Following a challenging 16-win season that ended with a first-round exit in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) Teck Cup playoffs, the Osoyoos Coyotes are back with renewed energy and a revamped roster. Head coach and general manager Ken Law discusses the team’s transformation and why fans should be excited in this season’s Quick Shift team preview.
KIJHL: What should fans be excited about when it comes to this team?
KL: We’re a little more skilled than last year and it will take time for them to gel together as it’s a revamped roster. I like what we have and they will turn some heads.
KIJHL: What areas are you looking to improve from last season?
KL: We just allowed way too many shots. Hunter Arntsen faced more shots than he should have. He did a great job for us, but we didn’t have a very solid back end, which we seemed to have rectified. (Note: Arntsen faced 1,242 shots and saved 1,131.)
We are trying to change that culture, get players that can move the puck and punish opponents in front of the net.
KIJHL: Are there any returning players that you are expecting to have big seasons? Talk about what you are hoping to see from them.
KL: Logan Messer, Spencer Fleck and Scott Dyck will all turn a corner and produce – hopefully getting a lot of points.
Messer (28 points in 41 games) played on our first line and performed well. He has gained 10 pounds of muscle over the summer and is ready to go.
Fleck (six points in 13 games) has had a pretty good off-season. He has good hockey sense and will find the quiet areas. He has a really good shot.
Dyck (26 points in 42 games) has a great shot and finds the quiet areas. He gets his shots off fast.
With Arntsen, we know what we have with him – a No.1 goalie.
Ausin Rampone is a utility guy – like a swiss army knife. He will do anything asked of him, play any position.
KIJHL: You added defenceman Tyler Seminoff and Myles Hayne, along with forward Kyle Cyr in trades. What do you like that each player will bring?
KL: Seminoff is a local player, who is a big, solid defenceman that is never going to go end-to-end, but he is solid in our own zone. He moves the puck well and his first pass is outstanding.
Hayne is 6-4, 165 pounds, and is really smart and knows how to protect the puck, move it into safe areas. He’s another guy we are expecting to lead on the back end.
Cyr is an exceptional skater with a really good shot. He isn’t afraid to play in the dirty areas and works hard.
Russell Weatherhead is a late addition from the Vernon Vipers camp. He is a big, right-handed defenceman, who is very poised with the puck, moves it well and he will punish some guys.
KIJHL: Are there first-year players who are ready to make an immediate impact?
KL: It’s a little bit of a different game for them, but they are adjusting well. I think they are going to get stronger and perform well in the situations they are going to be put in.
Austin Cooper (2006 – Leduc Oil Kings U18AAA) He plays with good pace, is sneaky and can be gone on a breakaway. He has that kind of speed and a knack for turning guys inside out.
Matthew Lowry (2006 – Calgary Royals U18AAA) He has good hockey sense, tremendous speed and a really good eye for finding areas. He feathers passes across to sticks and always seems to find the guy on the other side. We can put him on the wing or in the middle, he seems to gel with whoever we put him with.
KIJHL: When it comes to your leadership group, what are the important characteristics that you want each player to possess?
KL: We are looking for guys that are going to lead by example. They put their game faces on and help the guys around them get better. We have some candidates, we are just giving them some time to solidify who is going to be where. We have guys that have been in the league for a few years and they are always good to lean on with their experience and their presence in the dressing room.
Note on Arntsen: His brother Joe Arntsen signed with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks in April and is on their roster to play in the Canucks Young Stars Classic that begins Friday in Penticton this weekend. Joe played 280 career regular season and playoff games combined for Lethbridge.
