Now that the 2024/2025 junior hockey season has concluded for the Powell River Kings, preparations are already underway for the next hockey season.
Having conducted exit interviews with outgoing players and with staff, head coach and general manager Steph Seeger is now setting his sights on building a competitive team for the future. Seeger said he is starting to put together the next team.
“It’s already underway,” said Seeger. “We have one player who has already signed a new recruit form for next year. That’s Tristan Williams, who we had as an affiliate player for 10 games this season from the Campbell River Storm.
“I would say recruitment really started a month or so ago in terms of reaching out to players, getting our lists in order, and starting to get into a deeper dive on the video side of things, which is extremely important.”
Seeger said because the Kings did not make the playoffs this BC Hockey League season, it has provided some extra time for him to focus on attracting the right players to next year’s team.
“A large part of it is getting the right personnel in here, the right kind of people and the right kind of players,” said Seeger. “We are doing a lot of background research on our players to make sure we are getting the right kind of players in here, whether that is from advisors or other resources. The more information we have on the player before they come here, the better.”
Seeger said in Powell River, players are recognizable, and often go to Tim Hortons or Subway, where someone knows them.
“I don’t want to bring players into the community who aren’t going to be able to fit in or adjust well to the style and pace of life here,” said Seeger. “We want good, young gentlemen. We want to find them in a really great place and then have them leave even better after they are finished.”
Billeting benefits
Making the players comfortable when they are in the community is important, and Seeger said the club’s billet coordinator Aaron Reid has done an amazing job at finding places for the players to stay, and feel like they have a home away from home.
“We hear horror stories about players in other leagues,” said Seeger. “If the players don’t feel at home, they are not going to play to their fullest potential. It’s definitely a big piece of the puzzle.
“I know that after I played my junior hockey, I’ve still been in touch with some of the billet families that I had. They became a second family for me, and they still check in. I still get birthday and Christmas wishes from some of them.”
Personnel pursuit
In terms of what the next team might look like, Seeger said between 10 and 14 players could be returning.
“Those are the players I’ve asked to come back,” said Seeger. “The numbers are not set in stone, especially with the NCAA rules change, so there was extra turnover that I didn’t account for. With that being said, we have a little bit of a different landscape now, heading into training camps, with the Ontario Hockey League and Quebec major junior training camps happening around the same time. So, some players have an opportunity they never had before to play for major junior teams and have the college option open to them.
“School guys can pretty much go anywhere now, so they might be looking into some other opportunities. My biggest message to them is, I hope they’re doing their research with wherever they are going. If the next level doesn’t work out for them, then, hopefully, I’m getting that phone call pretty quickly, and they are able to come back and help the Powell River Kings be successful.”
In terms of local minor hockey players joining the Kings’ ranks, Seeger said there might be some camp invitations doled out.
“We’re in contact with a couple right now, or even junior players who are Powell Riverites, with one of them being Kyle Mayenburg, who played 10 affiliate games with us this year,” said Seeger. “We were able to get him in games after his Comox season ended.
“So, if we can give guys who are from Powell River a home back home, that’s always a bonus. I want to make sure if that is a route that we go, they are doing it purely on their capabilities.”
Seeger said going forward, the team does not want to repeat the results of the last two seasons, missing the playoffs.
“It’s not good for the players, the coaching staff or the community,” said Seeger. “We want the community to come and support us, and it is easier if we’re winning games, especially at home.”
Starting fresh
The Kings were coached by NHL legend Glenn Anderson at the beginning of the season, but Anderson left the team partway through the campaign, and Seeger took over coaching duties. Seeger said he is hoping with him being there at the start, it will help him develop the team from the start.
“I was working very closely with Glenn and we got along greatly,” said Seeger. “But, everyone has a little bit of a different way of doing things. There’s little tweaks I would like to make from the start. So, there’s a different strategy and a different approach.
“There’s nothing crazy in terms of reinventing the wheel of hockey, but there’s things I’d like to set in stone the way I would like them from the very beginning.”
Seeger said he would like to make the Kings the head coach’s team.
“If not, you’re doing things the wrong way,” said Seeger. “I do want to say thank you, one last time, to Glenn for everything he did for me, because he has been an absolutely awesome mentor to me through it all.”
Seeger said community support for the team remains strong. He did not have average game attendance at hand, or the season ticket base numbers, but said he always hopes for more. He said the team has to make sure players put on good performances on-ice to draw the crowds and to keep earning the support.
“Just like I don’t want to sign a player as a favour to anybody, I also don’t want to have fans come here as a favour,” said Seeger. “I want to have fans here because they want to be here, because we are putting out a product that is entertaining.”
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