What did you find interesting during the actual Kamloops tournament and how the U16 national team reacted to everything?
I have never seen this group of guys come together and be so close during the 1.5 years I have been with them. They were a true team both on and off the ice and I think this was the real reason why they won the tournament. we knew they had talent but they were able to win because they came together as a true team. I hope they were able to prove to themselves that you can only win as a team.
The other thing that I noticed was from the tournament organization aspect, we have organized a number of tournaments here in Hungary both 4 Nations and World Championships but there you could really see how much everything is in its place. How much advertisement, publicity and communications goes into it, some of it comes natural because it is a hockey country unlike Hungary but they still put everything into it to make it a true event. They really make a brand of the tournament and if you think about it it's a bantam age group, with a massive program guide, and there was a radio presence as will all throughout the town. I believe here in Hungary it is our job to push advertise this sport even on the youth level, yes we have state money funding it but if there is more publicity there will be more kids picking up the sport and the popularity will also grow.
Why was this tournament bigger than any other bantam tournament in the region?
This is a special tournament because of the tradition that it has, next season will by the 50th KIBIHT and if you just take a look at the past winners or the past All Star teams you will find a number of familiar name who ended up having great careers in the NHL. Also this age group is from where the CHL teams draft from and this is the backyard of the WHL so every team sends scouts to this tournament.
Are there any public draft lists for these bantam drafts?
I am not aware of any draft lists that are available for the public, however most teams subscribe to the International Scouting System, where the results and rosters of bantam and other tournaments are registered. Scouts use this system to scout and register player info. We actually met a scout that should us how this system works and how a team shares their info within the organization. It was also nice to see what a WHL scout had recorded of our players. Before the start of the tournament we had to submit a roster list that included, the player's, name, jersey number, position, height ,weight and contact info.
What did the kids learn the most of during the week and what might have been the greatest experience that they got out of this?
What I saw was how these kids who have grown up in the Glen Williamson youth system, and he has always said that yes there are scouts always looking at you at tournaments and you can get to high ranking junior leagues, also what you need to know and what kind of person you have to be to make it. You not only have to be skilled and be a hard worker but you need to be a good student as well. However this was the first time this dream was actually tangible as they actually saw these people in the stands taking notes and it has actually become a reality. One of the WHL GMs came into the locker room and talked to them and you could see it on their faces that this is real.
On the non-hockey side was that they had the chance to experience another culture and they had to learn to not only communicate but also communicate in English. they were part of these families lives and there were times when the host mothers were crying when the kids had left the host families on the last days. Since we were a novelty as some people didn't know where Hungary was others, did not not we had hockey, and just about no one knew that we could play good hockey, because of this the boys had to do a number radio and TV interviews and i was surprised by how many guys were able to have the poise to not only to do an interview, do it in English.
What did you see and talk to us about what you did after the tournament?
During the tournament the staffs education had already started, when we were in Kamloops the Victoria Royals took on the Kamloops Blazers, the Royals head coach was a college buddy of Glen’s and we were able to meet and talk to the coaching staff. They were very friendly and nice and we were able ask them anything and they were very helpful, the coaching staff asked the coaches and I was able to talk to the GM about organizational ideas. We visited the Royals locker room and offices, they showed us what info they had on our team as well.
When I was on my own I really have to thank Glen for everything that he did, as I was able to spend time with the Victoria Royals and then I stopped by the BC Hockey (British Columbia Hockey) offices, where I wa able to talk to everyone and how they coordinate everything for the province. Everyone has one job however everyone has a backup so that when people take off everything keeps on going on without missing a beat. There are black days that no one is allowed to take off, gray days where it is frowned upon and days where you can take off. Everyone has a yearly plan, monthly plan, weekly and daily plan so that everyone knows whats going on everything is transparent. They really showed me everything instead of just talking about it. They also mentioned that kids are now coming through the academy or prep school system and I had a chance to take tour of one of the nearby schools, it was really just like in the movies, with a number of dorms on campus with each department having a separate building, the sciences had their own building, the socials studies, etc. also they also try to to push not the sports but also students have to take up the arts as well.
Another great experience was going to a Canucks-Lightning NHL game, and you can really see that it's all about the show there, it is a real production.
I also spent time with the Everett Silvertips who are located near Seattle Washington, it was clear that even though we were right at the U.S.-Canada border and it was clear that hockey might not be as important since the radio had new about the Seattle Seahawks just about every five minutes. The Silvertips have a 8,000 seating arena that sells out on the weekends, I was at a mid week game where they ONLY had 3,000 people in attendance. The real rivals of the Silvertips are the other American teams in the WHL. The Americans cheer and root differently than in Canada, it is clear the Canadians are more knowledgeable with the American fans are more like what we are used to here in Europe.
What is something that you really took away and that might have changed for you?
Yes this is a different world than what we have here, but aside money you need to have drive to succeed and I think we can do that here, we need to improve communication and name branding, I think we also need to appreciate the people and what they have done.