What a week.   On Monday morning, Jared Bednar officially let us know that he would not be returning for the third year of his contract as Head Coach and General Manager of the Stingrays. He is now joining the Calgary Flames organization as an assistant coach with their brand new American Hockey League Affiliate the Abbotsford Heat.

Canada is a beautiful country, and Abbotsford is located in one of the best areas in Canada. Jared will be living roughly an hour from Vancouver and just a few miles from the border into Washington State. Most importantly, he will get the chance to work with a quality organization and learn under Head Coach Jim Playfair. It will be interesting to watch him progress and to follow his career as he makes his way to the NHL.

On Wednesday, Cail Maclean became the fifth coach in Stingrays history. Cail completed his degree this summer and was instrumental in the Stingrays run to the Cup this past spring. As a part time assistant this past season, Cail worked home games and practices. He also worked tirelessly with youth hockey teams giving clinics and lessons. Those that know Cail can attest that he is a quality individual that will keep our team moving in the right direction, on the ice and in the community. We are very excited about the new era that we are entering as an organization with Cail behind the bench.

Will the brand of hockey change, will the personnel change, will he be more demonstrative on the bench, and will he wear a summer suit to playoff games? We don’t know, but it will be fun to find out. We do know that our hockey operations are in very capable hands.