Excitement is building in Jock Harty Arena as the 2005-06 men’s hockey team takes shape. The roster will be similar to the one that missed the playoffs last season having lost seven players to graduation, but will have some new additions and—perhaps most exciting of all—a new look behind the bench.
“We’re getting down close to the team,” said head coach Kirk Muller, a former Stanley Cup champion who took over in June. “We had an open tryout, with like, 60 guys. We’re down to about 27 guys or so.”
The open tryout was Muller’s main recruiting tool. Having been hired in June, he wasn’t in a position to do a large amount of recruiting.
“We got a couple of guys we wouldn’t otherwise have known about,” Muller said.
The rookies don’t appear ready to shoulder a huge load, but they will be expected to contribute. He and his staff got a good look at them in a game situation when they sent a team made up mostly of rookies to Concordia for an exhibition game against the powerhouse Stingers.
“That was a rookie team at Concordia [as well],” Muller said. “It was a good old 10-2 romping.”
Muller said he hasn’t decided exactly how many of the 27 remaining players he will keep. There will almost certainly be a few players who are not on the regular game roster, but who will play hockey elsewhere in Kingston to stay sharp.
“We want to keep people where they can be called in to play,” Muller said. “There’s no set number yet.”
Despite the excitement that Muller’s hiring has generated in the world of Queen’s hockey, the team should not be expected to skyrocket to the top. Queen’s has a deficit in players with major junior hockey experience when compared with top teams, like Western and Concordia.
“I think [Brad] Walford is the only guy on the team with junior experience,” Muller said. “Our goal is to start here, and quietly build over the year. There are some talented teams out there.”
The team is looking to improve steadily, rather than to have drastic immediate success, Muller said. He said that he is signed on beyond the current season, and that the coaching staff have a three-year plan in place for the team.
“We’re going to put in a good system,” he said. “We won’t get outworked. We’ll work together.”
The Gaels should be strong in goal, with their top two goaltenders returning from last year. Veteran starter Matt Kenney returns for his fifth year of eligibility, while backup Mike Studli—who shone in relief of Kenney late last season—looks forward to his second season with the Gaels. There are also two other goaltenders remaining in camp, fighting for the third-string spot.
“[Kenney]’s going to be our guy,” Muller said. “He’s one of the first calls I made when I got here. It’s good to have him. Studli works hard, and he’s been improving. We’re not sure who the third guy is going to be.”
The goaltenders are a big part of Muller’s strategy, Muller said, adding that he thinks the team needs to be stingier at the defensive end.
“We’ve got to cut down our goals against,” Muller said.
There are other things that need improving as well. Former head coach Chris MacDonald—in an interview with the Journal at the end of last season—identified what he thought were the team’s two main problems: scoring and consistency. Muller said he would address these issues.
“Consistency is an easy thing to correct, by being repetitious in our drills,” Muller said. “We want to keep the game simple, and game in game out, we’ll play our game. We’re going to have to earn our goals, go to the net, bang in rebounds, that kind of thing. Play that in-your-face kind of hockey.”
Muller also discovered one other major problem for last year’s team: their play was dismal in other teams’ rinks.
“We were 1-11 on the road last year,” he said. “Our home record was good. If we can have a .500 road record, and be above .500 at home, we’ll be just fine.”
The other faces behind the bench are also new. Muller’s new assistants are Brett Gibson and Mike Fiset. Both have experience coaching in Kingston at the university and major junior levels. Muller said he thinks they will help bring a perspective he doesn’t have.
“They both played junior and university hockey, and [Gibson] has experience on the junior level [with the Kingston Frontenacs],” Muller said. “[Fiset] coached at RMC, so he’s got good university experience. I have experience in junior and in the pros, but they’ll bring that university perspective.”
Although he’s focused on the long-term plan, Muller said he does have expectations for the team this season.
“Our goal is to make the playoffs,” he said. “If we can make the playoffs, who knows—playoff hockey is a whole different story. We’ve gotta take these guys and everyone has to make more of a commitment.”
Muller said he is hoping to turn men’s hockey into student-friendly entertainment. The poor attendance of past years has left Jock Harty Arena without the atmosphere all players crave.
“The games are free, they’ll be licensed so you can go have some beers, we’re going to have theme nights, that kind of thing,” Muller said. “We want it to be an event. On a Friday or Saturday night, you’re out by 10 [p.m.].”
The team will also look into revitalizing the Kill McGill road trip that was popular two seasons ago and helped generate excitement about the team.
The Gaels will play their first exhibition game with a more veteran roster on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at Jock Harty Arena against Ryerson.
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