Cents new bench boss optimistic about the new season

MERRITT – The Merritt Centennials hired and new Head Coach and Assistant General Manager, Brian Passmore, and the new bench boss is optimistic for the season and his new city.

Passmore understands the recent struggles the Centennials have been going through but is ready to step up and take on the challenge.

“Merritt is a great hockey town. I think they’ve gone through a few years of just ups and downs with some changes and I really felt that with my experience, that I had in Cowichan, I can bring more of a stable environment for going through change and making sure that we are bringing in the right kids to the team. I really feel like Merritt is the right town to get started with that.”

When discussing his coaching style and how he has ran his systems during his 13-year coaching career so far, Passmore compares it to a successful NHL franchise.

“I like to play a physical brand but I also think it’s simple hockey. When we have the puck we want to make sure we make plays, not throwing it away turning pucks over, and I just think playing a hard style of hockey where we move pucks quickly and transition fast. I like to really respect the way that the Carolina Hurricanes play and Rod Brind’Amour [Head Coach] what he brings to that kind of a pace of outworking the other team. I think that’s the brand of style that people will appreciate, not necessarily looking for the most skilled, but we are looking for players that get involved physically and get into the dirty areas to score goals.”

When building a team, Passmore explains having good chemistry within and the dressing room and his relationship with the players is one of the keys of a winning hockey team.

“I really feel like by year two or year three, where you have that more stabilized roster with some players familiar, maybe lot of players that return for that second or third year and you got to grow together with a nucleolus of core players. I really feel like I get along well with the players as far as relating to them. I played myself, so I understand the challenges they face of moving away from home and what it takes to get to the next level. I really hope I can attract some high end talent. I’m going to work extremely hard with talking to players representatives and other teams in the league to try and grow the team.”

As a player, Passmore spent time around the world, playing in countries like Canada, the United States, Norway, Switzerland, and England. The forward was also drafted by the Minnesota Wild in the 7th round of the 2000 draft.

With the league recently going independent from Hockey Canada, Passmore said he knows it will be a work and process but with his past experience he is confident to maneuver the ins and outs.

“The experience is very valuable that I bring from Cowichan. I constantly felt that I was in a situation there with the ownership group at the time that we were constantly looking for players and there was a lot of restrictions within you can’t bring players from outside the province because of age or they are property of another team, but now all of those boundaries have been lifted. It’s an exciting time for the league and I think for Merritt a fresh change and with this change it’s something everyone should be excited about.”

Heading into the 2023-2024 season, the mindset from the new coach is set on constant improvement but ultimately everyone plays for a championship.

“That’s the goal, you play to win every game. You got to start somewhere, so we are going to start by playing the right way and getting better and better each game. We want to be a team that is cohesive, talk about team building, a team that really plays for each other, the town and takes pride in coming to the rink everyday, working hard, and getting better. If we become a small family, coming together every day and enjoy what we are doing it makes it fun and when you are having fun, you are usually winning.”