Annual General Meeting a chance for fans to help plot course of Good Ship Leafs
By Bruce Fuhr
While the coaching staff continues to log more kilometers than Greyhound in their search for skilled players to fill out the roster for the upcoming Kootenay International Junior Hockey League, the movers and shakers behind the scenes of the Good Ship Leaf open up the books to the public at the Annual General Meeting of the Nelson Leafs Hockey Society Tuesday, May 24.
The meeting for the Heritage City franchise begins at 7 p.m. in the meeting room at the Nelson and District Community Complex.
“I feel very confident we are now on a solid foundation we have a strong core on the board to help lead the organization forward,” said Leaf president John Dooley, entering his second half of his two year term on the team executive.
“Our on-ice team manager, coaches and support staff are building on structure that supports the boards goals of player development, which includes commitment to team, community, and education.”
Dooley has maintained close contact with Mario DiBella’s coaching staff as the coaches pound the pavement on an aggressive off-season recruiting plan.
“Re-building will take time,” Dooley said. “ . . . the upcoming season will still be a work in progress (but) I am impressed by the off season work by Mario DiBella and Sean Dooley.”
“They are making sure they invite the type of players that fit.”
Dooley said it would be no easy task returning the Leafs to the top of the hotly competitive Neil Murdoch Division after a disastrous 2014-15 campaign that saw the executive release head coach Dave McLellan and his staff.
Beaver Valley, under the guidance of cagey Terry Jones, puts a competitive team on the ice every season.
Castlegar is always near the top of the division while Grand Forks made great strides during the past season, not only qualifying for post season but also posting the lone major upset, knocking off second-place Castlegar Rebels in six games during the opening round of the Murdoch Division playoffs.
“If we learned one thing about our coaching staff and our team in the second half of last season is they were prepared and they competed,” Dooley said.
Topics on the agenda include election of officers, a report from the treasurer on the team’s financial status and discussion from the coaching staff regarding the recent the recruiting program.
