On June 4th, the Yorkton Terriers announced a four-year extension to the contract of head coach and general manager Emery Olauson.
It is a just reward for a man who truly appears to be moving one of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s historic franchises in the right direction.
Olauson, 42, spent three years as a player trying to beat the Terriers, from 1999 to 2002, as a member of the Weyburn Red Wings and Estevan Bruins. Now, he is giving every ounce of energy he has to bring contention and competitiveness to the place where, as the city motto goes, “good things happen.”
“There is a rich history of hockey in Yorkton,” Olauson says.
“The community has stepped up in a big way to support the Terriers, and I feel it is an honour to try to get the team back to being a yearly contender. My family has been welcomed into the community and for a small city there are all the resources you need to pursue your goals.”
A native of Canmore, AB, Olauson began his coaching career in the SJHL with the Flin Flon Bombers as an assistant to Mike Reagan in 2012. He has since spent time in the Southern Professional League, the Maritime Junior A league, and in British Columbia Junior B hockey.
The Terriers jumped out to a slow start last campaign, which could be considered fair given he was only hired in mid-August. Yet the club slowly built, as Olauson added the likes of top-line centreman David Coyle, elite left-winger Jaron Desnoyers, underrated winger Jeff Hammond, and starting goaltender Ethan Farrow during the 2023-24 season. What is better about that group, and others, not the least of which include local dynamo Jye Zawatsky, is that they can all come back for 2024-25.
“I like our core group of returning players as well as prospects entering the mix,” he says.
“I believe we have done a great job recruiting so far and I am anticipating a much stronger team to start this season. (The summer will be focussed on) recruiting, enjoying time with my wife and kids, and preparing for a great season!”
Olauson noted that new and prospective Terriers should understand that he and his staff have high standards for them, but that if they are picked to wear the black and orange “we know what we are trying to do will be hard (but) we believe that they are capable of meeting our expectations, and accomplishing their goals.”
The Yorkton fan base is a passionate one, used to winning over the years, and it does appear as though Olauson is the right man, this core the right mix, to make a big jump forward in the season ahead.