By Derek Holmes
Training camps open around the MJHL this weekend, with two preseason games scheduled for Aug. 31 - Swan Valley at Waywayseecappo and the Northern Manitoba Blizzard at the Dauphin Kings.
It’s going to be very interesting to see how the MJHL comes out of the gates this year. On one hand the MJHL is riding high thanks to the Niverville Nighthawks winning not only their first-ever league championship, but also becoming national champions by winning the Centennial Cup last May. They earned that honour by defeating the host Summerside Western Capitals in their own rink in Prince Edward Island. In fact, the Nighthawks are now currently an exhibit in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto for anyone who plans to visit this year (a tourist destination I highly recommend).
On the other hand, people continue to pick up the pieces from the devastating floods which pounded Western Manitoba this spring and summer. Swan River and Dauphin were among the teams hit especially hard this year. Dauphin’s hospital remains unusable from the flood, while Swan River roadways and many homes were destroyed by the water.
The work to repair those communities continues and the hope is there they can also continue to support their junior hockey teams. Time will tell the tale on that point.
• There’s always lots of off-ice news to report on from the off season, and this year is no different. One interesting move saw the Dauphin Kings bring back a familiar face to join new Head Coach and General Manager Bryan Kromm, who most recently coached the Trail Smoke Eaters in the BCHL.
Joining him on the bench is former Kings forward, Kirklan Lycar. The Elma, Man., product had a few stops in the MJHL, including with the Portage Terriers and the Virden Oil Capitals. But back in 2014-15 he made the all-rookie team in the MJHL thanks to his 19 goals and 26 points with the Kings. The next season he had 24 goals and 54 points for the Kings.
The 29-year-old spent last season as an assistant coach with the Manitoba AAA U18 Hockey League's Eastman Selects, and rejoins the Kings to take his coaching career to the next level.
• In Waywayseecappo, the team rewarded Head Coach and General Manager, Landyn Cochrane with a multi-year extension.
Cochrane made history last year by becoming the first-ever coach in Waywayseecappo to lead his team to victory in a best-of-seven series. And, frankly, the Wolverines were the only team to give the Niverville Nighthawks a scare in the playoffs last year.
“The Wolverines are thrilled to have extended the leadership of Coach/GM Landyn Cochrane,” says Governor Morley Watson in a press release. “Landyn is one of the brightest young minds in the MJHL, and his vision, dedication, and leadership will continue to guide the Wolverines as an annual contender.”
Cochrane says the play is to keep building on the success of last year and build a winner.
“I’m beyond excited and grateful to be extending my contract with the Wolverines organization and the Waywayseecappo Community,” says Cochrane on the team website. “Coming back home and helping build something special here in Wayway has always been a dream of mine. Over the past two seasons, we’ve taken important steps forward, and I’m excited to continue building toward our ultimate goal of bringing a championship to the Waywayseecappo Community.”
The Wolverines lost a lot of veteran talent last year, but Cochrane has a history of finding talent. It will be interesting to see how they fare this year.