Brockman enjoying Swift Current
‘Same feeling’ as with Humboldt
Dean Brockman, formerly of the community-owned Broncos, is now a member of the communityowned Broncos.
Brockman, who was named the Swift Current Broncos’ head coach and director of hockey operations in late June, can draw upon his experiences during 17 years with the SJHL’S Humboldt Broncos.
“Anytime you were successful in Humboldt, it was for so many great people,” he said from Swift Current. “I’m getting that same feeling here.
“You want to win for the person who was loyal to the team or who cares about it or someone who was a billet or helped in any way. You want to work hard for them and have their team represent who you are in the community.”
Brockman landed on his feet in Swift Current after being let go by the Saskatoon Blades, for whom he had been the head coach for two seasons.
He is now in the early stages of his first training camp with Swift Current.
“It just feels like this is a community that has embraced their team for years and years and years,” said Brockman, a four-time SJHL
You want to win for the person who was loyal to the team or who cares about it or … helped in any way.
coach of the year who hails from St. Benedict.
“Now I’m the new guy on the block, but you don’t feel new. They’ve made me feel like I’ve been here for a while. That’s how comfortable they make you feel.
“Obviously, you don’t want to feel too comfortable, but they’re excited about their team. They want to know what’s going to happen and they’re curious about who’s who. When they’re talking about it this early, I think it’s a great sign.”
Brockman takes over a team that is in transition after winning the WHL championship last season.
“It feels good, as things are coming together,” he said. “When you got the job and you sat back, you went, ‘This is a team that just won the Western Hockey League championship.’
“When you get hired, there’s two ways you can go. You can go up or you can go down. We kind of know where we’re going, so it made some of the transition a lot easier. Obviously, everybody loves to repeat, but we know where we’re at.
“Just having the things come together feels really good. Now you can start to concentrate more on the hockey side of it instead of hiring and finding people and just trying to organize yourself beyond belief, and just dealing with everything that has been left over.”