Kings introduce new coaches

Justin Seward
Times Reporter

 

Shortly after Wheatland Kings coach Jeremy Blumes was dismissed, a familiar name stepped up to the plate while two new faces will round out the staff for the 2015-2016 season.
Last year’s assistant Joel Robinson and former elite athlete coach Emilio Fouco will co-coach while Brett Hartos, a former junior B captain, will be behind the bench for the first time as an assistant.
Robinson is thrilled for the promotion to a co-coaching role, a challenge that he has been waiting for and looking forward to taking on this season.
He feels that this is a step in the right direction in moving up in the coaching ranks.
“I wanted to take on a head coaching role,” said Robinson. “I’m a younger coach, so me getting into a head coaching is something that I’ve been trying to do for a few years. I want to get as high as I can in the coaching world and this is just another stepping stone for me.
“In the long run this is a team game and I want to see our team succeed and I think that’s one of the biggest reasons why I’m coming on board as a head coach.”
Robinson wants to change the mentality of the team, and that will include more character in the room and more consistent efforts into winning more hockey games.
“It was a good first year last year, but I want to have a team that we’re hard to play against, that’s going to be competitive and not going to win a game here, lose a game here,” said Robinson. “I think that’s something the Town of Strathmore wanted, they wanted something that’s going to be more competitive this year.”
He added the Kings received great support from the local fans in the playoffs last year, but would like to see more of a consistent fan base throughout the season.
Coaches want to win championships and Robinson is no different, but he knows there is a lot of work to do before a long postseason is in the cards.
“This has always been a learning curve for me and a learning curve for any coach,” said Robinson. “You always have different challenges here that are going to present itself. I think a big part of that is having a good coaching staff with yourself and having a good line of communication.”
For Fuoco, it will be a chance to get back into coaching elite athletes and developing them into successful players, but he said at the same time he is trying to familiarize himself with the systems.
“I’m extremely excited to get back to coaching young men that have aspirations to play some competitive, elite hockey,” said Fouco. “I’m just getting acquainted with everything right now. It’s all relatively new and fast, but the feet will hit the ground and away we go.”
Fouco has extensive coaching credentials having coached his two kids in minor hockey, while he spent a lot of years in the Calgary Spring Hockey League where he coached successful teams.
He is hoping to play a key role in advancing young men to the next level of their career by improving their skill set so that they have the opportunity to make that next step.
Another addition to the staff this year, Hartos will be debuting in his first season as a coach and has familiarity with Robinson, and wants to develop as the team does and help the Kings build on a great season from a year ago.
The two-time city Junior B league champion and former three-time league champion with the Calgary Blues, a few years back, was known to be a great teammate in the room and in the public and is wanting to bring that strength to the club.
Wheatland Kings Manager Dale Peters thinks the co-coach format will be beneficial for both Robinson and Fuoco because of their similar coaching styles.
“We felt that was the best bet for Joel and Emilio,” said Peters. “We think it creates a situation where you have youth and you have maturity and I think that’s what we need in the dressing room.
“One of the reasons I suggested co-coaching was that both of them are very much alike and they think very much alike.”
The coaches will have a quick turnaround as they will have to get prepared for conditioning camp Aug. 17-20 at the Strathmore Family Centre.