and developing young players of “strong character.”
“I think Eric did a great job just paying attention to what kind of kids we’re bringing into the team, I think that’s such a big part of building a team is just what quality of kid you’re bringing in and how important it is, it’s paramount in my opinion,” he says. “You want good kids because it goes so far in how the team does, so that’s number one thing we’re looking for and I think we’ve hopefully done that this year for sure.”
Storm Executive Director Nicole Menzies describes her team’s new HC as a coach who can connect with his players on a deeper level. She says understanding the unique challenges associated with playing hockey in the north is critical to his success as a coach.
“Chris really relates to the guys very well, and I also think he very deeply understands the unique challenges in the sort of unique environment of playing hockey and coaching in Grande Prairie,” she says.
Coach Schmidt says his approach is purposeful and direct, and adds that he coaches the way he would have wanted to be coached if he was still playing.
“As a player, I kind of appreciated a coach that was open enough to talk to you, not even about hockey, just to say, how’s it going today,” he says.
Both Menzies and Schmidt say this season is all about connecting with the community, providing top-notch entertainment on the ice, and building meaningful connections between the squad and the city off the ice.
“We’d like the community to be proud of this team, for not only the on-ice performance, but just what they do within the community,” Schmidt says. “That’s the number one priority for us, being this city’s team, being a team that the city can be proud of and that people look forward to coming to watch on the ice and coming to support,” Menzies adds.
The Storm is scheduled to face off against the Whitecourt Wolverines to kick off the regular season at home in Bonnetts Energy Centre on September 13th at 7:00 p.m.
