Leafs hope to finally have their man, announce signing of Dave McLellan as skipper of the KIJHL franchise
By The Nelson Daily Sports
The Nelson Leafs are hoping a second chance will pay big dividends come playoff time.
Less than a week after having first choice Matt Hughes quit on the Green and White – figuring a directors position at the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna was reason enough to leave the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League franchise hanging – Leaf executive director Michelle MacLean announced Friday the team has a new coach and GM in place for the upcoming 2014-15 Junior B Hockey season,
“We’re happy to announce Dave McLellan is the new coach and general manager of the Nelson Leafs Hockey club,” MacLean told The Nelson Daily this morning.
“Dave is going to hit the ground running,” MacLean adds. “He’s been touching base with players and recruiting for the past month.”
MacLean said McLellan, 48, from Surrey, was shocked, and happy, the Leaf were once again in the market for a skipper.
“(Dave) was surprised but pleased to have the opportunity to take the job with the Leafs,” MacLean said.
McLellan, married with one child, comes to the Leafs with coaching experience, having been the head man a Delta Ice Hawks of the Pacific Junior Hockey League and Burnaby Express of the BC Hockey League.
McLellan is currently travelling overseas but MacLean expects the new coach in Nelson to begin quest for a KIJHL title soon.
“Dave was very close in the running to Matt (Hughes) so we feel he’s not really a second choice for our team,” MacLean explained. “We just decided to go with Matt at the time.”
Leafs brass close to finding skipper wanting to coach Green and White
Despite having a bomb dropped on the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League franchise by its very brief former coach, the Nelson Leafs are optimistic the team will have a new skipper in place very soon.
Leaf president Larry Martel told The Nelson Daily Thursday the franchise “will definitely have someone in place by Friday, and if not, then by Saturday.”
“We going through all the same steps we did the last time we selected at coach,” Martel explained, adding the Leaf executive held a meeting Wednesday to discuss the candidates.
“We’re interviewing a lot of the same applicants we did before as well as some new ones.”
The KIJHL franchise was dealt a huge blow Saturday (July 26) when current skipper Matt Hughes resigned his position as head coach and General Manager of the Green and White.
Hughes had been on the just nine weeks before informing Martel in a phone call to take a director’s position with the Pursuit of Excellence Hockey Academy in Kelowna.
Hughes took over from former coach and GM Frank Maida who resigned after the season.
The surprise resignation by Hughes came some 36 days before Nelson’s first exhibition game against defending KIJHL champion, Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
“There’s always the threat that we’ll be at a disadvantage entering the season,” Martel said when asked about the impact to the team the decision by Hughes to quit.
Nelson opens training camp August 29 at the NDCC Arena.
The first exhibition game is scheduled for Wednesday, September 3 at Fruitvale against the defending KIJHL champion Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
Nelson hosts two exhibition games Saturday, September 6 & 7.
The KIJHL season opens for Nelson Friday, September 12 at the NDCC Arena against the same Nitehawks.
