April 23, 2013
*For Immediate Release*
Most teams or Junior Hockey organizations have the same way of making changes, new coach, slap some paint on the locker-room, or the team bus and some empty promises of championships! The Holland River Bandits have a different approach.
In order to set themselves apart the River Bandits have chosen a new direction under some new guidance and the changes are happening on a daily basis and should make the River Bandits the “class” of not only the MWJHL but also rank them among the top teams in all of Junior Hockey.
The first changes are currently underway. To start things off River Bandits will address their roster concerns. It is apparent that as with most junior teams recruiting can be an issue. When it comes to Tier III a lot of programs are just looking for players and parents willing to “pay the fee” and fill roster spots.
The River Bandits have a new approach and it may remind you of the movie “Field of Dreams,” the approach is “If you BUILD IT, they will come!” The River Bandits Owners are intent on fulfilling their end of the bargain. New Bandits players will have a new improved dressing room, a structured off-ice training program, memberships for a health facility, structured weight training, nutritional advice from professionals in that field, a professional coaching staff, a world- wide scouting staff, and a full time academic advisor.
The River Bandits first order of business was to determine, where to find the players that wanted to take advantage of what the Bandits have to offer. So the River Bandits have gone about creating their own scouting department staffed with experienced hockey professionals. After a month or so of phone calls and numerous conversations the River Bandits have accomplished their task.
The Holland River Bandits are pleased to announce that the following former hockey players and coaches are now part of their staff.
Dennis Chighisola- Special Consultant – European Scout
Brian Horan- New England Region Scout
Chad Wilcox- Southeast Region Scout
Norm Tobin- Ontario, Canada Scout
Watch the River Bandits website for biographies on their new staff members and updates. Everyone will get to see first- hand what the River Bandits have to offer and what direction they are taking.
One River Bandits owner was talking about why scouts can be vital. “Most teams have scouts, but they are just guys that are friends of friends who spend some time in rinks, but are not really good evaluators of talent, and they don’t have the ability to find those “diamonds in the rough.”
The team wants to improve on the ice and have already taken several measures to insure the quality of the team they put on the ice. “We already have commitments from about dozen players and the players are not your typical Tier III player, some are jumping to the MWJHL from the Empire, others from the EJ, a couple Europeans that have some serious hockey resumes and of course we are looking at re-signing the players from last year’s team that fit into what we are doing here.” It appears that the days of the “wild west shootout” are over.
“The new direction is defense first, and the kids will be taught how to play in their own end, we will keep shots on our net to a minimum and by doing so we will be making our kids more valuable to recruiters at the next level.” It is obvious throughout junior hockey that coaches in the NAHL, the USHL, and the new leagues as well as colleges all want players that can step right in and contribute. “The goal here is to develop these players and teach them how to play the game properly, there are only a handful of Sidney Crosby’s but there are lots of supporting cast members, that really make a team go and win!”
So, how does that translate to the first change with the new scouting staff? “Well, if Dennis Chighisola calls and tells you about a player, it is pretty obvious he knows exactly what he is talking about, the same with Brian and Chad and Norm, these guys know hockey, they know talent, and they have vast amounts of connections to help as the players develop.”
“Players progress at different rates and the idea here is that if we develop the player, then we help move him to the next stop on the hockey ladder be it the NAHL, or the USHL, when the player moves on, we replace him with the next kid in line, by doing this we add value to our program, then everyone can see that we deliver on our commitment to developing the players.” It is obvious again to those that know hockey that modeling your-self after the USHL programs and some Canadian programs like a Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, the Humboldt Broncos, the Pembroke Lumberkings and others is a good thing to do. “The goal is to become the place that parents and players want to come to, the place where the list of players continues to grow, the place where parents and players get their money’s worth.”
The task at hand can seem to be a tall order, but it is one the new look River Bandits staff is willing to tackle and make good on. “It is a day to day process and we just keep moving forward, we also know that this takes some time, but so far we are where we hoped to be at this point, just looking at the scouting staff and knowing the connections these guys have adds notable value to our program and makes us a resource for the players and the parents!”
