Five good minutes with new Head Coach and GM Dave Chyzowski

The Merritt Centennials are bringing in a former pro to be their next Head Coach and General Manager.

Dave Chyzowski played 18 seasons of pro hockey everywhere from the NHL to Germany, but it all began with the WHL’s Kamloops Blazers and now he’s returning to the region to join the Cents.

Despite his time playing in the top leagues across the globe, and even captaining Team Canada to gold at the World Juniors, Chyzowski spoke to bringing with him his experience in junior and playing away from family.

“I don’t think it’s where I played, what league I played in, I think for the most part it’s the experiences you go through. The more you play, the longer you play the more experiences you go through. I started at a young age at 16 and moved to Kamloops to play for the Blazers,” said Chyzowski. “Times have changed, kids have cellphones, they can keep in touch with family and friends back home. But it will never take away the fact that they still aren’t there, and they miss their family. That’s something that I went through. You get sad and you get down when things aren’t going well and there are different ways to motivate kids to bring them out of that and keep their confidence up.”

If Chyzowski can make his mark on the team, he says teams in the BCHL will not enjoy their visits to the Nicola Valley Memorial Arena.

“The more together to can play as a team the stronger you are. I’m a big believer that that is going to be a really tough building to play in. If the kids eventually make that arena extremely difficult to play in that will build your confidence. It will be tough for other teams to come in and have a fun night,” said Chyzowski.

“If you’re a fan and you walk in the building, I want them to feel that something is different,” added Chyzowski. “I like having heavy teams, hard-working teams, teams that really stick together, but most importantly I really think I want to make sure the kids are disciplined. Not just not taking penalties, but disciplined in what they’re doing in their routines every day. If we can get them into a routine and the proper mindset, we can continue to build the culture as a team and an organization. That’s what helps build you for success.”

The first order of business for Coach Chyzowski is getting in touch with the current players on the roster.

“I really want to reach out to the players and get an idea of where their heads are at,” added Chyzowski. “I just want to make sure these kids know that I’m on their side, I’m going to work with them and I want the best for them. I want to know what their goals and aspirations are, not just in hockey but in life.”

Chyzowski will get his hands on the team in July during the spring ID camp in Abbotsford where between 80-100 players will showcase their skills for the new bench boss.