REGINA, SK
A new regime signals new hope in the north.
Outgoing head coach/general manager Kevin Kaminski departs after seven exemplary seasons at the helm of the La Ronge Ice Wolves, and such is the task of getting this beloved franchise on task that the Wolves’ powers that be have hired two men to try to fill his shoes.
The great Bob Beatty, already a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) Hall of Famer, will be charged with the job of roster architect. As the general manager, he will look to build around a hungry, skilled group led by reigning SJHL RBC Community Ambassador Ryder McKinnon on the back end, and Grayden Perozni up front.
The new head coach is Taylor Harnett, who spent seven years just on the Manitoba side of the Saskatchewan border in Waywayseecappo with the MJHL’s Wolverines, and who has Alberta League, BCHL, and North American Hockey League experience on his resume as well.
Between those two, and the hard-working Kyle Graham, who will continue to assist both, there is plenty of experience and brain power to bring competitiveness back to a La Ronge community who have not seen the post-season since 2023.
Let’s take a look at some key numbers from the last regular season for La Ronge:
Despite an incredible venue – the team is fully moved into the State of the Art Jonas Roberts Memorial Community Centre – and community for a successful team, Beatty and Harnett’s jobs are still cut out for them to rebuild this squad into a contender. One candidate to take a huge step forward is late ’07 born forward William Knox, who showed real flashes of brilliance offensively a season ago.
SJHL Co-Director of Media Jamie Neugebauer sat down with Head Coach Taylor Harnett ahead of the 26/27 season and got his thoughts on the upcoming year.
