The Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League squad devastated by tragedy is preparing to begin anew for the 2018-2019 season and hundreds of people have expressed interest in joining the club as players or head coach/general manager.
According to the president of the Humboldt Broncos Junior ‘A’ hockey club, the team has been humbled and overwhelmed by the number of applications to fill the roles of head coach and general manager following the loss of Darcy Haugan.
“We are thrilled with the exceptional experience, background and competencies of all of the candidates who have applied, and because of that level of interest, and given the complexity of the situation, we are committed to taking the necessary steps to ensure that we select the very best person,” said Humboldt Broncos’ president Kevin Garinger in a statement released Friday night. “The successful candidate will have the skills, abilities, knowledge and personal attributes to lead our organization into the next season, and we are prepared to take the additional time required to get there.”
Haugan was one of 16 members of the Broncos, including players and support staff, to die as a result of an April 6 crash south of Nipawin, Saskatchewan involving the team's bus and a semi tractor-trailer.
The Broncos’ are preparing for the upcoming season with numerous holes on their active roster as a result of the loss of life and severe injuries.
In an effort to field a competitive roster, the team hosted an invitational free agent camp for 120 players with the support of Toronto Maple Leafs’ head coach Mike Babcock and Jared Bednar, the head coach of the Colorado Avalanche that resulted in the signing of several players.
The Broncos selected six players in the 2018-2019 SJHL Bantam Draft and an additional 10 players from other teams during the SJHL dispersal draft. The team continues to fill spots on its expanded 55 player roster ahead of August’s training camp/
“As we undertake the monumental task of rebuilding our team, one of our main priorities remains, as it has from the very beginning, on supporting our families,” said Garinger. “We appreciate the interest in our organization and the support we continue to receive from across the globe.”
