Wheatland Kings close out 2022

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Wheatland Kings closed out 2022 with a pair of losses on the road against the Cochrane Generals and the Coaldale Copperheads, respectively, but are looking forward to bouncing back in the new year.

According to Lee Smith, general manager of the Wheatland Kings, he is excited with the amount of progress and improvement the team has seen since new Head Coach, Doug Raycroft stepped in.

“I think we are doing fine. Doug, he is a good hockey man, he has really turned it around for us, and we have got the ship going in the right direction now,” said Smith. “We didn’t close out the year the way we wanted to, we had a couple of losses over the weekend, but the guys are playing alright. We are in every game, we have a few things to work on and we are working on them, so I am feeling positive about the season.”

Smith added the ultimate goal is to finish third in the division, but he will also be satisfied with a fourth-place conclusion. 

The top two teams who have solidified their leads in the division thus far are the Okotoks Bisons, who lead by a significant margin, and the Cochrane Generals, who are closely contested by the Medicine Hat Cubs.

The plan, explained Smith, is to prepare for playoffs, as he described it as effectively a whole new season. 

Players such as Kage Yellowfly and Philip Raycroft, who have been off the ice due to injuries, are also set to be returning to the team in the new year.

Coach Raycroft is optimistic once his roster returns to having the full complement of players available, it will make the difference he has been waiting for to begin taking games back.

“We are missing our top two scorers and a couple of defensemen. You don’t want that to be a big factor, but it is a big factor when you’re losing games by a goal or two,” said Raycroft. “I think since I’ve started with them, I have been really happy with the effort from the kids, and their discipline has been improved. There have been a few games that haven’t been perfect, but we are trying to build towards a really competitive team.”

Raycroft stepped in to fill the role of head coach for the team following a 10-game losing streak at the beginning of the season.

Come the new year and the season resuming, Raycroft still has some cuts to make on his team in order to bring his roster down to size, but ultimately his priority is to prepare the boys for their shot during the playoffs.