A wave of new energy

By Ryan McCracken on September 10, 2018.

rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com @MHNMcCracken

The Medicine Hat Cubs are riding a wave of new energy.

Some organizational changes in the off-season paved the way to an impressive showing at the team’s main training camp, with nearly 50 players lining up for a shot to represent the Cubs in the Heritage Junior Hockey League this season.

“It rejuvenates you a little bit. It gets you some fresh faces, some fresh ideas and some new energy. You can just feel the new energy,” said Cubs head coach JD Gaetan. “There’s lots of excitement. You can tell, even from the kids from last year, you can tell they’re excited and see the team going in the right direction — almost getting back to the Cubs of old, where there’s so much history.”

Gaetan says newly appointed general manager Dave Kowalchuk has played a huge role in drawing in players for training camp and helping foster a professional environment for players and staff alike.

“He’s definitely working his butt off to turn this program around and put it in the right direction. It’s exciting, lots of people are excited,” he said. “They want the team to go in the right direction, they want it to succeed, so it’s exciting for everyone when that happens.”

The Cubs managed to narrow the list of players down to 40 for Sunday’s intra-squad game — a 5-4 overtime victory for Team Lacher over Team Craven —and he plans on cutting that number down to 32 for their three upcoming pre-season games this weekend.

“It’s going to be tough, there’s lots to choose from,” said Gaetan whose Cubs will host the Lomond Lakers Friday at 7:30 p.m. before welcoming the Assiniboia Rebels to the Kinplex for a pair of games Saturday and Sunday. “It’ll give us a better look at the guys and a better read on how they take gameplay.”

Gaetan added the Cubs are still seeking billets for a number of their new players and are reaching out to the public for assistance with the season just around the corner. Anyone interested in serving as a billet family for the Cubs can contact Kowalchuk at (403) 952 9964.

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