Blazers shake things up and look to move up the standings

If you were to ask anyone with the Kamloops Blazers how this season has gone you would be presented an honest account somewhere between terrible and below expectations. Before the season started this team was thought to be a shoe-in for the playoffs and a contender for, if not the BC division lead, surely a top-three spot. The disappointment in how this season has gone so far runs deep through the players, the coaching staff, and the management.

“I felt our team was a little bit inconsistent. I feel our team was better than our record shows. I felt it was time to make a change, by doing it now it gives us another five weeks prior to the trade deadline to see where our team is going to be to know what we need to do at that time,” said general manager Matt Bardsley “I think sometimes if you wait right until the deadline it can either be too late, or you are committed to having things dictated to you.”

The start of this article sounds like it could be the beginning of another missed post-season, year end article outlining the trials and tribulations of the Blazer blue and orange. Maybe it will be, but not yet. “Through all the troubles the team has had this season the Kamloops Blazers are only four points out of second in the BC division with over two-thirds of the schedule remaining. Hardly time to press the nuclear meltdown button, but it’s certainly time to take an honest look at how the plant is running.

First year general manager Matt Bardsley made two trades in the offseason when he took over this Blazers team and he made two more on Monday. 19-year-old defenceman Nolan Kneen was dealt to the Saskatoon Blades and 20-year old forward Luc Smith was moved to the Spokane Chiefs. The Blazers return was two-fold, both for the now and the future.

“Teams like Saskatoon were looking for a player who could step right in and do what he was doing here” said Bardsley, talking about trading Kneen.

Coming back in the deal was defenceman and Kamloops native Jackson Caller. Bardsley continued “I know Jackson from my time in Portland, we drafted him and he spent a little time with us. I know him as a player and a person.” Along with Caller the Blazers also received 2nd and 3rd round picks in the 2020 Bantam Draft. The Smith trade saw the Blazers receive another 20-year-old in forward/defenceman, Jeff Faith, as well as 3rd and 6th round picks in the 2020 Bantam Draft.

Jeff Faith (Dayna Fjord)

After adding four more draft picks the Blazers and GM Matt Bardsley have really loaded up in both the 2019 and 2020 drafts. They have a total of 32 picks, eight more than they are given by the league.

“I think people have to understand that with these new trade regulations you can’t trade 15 and 16-year-olds and the 17-year-olds have to agree to waive their no trade clauses. So really you’re dealing with an age group of 18, 19, and 20-year-olds. I think the draft picks become more of a premium,” said Bardsley.

While having draft picks is great for well, the draft, Kamloops doesn’t necessarily have to use those picks for drafting players “What’s great about them is the flexibility, Whether you use those picks right now to add a piece or we have them at the draft table. I think we have done a really good job of stockpiling our picks and setting the organization up that way”

Head Coach Serge Lajoie was adamant after a loss to the Regina Pats on November 20th that his team needed to be more open to feedback to allow them to grow and improve. Bardsley was quick to squash any thought that one game was the reason for these trades. “I have certainly been evaluating the team and this is something I have been looking at over the last couple of weeks. That instance had nothing to do with this decision.”

With the moves on Monday, two veteran leaders on this Blazer team have been moved out of the fold leaving three official captains to steer the ship. Captain Jermaine Loewen and assistant captains Zane Franklin and Brodi Stuart will take the reigns of this young group of players to pursue their goal of rising up the WHL’s Western Conference standings.

“Some people probably look at this on the surface and say we are selling, honestly, that’s not the vision, that’s not the plan. We just had to make a change that is why we addressed it now” Bardsley said, “We have been in some close games that we just haven’t been able to come out on top. I think with these changes they add a dynamic to our team. I wasn’t so much concerned about the goal-scoring as much as being able to tighten things up.”

Kamloops plays two home games this weekend. Friday vs Saskatoon and Saturday vs Seattle.