Harbinson in Penticton for the long haul now
Vees’ coach-GM says success, ownership among reasons for signing extension through 2023-24
Fred Harbinson said his five-year contract extension had been in the works for quite some time.
The Vees’ president, general manager and head coach had one year remaining on his current contract.
“I’ve been approached over the years, but I’m in a place at age 46 where I feel I’ve earned the right to align myself with owners who have the same philosophical ideas that I do,” said the Calgary native. “Obviously a by-product of all that is winning.”
Harbinson said he sat down with Graham Fraser (majority owner of the Vees, along with his wife Sue) on Sunday and reached a deal that will keep him with the Vees until the 2023-24 season.
“It’s really pretty simple — success isn’t an accident, it’s a choice, and Graham and Sue choose to be successful in whatever project they embark on,” said Harbinson. “I don’t think they get enough credit for all they do for this organization to help us be successful on and off the ice. They aren’t specifically in the winning business, but they are certainly among the very best in the people business.
“I want to continue to work for them and for the great fans of Penticton.”
Harbinson, addressing a public gathering Tuesday at the South Okanagan Events Centre, said his main goal from his first of 11 seasons with the team in 2007-08 was to “create a dynasty and a perennial contender.”
The Vees won the Fred Page Cup (BCHL championship) that first season under Harbinson’s watch and have won three more since (2011-12, 2014-15 and 2016-17).
The Vees have also made three appearances in the RBC Cup national championship, winning the 2012 RBC in Humboldt, Sask. Penticton has also won a Doyle Cup and a Western Canada Cup, while accumulating a runaway BCHL-best 24 banners in Harbinson’s 11 seasons.
In the landmark 2011-12 season, the Vees set a new North American hockey record with an incredible 42-game winning streak. It culminated with Penticton’s second national title and first since the thenPenticton Knights won in 1986.
This past season, the Vees won an unprecedented seventh straight Interior Division pennant and the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy as BCHL regular season overall champions.
Overall Penticton has posted a record of 481-144-14-40 under Harbinson’s watch and has also seen 10 players drafted into the NHL — with at least one more (defenceman Jonny Tychonick) to come in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft in June.
“Many of the elite young players in North America look at Penticton first when deciding where they want to play their junior hockey,” said Harbinson. “It’s one of the things we take tremendous pride in.”
The Vees also announced a large part of their leadership group for the 2018-19 season.
Massimo Rizzo, who turns 17 on June 13, will serve as the Vees’ full-time captain after Owen Sillinger and Grant Cruikshank served as co-captains last season.
Rizzo also represented Canada at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.
He will be joined by forwards Ryan Sandelin and Cassidy Bowes as assistant captains, along with two more assistants to be named at a later date.
Sandelin, 18, begins his second season with the Vees after missing just three games in the 2017-18 regular season. He is committed to attend the University of Minnesota State Mankato for 2019-20.
Bowes, 18, is also about to start his second full season with the Vees, though he burst onto the scene during the 2017 playoffs with five points in eight games.
From Grand Prairie, Alta, he appeared in just three playoff games in 2018 after suffering a season-ending injury in practice.
The Vees also revealed that Luke Loheit, Jack Lagerstrom, Henri Schreifels and Cole Shepard have been recruited for the coming season.
Loheit, 18, hails from Minnetonka, Minn., and played high school hockey in his hometown last season. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound forward posted 12 goals and 30 points in 24 games. He comes to Penticton with a commitment to the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He was ranked 152nd among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting for the upcoming NHL Entry Draft.
Lagerstrom, 18, is from Edina, Minn., and played at the illustrious Shattuck St. Mary’s program in Faribault, Minn.
The 6-foot-2, 188-pound right-shot defenceman posted some eye-popping numbers — scoring 15 goals and 49 points in 54 games. He has secured an NCAA scholarship to Cornell University.
Schreifels, from Agoura Hills, Calif., comes to Penticton fresh off leading his league in scoring. Schreifels played for the Anaheim Jr. Ducks U18 program in the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, scoring 26 goals and 56 points in 36 games.
Shepard, a 2002-born forward from West Vancouver, is already familiar to Vees’ fans, having played in six games for Penticton this past season. Shepard picked up an assist in his second career game against the Wenatchee Wild on Jan. 6, before suiting up in four playoff games against the Trail Smoke Eaters. He recently announced his commitment to attend Harvard University in the future.
The Vees said there will be no change in season ticket prices for the 2018-19 season. Anyone interested in purchasing tickets can call Laura Carleton, the Vees’ ticketing and merchandise director, at 250-493-8337 ext. 4.
The Vees presented a cheque for $2,720 to the South Okanagan Similakmeen Medical Foundation (SOMF) as part of the Gateway Gives promotion, which sees $20 for each goal scored by the Vees during home games donated to SOMF courtesy of Gateway Casinos. The program has seen a three-year total of $8,600 donated.
Finally, the new Vees Community Heroes program was unveiled.
At each home game during the 2018-19 season, the Vees will be donating a minimum of $1,000 to a local charitable group to give back to the community that shows unparalleled support for the team.
More details on the program will be announced at a future date. Harbinson