Cents fire Chyzowski, hire Toneff as new head coach

The Merritt Centennials are making some changes to their coaching staff after a disappointing first half of the BCHL season.

Head Coach and GM Dave Chyzowski has been relieved of his duties with the team, following a 1-20-1 start to his BCHL coaching career with Merritt.

“It’s a common time of year for a staffing review and the board of directors decided that there would be a dismissal of our coach and hm Dave Chyzowski,” said Centennials President Kelly Bartch. “Unfortunately things weren’t working out as well with coach Dave. We certainly thank him for his time with the team and wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Assistant coaches Levi Stuart, and Paul Barnes remain with the team.

The new Head Coach and GM is Curtis Toneff, the former BCHL player is just 28 years old yet comes with a wealth of experience both at this level and at junior B.

“Curtis had applied for the position some time ago. He was on a short-list then. He has experience in the BCHL, both as a player and as an assistant coach,” added Bartch. “He ticked a lot of the boxes that we were looking for. He is going to come here and be part of the community.”

Following his playing career which ended in 2014, Toneff joined the Campbell River Storm of the VIJHL (Junior B) as an Assistant Coach. The next season, Toneff joined the staff of the Trail Smoke Eaters for two season as an Assistant. In 2017, he got his first Head Coach and GM shot with the Nanaimo Buccaneers, VIJHL, where he remained for two seasons. Most recently, Toneff has served as an Assistant Coach on the Humboldt Broncos.

During his lone stint as a Head Coach in Nanaimo, Toneff led his team to the semi-finals in two straight years.

More to come.