Coaches named for ‘AA’ hockey teams

There may be grass on the fields and open water on area lake, but that hasn’t meant the Fort Frances Minor Hockey Association is on hiatus.
FFMHA president Wayne Strachan, who also doubles as head coach of the Jr. Sabres, has been busy securing qualified people in the local ‘AA’ coaching ranks.
In the Atom division (nine-10 years old), Keith Knapp is returning for his second season behind the bench as head coach.
“Keith brings a lot of experience in coaching from different levels of competition,” Strachan noted. “The team had a successful year last season and has a good core of young talented players possibly returning for the up-and-coming season.”
The team certainly represented Fort Frances well—taking gold at their home tournament as well as at one in Baudette, Mn. But that also meant a lot of last year’s team would be graduating to the next level.
“This year will be a rebuilding year,” Knapp admitted. “We had a really good turnout for the tryout [last year], so I’m really hoping this year we can get a good amount again because it’s a very good program from the standpoint of focusing on the kids’ development.”
The team plays the bulk of its games against local PeeWee house league teams, as well as other ‘AA’ squads from nearby towns such as Dryden, Kenora, International Falls, and Baudette.
It isn’t in a formal league, but usually shoots for six out-of-town tournaments a season, which works out to about 60 or 70 games overall.
The PeeWee ‘AA’ team (age 11-12) will have a newcomer behind the bench, though he is anything but that when it comes to hockey circles.
Local product Mike Allison, a veteran of 10 NHL seasons as a member of the N.Y. Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and L.A. Kings, steps into a new challenge as head coach.
Allison shared bench duties with his brother, Dave (now coach of the AHL’s Iowa Stars), with the Kingston Frontenacs in the early 1990s, and also has experience at the collegiate and CHL levels.
“He brings a lot of knowledge to help these young-aged players,” Strachan said of Allison. “The players that are fortunate enough to play on this year’s team will be getting a great experience in hockey—one they will most likely never forget.”
Meanwhile, a wealth of experience will be at the helm of the Bantam ‘AA’ squad (age 13-14). Don Larson has 20-plus years of coaching experience in minor hockey, and certainly will instill a work ethic and strong sense of fundamentals into his players.
Larson previously had coached the local Atom and PeeWee ‘AA’ teams and has moved his way up the coaching ladder, with Strachan having full confidence in his abilities.
“He has dedicated his time to helping young players develop and learn the game of hockey,” Strachan noted. “This year’s Bantam team has the potential to be loaded with a lot of talent and to be a very successful team.”
Larson also expects big things from his group, with eight or nine players likely to return to the fold.
“This is a great group of kids, good players and parents, and everything kind of gels together,” he enthused. “This is probably one of the best teams to go through Fort Frances.
“They were a pretty young team last year and they still won a couple tournaments against teams with mostly 14-year-olds, so that’s a pretty big feat in itself,” he added.
Larson is expecting there only to be room for maybe three or four 1995-born players since the bulk of the roster will be ’94-born with a year of Bantam hockey already under their belts.
Finally, the Midget ‘AA’ team (age 15-17) will have a familiar face as head coach for an eighth-straight season. Dave Egan, a coach for 32 years, has been behind the bench since the program’s inception here seven years ago.
“Dave, with help from his staff, has gave many 15- to 17-year-old hockey players a great experience in hockey and their lives,” Strachan lauded. “This program has come a long way under his guidance and is sure to keep improving as long as Dave wants to coach.”
Egan said the Midget ‘AA’ program offers an alternative to high school hockey, allowing players to continue playing at a high level against top-notch competition.
“For some boys, they still have that competitive edge and want to continue with rep hockey, and then we have some boys who have never played rep hockey and now feel confident enough to give it a go,” he remarked.
“We’ve had some like that who have come to the team and been late-bloomers, and have then gone on to high school hockey or to out-of-town tryouts.”
The team plans to play a 58-game schedule, with the bulk of those games coming against top-level squads from Minnesota.
The Midgets do play some home games, but much of their schedule is played in tournaments in Minnesota, including one at Shattuck St. Mary’s in Faribault, where Sidney Crosby honed his skills.
“[Playing those teams] certainly elevates the play of our boys as a result,” Egan said. “We certainly weren’t intimidated and won our fair share.
“We have 12 players that are eligible to return, but they may choose to play high school or go to the Sabres’ camp, so we’ll have to wait and see,” he added.
Tryouts for the Midget squad take place in late September after the high school team has been selected. Interested players can find out more by calling Egan at 274-6321.