The Quesnel River Rush will make the move to Junior A hockey next season with a new person behind the bench.
46-year old Colby Wagar has been hired as the team’s new head coach and general manager.
He says the plan is to ice a hard working, physical, fast, very motivated team.
“We’re going to be going a hundred miles a minute in the right direction and we’re going to work hard, we’ll be a very hard working team, very physical, just very hard to play against, defensively sound, that’s the goal here.”
Wagar says he likes to build his teams from the defense out.
“Ya It’s always been something I like to do. You start with your goalie and you work yourself out. I think that it’s crucial that the team understands defensive zone structure and moving the puck out quickly, and it all starts on from the defensive zone out.”
He also talked about discipline.
“Well I think holding the boys accountable for their actions, on and off the ice, it’s not always just on the ice, it’s off the ice as well. I feel that in the game of hockey everything is passionate and things happen in hockey plays, you can’t control what happens all the time but you can definitely hold them accountable for their actions, and try to clean up some of those penalty minutes from behind the play.”
Wagar is no stranger to Quesnel.
“I was actually born there. My family and I moved out of there when I was about 15 years old and moved to Dawson Creek and I’ve been here ever since, but I still have some family and friends down there so it’ll be nice to get back and get a fresh start somewhere and move up into the world of Junior A, and I am excited for the opportunity.”
He has been involved with the Dawson Creek junior hockey team for the past decade, and he is familiar with some of the players on the team.
“Ya I know who some of them are. I’ve been in and out of Quesnel for a number of years, and in and out of the KIJHL as far as recruiting goes, and talking to other coaches in the league over the last 10 years, so I know a lot of the fellas that are on the team now. I seen some of them when they were 16 and 17 years old at camps.”
Wagar says Quesnel has affiliated some of the Dawson Creek players over the past couple of years as well.
He says they would develop players for the River Rush and try to get them ready for the next season.
