After spending the last few years in the MJHL with the leagues newest franchise, Kevin Pauls is heading closer home, joining the Winkler Flyers for the upcoming season.
Being a voice and presence for the Niverville Nighthawks since their entry into the league, Pauls says he's still getting used to the change, but believes it's for the best. "Being closer to home, it'll be easier on the family, not being on the road so much, driving to and from Niverville. As tough as it was, it's still a hard thing for me to wrap my brain around, because as I always say, with the Niverville Nighthawks, I always said it was about the people there. The coaching staff between Dwight (Hirst) and Tyler (Anderson), Jeff (McGill) and guys like Mike McAulay. Down to the volunteers, they make is such a welcoming place, and it was really tough to make that decision. What it boils down to is being closer to home on a regular basis, I'm familiar with the Flyers, I've worked with them before, and they have a great group of people as well. I'm very excited for the opportunity."
Connecting the fans to the team is something Pauls is looking forward to, and he believes that it's the fans that make the team as special as they are. "It's a rich history, many have connections going back a while. It's been a big part of my upbringing, I went to a lot of Winkler Flyers games growing up, they gave me my first broadcasting opportunity a few years ago, along with Lua (his daughter), too. It's a very entrenched hockey community within the Pembina Valley, there's a lot of players that have made their way here locally, and a lot of players that have moved on other levels of hockey. There is a high level of expectations here. They won a championship recently, last year they bowed out a bit earlier than they wanted to, but there's a hunger there, they're thirsty for more success. Everybody here has come to expect a high level of hockey here at the future new confines of the Winkler Centennial Arena."
It's not just the fans that have a desire to win and develop players for that next level of hockey and life, something Pauls says really stands out as the Flyers continue to be a top program. "They're under a spot light from what they did with Justin Falk a few years ago, along with Ryan White and Eric Fehr, they set a high standard. Now, it's Matt Melo that's in the big chair and he's done such a phenomenal job, I love the way he approaches the game, I love the way he interacts with people, he's got a great thought process, same with Coltyn Bates. Matt's backed up by a really well managed board behind him, I know a lot of the guys, I see them around at the golf course here, they're all heavily involved in the community, and their dedicated to their craft. They mean business when it comes to the Winkler Flyers. It's a historic franchise in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, and all they want to do is make a shining jewel in the crown of this league."
With many new faces and personalities coming into to Winkler this year, Pauls is focused on working with the group to build that community connection. "There's a lot, people are busy, and if you don't ingrain yourself in the community and become involved with programs, like the Flyers have done a great job reading in schools, they do a lot of volunteer work around town, I think that it's important to promote that via social media. Making it well known that yes, they are here to play hockey, but they're all here as part of a community and they're growing in life. They spend time with their billet families, they get to know different circles around the community, and I think it's very important that we make both the community and the players aware of that partnership. I think exposing that is very important for the league, and for the individual teams. I'm a big proponent of that, and I'll do whatever I can to help promote it. Shane Neufeld has a big part in that , as well. He has a great creative mind, and we have a lot to look forward to when it comes to some of the things we want to run, and some of what we want to put out on social media."
The key word for Pauls is family. Family played a role in this decision, and the Flyers have always treated him like family, but there might be more of a family connection, as he and the Flyers mascot may be long lost step brothers. "I think a lot of people might agree that I have a lot of Gritty chromosome in me somewhere," he says with his trademark laugh. "It was a fun little thing we did for social media, and I think we're going to have a lot of fun this upcoming year, we're going to engage with the crowd, engage with the community, bring them closer to the players, and have some fun. What people really remember is the experience of a Flyers game. Winning is a big part of it, enjoying what they see on the ice is the draw, and the game experience is also important. I love hockey. I love the people in hockey, and I love the game. I want to connect all the dots and make it as good as possible for the people coming in the doors."
The Winkler Flyers players will be making their way to town soon as the MJHL season slowly approaches.