Area teams geared up for AJHL openers

Tyler Drader didn’t mince words when reflecting upon his time so far as coach of the Calgary Mustangs.

“It was kind of a gong show last year,” said Drader, who took over the reigns as both coach and general manager from Jeff Richards in December.

While Drader’s resume includes stints as bench boss of both the Calgary Midget AAA Northstars and Calgary Bantam AAA Bisons, he was coaching his six-year-old son Jake’s team — the Southwest Cougars — when he was summoned to help out the Mustangs.

“I’m probably the first-ever coach to go from Timbits to the AJHL,” recalled Drader, who’s looking forward to a fresh start with the Mustangs this season after the team compiled a woeful 8-50-2 record last year. “I think it was good to get in there and meet some of the guys and just do an evaluation of the guys we wanted for next year and get a lay of the land.

“Last year was a good learning experience of patience and sticking with things when you’re behind the 8-ball.”

The Mustangs will open the 2017-18 AJHL campaign in Canmore against the Eagles on Saturday (7 p.m.) before the same two teams meet for a rematch at Father David Bauer Arena on Sunday (7:30 p.m.).

“We don’t have a lot of experience, but we’ve got a group that’s going to work hard and will work together,” said Drader, who will start the season with just seven returning players including newlynamed captain Salvatore Scalise. “He works hard, he’s mobile and moves the puck well (on defence). He’s a good leader for us.”

While the Mustangs struggled last season, their cross-town rivals, the Calgary Canucks, thrived. The Canucks finished third in the Viterra AJHL South Division with a 37-19-4 record, which was a 27-point improvement from the year before.

Since posting a 15-42-3 record in the 2013-14 season, the Canucks have improved each year, which is a trend that new coach Colin Birkas hopes to continue.

“It’s been a fantastic experience for me moving out here and the organization’s been first class in how they treat me and how they treat the players, so I anticipate good things,” said Birkas, who guided the Brockville Braves of the Central Canada Hockey League to a 33-26-3 record last year.

Birkas will rely on input from his veteran-laden squad to help him build upon what former bench boss James Poole, who left to coach at the midget prep level with the Edge Mountaineers, accomplished.

“I’m leaning on them, talking to them about how some teams play and the grind of our season,” said Birkas, who has appreciated the assistance he’s received from players like 20-year-old forward Josh Giocomin. “Since I got here, Giocomin has been really paying attention to make sure my adjustment has gone well. He’s put in a real effort.”

Birkas wouldn’t be surprised if his new group of players choose Giocomin to serve as either captain or as an alternate captain with the Canucks this season.

“He’s shown he’s got another gear to his game and he’s welcoming the new guys,” Birkas said. “He’s been fantastic. I would be shocked if he’s not part of the leadership group.”

The Canucks will kick off their season with a home game at the newly-christened Ken Bracko Arena in Max Bell Center against the Olds Grizzlys on Sunday (renaming ceremony at 2:20 p.m., followed by puck drop at 2:30 p.m.).

Meanwhile, the Okotoks Oilers will open their campaign at home with a tough test against the defending AJHL champion Brooks Bandits on Friday (7 p.m.) at Pason Centennial Arena before a rematch the next night on the road at Centennial Regional Arena.

“We’ll go through our ups and downs throughout the season, but we feel pretty confident with the group we have coming in,” said Oilers coach Tyler Deis.

The Oilers finished fourth behind the Canucks last season with a 36-18-6 record before ousting the Camrose Kodiaks in three straight playoff games in the first round. After sweeping the Canucks in four straight outings in Round 2, the Oilers lost their best-of-seven divisional series to the Bandits in five games.

In order for the Oilers to improve upon last season, Deis said he’ll need returning 20-year-old goalie Riley Morris to continue to play well between the pipes.

“He’s our best player and he’s definitely going to be a big part of our success this year,” Deis said. “We believe he’s one of the top goalies there is in this league. He’s definitely going to help us out with our young forwards when we make mistakes and he’s going to be the guy that hopefully bails us out.”

Deis will also rely upon 20-yearold forward Carter Huber to lead the way.

“He’ll play in a lot of situations,” said Deis of Huber, who was recently appointed as captain. “His leadership qualities are, bar none, some of the best I’ve seen.”

Since Okotoks is such a short drive south of Calgary, Deis said it’s only natural that the Oilers have formed a rivalry with both the Canucks and Mustangs over the years.

“It’s one of those cool things just with the proximity of the three teams,” he said. “It’s always great to see the success from the Calgary teams here. It just makes the parity in the league a lot better.”