The Niverville Nighthawks have had a busy couple of days, and that will carry into the weekend when they still have two more preseason games, but Head Coach Dwight Hirst isn't complaining, in fact, he's amped up and ready to go.
Trade
On Thursday afternoon, the Nighthawks announced they had made a trade with the Northern Manitoba Blizzard, bringing in two players that will help bolster the lineup on a nightly basis, according to Hirst. "Bringing in a guy who is familiar with the league in Aaron Krestanowich, he's on that left side where kind of have a hole with Avery (Laliberte) in the USHL right now, trying to get into the lineup for Waterloo. We feel he brings experience, some heaviness for us on that left side. Also, Tyler Bernier upfront, he's another guy that can play in our lineup, and add some key elements to our special teams. He can penalty kill, and has speed. Both additions are nice to bring in, because we have fourteen returning players this year, adding a couple more like them will add to the leadership of our team. Add in that they're both Turnbull Cup Champions, and no matter what level of hockey you're in, you love to add guys who recently won a championship. They understand the grind, and they saw what it takes at the Centennial Cup."
Buying into the buzz
Any time a team can make a sizeable addition, there's going to be a buzz, and Hirst says that the players on the Nighthawks got a good shot in the arm early by having this move pulled off now before the season even starts. "We addressed it at practice, building on what we've done to this point in Niverville. Our General Manager Mike McAulay did a great job of not only bringing in some really good recruits this summer, but also adding, attacking our roster and understanding what we need to add to our team. Bringing in Aaron and Tyler is great, and it makes a big different throughout the year when you're not having to reuse players on the penalty kill and the power play, it's all about being an adaptable team. Different players can play in different situations, and it keeps the energy level up. Doing something like this early in the year, it shows the team that we're all about making our team better. End of the day, we're still in training camp, a couple preseason games are left, and not only are the rookies looking to make this team, the vets are taking notice, they're looking around thinking that guys are coming in, rookies are playing well, and there are guys trying to take jobs. That's the job of a rookie, come in and take a vets job. The vet's job is to tell them that it's not their year, and it's my job still. It's a good feeling today at the rink, energy levels are high, and it's exciting to see things piecing together."
Preseason positives
With a 2-1 record through the three preseason games, Hirst says there is a lot to like about what he's seen from the group, both young and more experienced. "The young guys we've had in the games so far, and even the rookie game, just getting them an opportunity to see what it's like, see how they've come along in their development throughout the summer, how everything they've done leading up to camp is factoring into performance, and some of the rookies have surprised us and some we had high expectations of and disappointed us at times. It's a balance of both, you get some disappointment, but you get excited about the future of others. Even the vets getting in, a couple got their first real taste of preseason hockey (a 6-5 overtime win over the Winnipeg Blues), and it was good to see them get in, shake off the cobwebs, even though guys are training and playing hockey throughout the summer, it's a different level in the preseason. With a couple games left in the preseason, it's nice to add more vet's to your lineup, get more familiarity, more structure. The last few games we've played have been kind of typical preseason hockey, a little unstructured, guys trying to do more than they should, but now the vets can come in and calm the waters."
Weekend plans
Niverville has two more preseason games coming on the weekend, home and home starting Friday night at the CRRC with the Steinbach Pistons, and Hirst says the rosters may look somewhat different between the two nights. "Going into the weekend here, we have the home game, that'll be the one game where we get some guys in, get another look at them, and them make some decisions on. We'll see how things stack up when we have more veterans in the lineup, how guys play with the every day guys, can they continue with what they've done to this point. A lot of the guys that are still with us, they've had good camps, but now it's about how they get themselves through that game, how do they think themselves through a game, puck management, all the little things that come with playing at this level. Saturday, being on the road for that final game, it looks like we'll have our roster locked down and then start giving ourselves to get one preseason game under our belt with our team, our mold, and then we can move forward with that."
Never gets old
Being behind the bench is where Hirst loves to be, and even as the preseason grind continues, the bench boss always is glad to be back. "It's a good feeling," he says with a smile. "Last year was my first full season on the bench with the team, and this year, having fourteen returning guys from the roster last year, and then the trade we made today, it's going to be an exciting season for us. We have some older guys, we'll sprinkle in some youth, and you can already feel a different vibe. Last year, it was about creating culture, trying to create opportunity, an environment for our players to play, and letting them make their own thing. I think last year we had a great season, and the group we have returning has really bought into what we're doing, what our standard is, and what our program is all about. They've come in and continued the habits they ended the playoffs with last year. Come regular season and home opener, they want to pick up where they left off against Winkler, and keep on building on it."
The Niverville Nighthawks are at the CRRC Friday night, 7:30 p.m. puck drop vs the Steinbach Pistons.