A new era is officially underway for the Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins as Drew Kocur takes over as head coach and general manager. After finishing out the 2024-25 season in an interim role, Kocur now has full control of the bench and the locker room, and he's got a clear vision for the future.
“This is a prestigious organization. I’m honoured to be the next head coach,” Kocur said. “Now it’s about putting our stamp on it. We’ve had a good spring camp, we’re looking toward fall camp, and our eyes are on building a successful team for the 2025-26 season.”
Last year saw the Bruins finish just shy of a playoff spot, falling a few spots out of contention in the standings. Offensively, they struggled to generate high-danger chances and lacked the goal-scoring punch that defined more successful squads in recent years. Kocur agrees changes were needed, and he’s been busy making them.
“We’ve focused on building from the net out,” he explained. “We’ve got a really solid goalie coming in, some good D-men [defensemen], and we already have a foundation up front. We’re just trying to slot in a few studs, those 25-to-30-goal guys. We’ve already made a big trade and added to our backend. Now it’s about finishing the puzzle.”
TRADE ALERT 🚨🔁: The Bruins have acquired F Rylan Williams, D Logan Goodwin, D Alex Scheck, & Future Considerations from the @SJHL_NorthStars in exchange for forward Kent Moors’ CJHL rights.
— Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins (@estevanbruins) July 9, 2025
Welcome to Estevan, Rylan, Logan, and Alex!! 🎉
Full story 🗞️: https://t.co/Llrqcrayfs pic.twitter.com/D4CrMFlCBa
But perhaps the biggest shift for the black and gold this season isn’t just about personnel. It’s about identity.
Kocur wants a culture reset in Estevan.
“We want a blue-collar team,” he emphasized. “Put the work boots on and go to work every day, whether we’re winning or losing. Every day, you have to earn it. And we're going to set that stage right away."
"It's blue-collar work, work for 60 minutes and make sure that that's all we're doing every day of practice, every day in the gym, and every game.”
With a mostly new roster and a fresh philosophy, the Bruins are preparing for one of the most transformative seasons in recent memory. Kocur isn’t setting expectations too high just yet, but he’s optimistic.
“I think for our staff and our group going into this year, we want to make sure that we're getting better every day," he explained. "And that's a buzzword that I use with our group, is that every day with the rink, we're getting better. For us, we want to strive to get to that playoff spot next year. Being in the top five, top four, top six spot, going into playoffs, and have a really good run. We don't have a lot of returning guys coming back, but that's a chance for us to build a new group and build some foundation and build some culture and kind of just keep the ball rolling here. And hopefully have a really solid season.”
As for the fanbase, the heartbeat of Bruins hockey, Kocur had a message.
“It's one of the best places to coach in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League,” he said. “It's a tremendous facility, a great town for us, we're gonna put our best foot forward every day to be a blue-collar hockey team and just expect us to work every night, and that's all we're asking for.”
The puck drops on the 2025-26 SJHL season this fall, and a new Bruins team will take to the ice with something to prove. Whether they find their way back to playoff contention depends on how quickly this fresh group can buy in, gel, and above all else, earn it. Their first test will be a home-and-home set against the Melville Millionaires on September 19 and 20.