Knoxville Ice Bears

Coaches Corner

date: 08/24/2010

Coach Mike Craigen

 

Hometown: Buckhorn, Ontario. A small town north of Toronto that just got its first traffic light in 2009.

Professional Experience: I played in the SPHL for 4 seasons, all of them with the Ice Bears, winning 2 championships.

Fondest Memory: It has to be our 1st championship that we won on the road in Kissimmee, FL. It was almost surreal as the arena was nearly empty but for a few of our traveling fans, it was 80 degrees at ice level and we were just skating around hugging each other and celebrating while the arena staff was busy starting to convert the rink into a rodeo arena. It was just us in our own little world out there with memories that would never leave us. 

- “A hockey season will provide you with great days when you love what you do and everything goes great and bad days when you can do nothing right and it feels like the everything around you is falling down. The true measure of a player comes during those bad days.”

 

Questions for Coach Craigen:
 
Who are the members of last year's team that will be returning for training camp, and what are your expectations of each?

So far our returning players list is at 10. It's always a touchy subject when talking about returning players, especially when a coaching change is made. I understand that some of the guys who want to return have had big impacts on Knoxville Ice Bears teams of the past, but it's my job as a new coach to have a commitment to my gameplan and the kind of players I need to execute that gameplan. Having 10 returning players in training camp doesn't necessarily mean we'll have 10 returning players in our Opening Night Line-Up. I want an intense training camp with players battling for jobs the entire time, just like it should be.

What do the additions of Emery Olauson and Lorne Misita bring to the team? What style of play can we expect from them?

I'm so excited about these two signings. I consider us very lucky to have locked both of these veterans up after getting such a late start on my recruiting. Both guys will bring an element of leadership and consistency to this team that you just can't put a value on. With the amount of experience and proven numbers between the two of them, they will compliment our returning core very well.
Lorne is a very electric offensive talent who really prides himself on the defensive side of the game. What I always remembered about him was how tough he was to beat on face-off's.
Emery is built in the mode of a power forward. He's very strong on the puck, has an excellent hockey sense and is about as "well-rounded" aplayer as you'll find in this league.

What will you be looking for at the free agent showcase to add to training camp? And what areas do you feel the team currently lacks?

As in any camp, Kevin and myself will be looking for players to stand out. Whether it be through scoring, physical play, stopping shots or just overall hard work. The guys coming to this camp need to do something to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. We have guaranteed that a minimum of 2 players will receive contracts to our Main Camp on Oct.10th.
Heading into the final stages of recruiting and player signing, I think the main area we are lacking right now is some size/toughness on the back end. I am hoping to improve that situation by keeping in touch and staying focused on the waiver wire from the CHL/ECHL. With the merging of the IHL/CHL, there are going to be a lot of players finding themselves jobless mid-October and I've made sure to secure enough space under our cap that I'm confident we can bring some of these players to Knoxville to help us add some of the missing elements.
 

What are some of your expectations for the 2010- 2011 season?

My #1 goal for this season is to ice a team that plays with as much passion, hard-work and enthusiasm as the people who own and operate the team.
I want to dominate our home ice schedule, a tradition for Knoxville teams and I want to improve our record on the road. If we do that, I like our chances of having a successful season.

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