Blades extend coaching staff into 2020

The Saskatoon Blades are giving a vote of confidence to its coaching staff just days before the start of training camp.

Head coach Dean Brockman, along with assistants Bryce Thoma and Ryan Keller, will have their contracts extended into the 2019-20 season.

“I think as a coach with one year left, you would coach a bit differently, so I think it’s big,” Brockman said. “It’s important to have some stability as we have gone through a few coaches in the last few years.”

Brockman was hired by the Blades as an assistant in 2014, taking over as head coach in June 2016. In his first season, Saskatoon finished five points out of a playoff spot with a 28-35-7-2 record.

The team managed to stay competitive despite numerous injuries to key players.

“To get as close as he did, when trouble started from day one of camp, is a testament to them,” said general manager Colin Priestner. “It was just a logical extension.”

.@BladesHockey GM @colinpriestner on extending head coach Dean Brockman through 2020. #yxe pic.twitter.com/rzDS5LIOHt

— Ryan Brandt (@Ryan_Brandt) August 24, 2017

Now it’s back to work for a Blades coaching staff that brings with it continuity. Training camp starts this Saturday, and athletes know already who they will play for in the years to come.

“It tells them, ‘I will be the guy,’ and we can develop that deeper rapport,” Brockman said.