Benny Walchuk:
Good morning. It’s time for the Melville Millionaires Coaches Show on GX94. Joined this morning by head coach and general manager Doug Johnson. Doug, I know I split for you guys last week in Kindersley. What did you learn about your group from that two-game set on the road?
Doug Johnson:
I still don’t think we’re back to where we were before Christmas. On Friday, I thought offensively we were much better, but defensively we made some mistakes we haven’t seen in a long time. On Thursday, with the 1–0 win, I thought we locked things down defensively really well, but offensively we didn’t generate as much as we would have liked.
It’s about getting consistency back in our group and getting back to playing the way we need to play. We like our group and we like the additions we’ve made. Now we just have to make sure we play to our capabilities night in and night out, not just in brief spurts.
Benny Walchuk:
You mentioned the additions with the trade deadline passing on the weekend. Talk about the new pieces. What did you want to address, and how do you see them fitting into your system?
Doug Johnson:
Obviously, we needed a goalie with Siniagowitz leaving, so we brought in Patenaude from Weyburn and we’re really happy with him. He moves incredibly well and he’s one of those guys who’s first on the ice and last off. That’s exactly what you want out of a goalie, and I think there’s a lot of upside there. He’s also a phenomenal human being.
With the Normand acquisition, we needed another left-shot center. You always need depth down the middle, especially with the Baerwald injury. We didn’t have a reliable guy to play heavy defensive minutes, particularly as a left shot who can take draws. That flexibility in the lineup is invaluable. We like his offense and we think there’s a lot more to his game than the numbers show. Last year he had 20 points in 28 games. This year it’s been a bit of a snake pit, but after practices and getting settled in, he’s going to be exactly what we need — a guy who plays with sandpaper, grit, and knows how to win.
Then on trade deadline day, we added Maddox Schindle. We wanted more depth on our back end with the injuries we’ve had, and with the rescheduled games we’re going to need guys to stay fresh. We’re very happy with him. We’ve only seen him briefly in practice so far, but he’s a big guy who skates incredibly well, shoots the puck hard, and seems very intelligent. He’s going to fit our system well.
Overall, we’re happy with what we did. There were a few things we wanted to accomplish that didn’t materialize — not for a lack of trying, but trades take two sides. At the end of the day, we like what we have. I don’t know if I’ve had a team with a stronger group of shooters in my three years in Melville. We’re going to have a puncher’s chance every night — we just need to bring the consistency.
Benny Walchuk:
Back home this weekend against Weyburn and Humboldt. What are the keys for you guys to take advantage? Home ice hasn’t been as friendly as you’d like — what’s going to be the key to success?
Doug Johnson:
When we get our feet moving, play hard, and commit offensively and defensively, I firmly believe there’s not a team that can beat us. When we layer properly and play the right way, we’re very tough to handle.
If you look at our record against top teams, we’ve proven we can beat them. We’ve played Weyburn hard and we’ve played the league’s top teams hard. Now it’s about doing it consistently — night after night. It’s easy to be good some of the time, but to be truly great, you have to be good all the time.
Against Weyburn, we need to slow them down. Against Humboldt, we need to exploit their defense and take care of business.
