Business as usual for world junior coach

REGINA Moose Jaw Warriors head coach Tim Hunter has a lot on his plate this season, but he hasn’t found it to be all-consuming. Not yet, anyway.

Despite the added responsibility of serving as Canada’s head coach at the upcoming world junior hockey championship, Hunter insists it’s not a huge burden to juggle those duties with his regular job.

In fact, it hasn’t been much different than his experience the previous two years as an assistant with Team Canada.

“There’s not a lot more responsibility as a head coach than as an assistant coach (at this juncture),” Hunter said. “It’s more when you’re with the team. I’m not doing a lot of extra work that’s taking away from my everyday job here. We’ve done a lot of work already leading up to the summer camp and leading up to the Russia series. It’s not overbearing by any means, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it.”

Hunter will don his Hockey Canada hat in two weeks when he steps behind the bench for Team WHL in the CIBC Canada Russia Series. Following the WHL portion of the series (Nov. 5 in Kamloops, B.C., and Nov. 6 in Vancouver), Hunter will head east to watch the OHL games (Nov. 8 in Sarnia, Ont., and Nov. 12 in Oshawa, Ont.), followed by the QMJHL contests (Nov. 13 in Sherbrooke, Que., and Nov. 15 in Drummondville, Que.).

“It’ll be our last chance (as coaches) to look at the guys that we want to come to our selection camp,” Hunter said. “(Head scout) Brad Mcewen and five or six other people watch the players (during the season). We get video updates so I can watch them and then I’ll be at all the games for the Russia series. You can see all you want on video but you see a guy up-close and personal when you’re in the stands or at ice level.”

Although the Canada-russia Series will take Hunter away from Moose Jaw for a few days, the impact on his availability for games is minimal due to a light schedule.

Hunter officially steps away from the WHL club on Dec. 10 when the coaches and players gather in B.C. for Canada’s selection camp. The tournament runs Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 in Vancouver and Victoria.

“The good thing for me is I have a good staff in my assistants: Mark (O’leary) and Scott (King),” he said.

This year’s tournament returns to Canadian soil after being staged last year in Buffalo, N.Y.