IceDogs ready to hit the ice
New coach, new players, new expectations for OHL club
New is the operative word surrounding the Niagara IceDogs this season.
Head coach Dave Bell takes over for departed general manager-head coach Marty Williamson and will have an almost entirely new roster to work with.
“It’s a fresh slate,” Bell said. “A brand new piece of paper where there are 13 guys who don’t know what happened here last year.
“It’s not change for them, it’s just brand new. They don’t know anything else from this organization.”
Back from last season’s Eastern Conference championship team are forwards Graham Knott, Johnny Corneil, Christopher Paquette, Nick Pastorious, Ben Jones and Kyle Langdon along with defencemen William Lochead, Aaron Haydon, Ryan Mantha and Hayden Davis. Former backup Stephen Dhillon heads into camp as the No. 1 netminder.
Familiar names such as Alex Nedljkovic, Vince Dunn, Blake Siebenaler, Josh Ho-Sang, Brendan Perlini, Jordan Maletta, Stephen Harper and captain Anthony DiFruscia have moved on to either the pro ranks, or in the case of Harper and DiFruscia, Canadian universities.
Bell isn’t worried about how such a roster shuffle will affect the organization.
“With such a big turnover, you’re not having to change. If we were doing this last year, you’d have to change 21 guys.
“This year we have to change seven,” he said.
Bell’s appointment caught many off guard — Williamson made the finals twice in his six seasons in Niagara — but Bell doesn’t intend to live in his shadow.
“I don’t want to be Marty. I never think that way,” Bell said. “If someone hires you, you should have the confidence in your own beliefs. I take stuff from Marty. I take stuff from every coach I worked under.
“If they want to compare me to anybody, I’m not that coach. I’m Dave Bell and I have my own style and own beliefs and philosophies. I’m not trying to slowly transition from some Marty stuff and then get to the Dave stuff.
“Anything you see on ice will be a result of what we believe in as a group and if it reflects Marty or they think it reflects Marty they can believe it, but I can tell you everything we do is going to be what this group in here we believe in.”
Bell may be new to the job in Niagara, but he brings a wealth of experience, including a long and respected playing career in both junior and the pro ranks as well as more than a decade as an assistant behind the bench in both junior and pro.
“I’m really excited. I’m one of 20 who get to be head coaches in the OHL,” said Bell, a 39-yearold native of Wiarton, Ont. “It’s an honour and a privilege and I’m not going to take it for granted. I’m proud of it. I’ve worked hard to get to this point and I think I’ve earned it.
“That’s going to be the message to the players. It’s a privilege to play in the league, but I’m not giving it to you. I slugged it out for 12 years to get this job. The word earn is going to be used a lot this year. I don’t owe you a favour, I don’t owe you anything. Nothing is given to you.”
The IceDogs have yet to play a game, but Bell has already noticed the difference between being an assistant versus being the head coach.
“I’m not going to change a lot,” he said. “I try to have a lot of communication with the guys and be honest with them. The biggest thing is now I have to actually make that final decision where before I just had input into the final decision.”
Now, I have to pull the trigger on those things. I’m fine with that. I want it to be a group discussion but ultimately I decide if we are going to do this, that or the other thing whether it be a roster move or system or lineup.
“You think a lot more about decisions.”
The IceDogs open camp Tuesday at Meridian Centre with more than 60 players, including 24 free agents, slated to attend and several spots up for grabs.
“Some of those guys will push for a spot,” Bell said of the free agents. “We know we have a lot of spots to fill. Those guys aren’t coming as fillers. We’ve got guys coming from all over we think have a chance to make our team.”
The IceDogs play host to the Barrie Colts Friday at Thorold Community Arena in their first exhibition game and Bell and his staff intend to use the days leading up to the game to see the players in as many game-like scrimmages as possible.
“In our four days before exhibition games we have 10 games. We’re going to get to see them in four games in game situations. We recognize some are good in practice but you have to see them in a game,” he said.
The IceDogs hit the ice today at 1 p.m. and then Wednesday at 9 a.m. and Thursday at 9:45 a.m.