Back on April 10th, Red Deer Rebels Owner, General Manager, and Head Coach Brent Sutter made the difficult decision to step down from the coaching position.
Sutter was in his 17th season as head coach of the hockey club, coaching 1,024 games and having compiled a record of 526-384-114 along with 152 playoff appearances.
With the shortened season only having a few games remaining at the time of Sutter’s departure, the team added Shaun Sutter to the bench and continued with Brad Flynn and Ryan Colville. The measures were temporary as the hunt began for a new bench boss.
“I want the right guy. I don’t care whether he has pro experience or not. I just want the right person that checks all the boxes that I want and we need to have for a head coach,” Sutter told Byron Hackett of the Red Deer Advocate recently, adding there is no timeline as to when they will hire the new coach.
Who fits in those boxes is anybody’s guess as Sutter is known to play his cards close to his chest in all situations.
Jeff Truitt
Truitt spent five and a half seasons behind the Rebels bench as an associate coach from 2012-2018. He has since spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach with the Prince Albert Raiders. At the time of his departure, it was thought that the cost to keep Truitt as an assistant coach was too high.
If there is an opportunity for Sutter to bring Truitt back as a head coach by asking the Raiders for permission to speak with him, it is one he should take.
Truitt was well-liked by everyone in the organization and has considerable experience in the hockey executive world. He has been a head coach in the AJHL, WHL, and AHL. He has been employed in some capacity in hockey since the 1994-95 season.
Jason McKee
Vernon Vipers Head Coach Jason McKee could be looking for another shot at a WHL Championship. McKee spent two seasons with the Vancouver Giants as their head coach before spending the last two seasons with Vernon.
McKee also played a season with the Seattle Thunderbirds before turning pro with the ECHL’s Richmond Renegades. Albertans who follow the AJHL will also recall McKee as the general manager and head coach of the Spruce Grove Saints. Five of his six seasons as head coach saw the Saints head to the AJHL Finals where they won three championships.
Dave Manson
Maybe a stretch as surely Manson has his sights set on the NHL and may still have term with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors, the lure of the head coaching position in Red Deer could be enough to entice him to head north. Manson has a connection to the Rebels as a teammate of Sutter’s brother Duane for three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Manson also has WHL experience as an assistant or associate coach with the Prince Albert Raiders over 14 seasons.
Steve McCarthy
McCarthy is currently serving as an assistant coach with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters and has been with the team for five seasons.
A player with the Edmonton/Kootenay ICE, even serving one season as captain, McCarthy knows the WHL game and has 302 games of experience as an NHL player with three teams.
The Trail, BC native is just 40-years-old.
Patrick Wellar
Wellar is an assistant coach with the Hershey Bears, having just completed his third season. He also played parts of six seasons with the Bears. Wellar has a winning pedigree, having won a Calder Cup and three Kelly Cups as a player
The 37-year-old Carrot River, SK native played five seasons in the WHL with the Portland Winterhawks and the Calgary Hitmen.
An opportunity to be a head coach could be intriguing for Wellar.
