Flanagan says Wildcats players have clean slate after coaching change

Dave Flanagan wants a team that is hard to play against, structured in its own zone and fun to watch offensively.

“I spent my career shooting pucks for a living, so I like to score,” the new head coach of the Bage Valley Wildcats said. “But I know there’s more to it than just shooting and then scoring to be successful, especially in this competitive league.”

Flanagan, a 57-year-old Stratford, P.E.I., resident, became head coach of the Maritime Junior Hockey League team, which is mired in a 17-game losing streak, on Jan. 6. Brandon Benedict had been the team’s head coach and general manager since March 2019.

He said there have been flashes he’s liked in recent games and items that need to be corrected.

Flanagan said Valley fans can expect a disciplined team.

“I toe the line pretty hard on that,” he said. “I emphasize being a good young man when you come to the rink and be grateful for the opportunity that you have to play junior A hockey. I think it’s a privilege.”

The Berwick-based Wildcats were a .500 squad midway through October, but the slide started and the team hasn’t been able to right the ship. Valley has never made it past the semifinals in the playoffs since entering the league in 2013. The franchise has dealt with players quitting, asking to be traded and not reporting in recent years.

Flanagan credited the players for battling through some tough times and called it a clean slate.

“You got some good kids there with good character,” he said. “I am coming in with an open mind. … Show me what you’ve got.”

He said pride in the jersey has been paramount for all the teams he’s coached.

“At the end of the day, you play for that crest and logo on the front and good things will happen to the name on the back of the jersey.”

 

Resumé

Flanagan’s playing career included time with the Sherwood Parkdale Metros’ junior squad, UPEI Panthers, the national team, Cape Breton Oilers and other AHL, ECHL and European clubs.

He’s coached in the ECHL, Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, Atlantic University Sport, at the under-18 level plus spring hockey with the P.E.I. Riptide.

He was an assistant coach with the P.E.I. Rocket when the major junior team was coached by former NHL bench boss Alain Vigneault.

During that time, Wildcats’ assistant coach Shawn MacKenzie was head coach with the Halifax Mooseheads.

“I used to talk with Shawn all the time. I loved the way he coached. He was enthusiastic, loved to win and coached hard,” Flanagan said. “He’s got a real good hockey IQ and I’m thrilled he’s willing to stay around.”

The coaching staff also includes Ethan Landry, who wore the Wildcats’ jersey for three seasons after being drafted first overall in 2020.

After his tenure with the Rocket, Flanagan was an assistant coach with the UPEI Panthers and head coach of the Cornwall Thunder under-18 squad before coaching his son Jack’s teams in the Pownal Minor Hockey Association. Jack then played for The Mount Academy Saints prep team in Charlottetown. Flanagan coached there until stepping away to help care for his father.

“I walked away from everything else I was doing at the time.”

Kenny MacDougall, a well-known hockey player and coach on the Island and headmaster at The Mount, said Flanagan is “a consummate professional” who will run “a first-class ship.”

He called Flanagan approachable, keen, enthusiastic and a man who commands respect and will show it to his players.

“They’re going to get a hard-working, no-nonsense coach with pro experience,” MacDougall said. “He’ll bring energy to (the team).”

 

Interest re-ignited

Flanagan and his wife, Kate, recently went to Henderson, Nev., to watch Jack play in a showcase. Jack is a forward with the Vernal Oilers junior A team in Utah. It was their first time watching him play in person since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Flanagan said he had been thinking about getting back into coaching prior to the visit. During the trip, some of his former teammates asked why he wasn’t involved and it got the juices pumping again.

He returned home and talked to a family member who suggested putting his name out there.

But before he could follow through on the idea, Wildcats new general manager Corey Mullett was calling.

Flanagan spoke with a half-dozen hockey people he trusted in doing his research.

“They had nothing but good things to say about the owner, the operations, the facility and the location,” Flanagan said.

(Valley Wildcats consultant Kevin Dickie, left, talks with new head coach Dave Flanagan prior to practice Jan. 8 in Berwick. Photo by Jason Malloy /Annapolis Valley Register)

He said it would be up to him and the coaching staff to implement a game plan to turn the hockey side around. Flanagan said he appreciates the support of owner Graham Baxter, Mullett and other staff members.

“These are fantastic people that, at the end of the day, really want to provide an excellent product for the community to come and watch and support.”

Flanagan’s first game behind the bench will be Saturday, Jan. 11, when the high-powered Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals (26-5-2-1) come to town for a 7 p.m. contest.

 

Did you know?

Bage Valley Wildcats new head coach Dave Flanagan is better known by a couple of nicknames, including Tucker or Flags.

“To be honest with you, some people don’t even know my name is David in Charlottetown,” the Islander said. “I’ve got to always be listening carefully when I am travelling around because I could get called by three or four different names.”