Groundwork in place for strong second half for
Dragons
The Drumheller Dragons head coach Dan Price feels there is something great in store for his team come the new year.
This year saw a dramatic change to the Drumheller Dragons dressing room. The team appointed a new coach, and with Dan Price came a new staff and a young exciting roster.
While this seismic shift has produced a slow start, with the team trailing in the south division, Price says he sees some big things happening for this team.
“The players have taken great steps so far this year, to set themselves up very well for sustained success in the second half and the years to come,” said Price. “Now comes the fun part. We have to maintain that focus everyday to keep working and keep improving. But it has been a lot of heavy lifting in the first half to lay this ground work, and now that we have laid it, we get to enjoy the fruits of our labour, hopefully.”
As the Christmas break approached, The Mail spoke with head coach Price to reflect on the first half of the season and what is coming for the Dragons.
While they are sitting in last place in the south, Price points out with two games in hand, the Dragons are well within striking distance. While fans worry about the team making it to the off season, Price doesn’t want it to become a distraction.
“We are really one point back if we win those two games. I don’t think it is healthy to be concerned with the standings. I think that is an external focus and it is distracting,” said Price. “You are not going to play harder or less hard based on where you are at in the standings, at least you shouldn’t. You should play as hard as you possibly can every day. Standings are important as a result but they are not important with what we are trying to do.”
This season has come with a number of challenges, and through it he has seen great amounts of improvement.
“There has been a tremendous amount of growth on our team. Obviously there has been a lot of learning, and a lot of player personnel changes, it has been a long process for the players getting to know each other, learn about each other and care about each other,” said Price. “When you think about it there are only three players we have now that were here at the beginning of this season. That is Bergman, Kennedy and Jessey. Everyone else is pretty new. That is an extremely significant fact. Everyone needed time to get to learn how to play the game her and how we relate to each other. That has been the biggest accomplishment in the first half of the year.”
This has led to a group that shows their heart on their sleeves.
“You are not able to see inside the walls of the dressing room, but I have to say this is one of the tightest groups of players in the entire Alberta Junior Hockey League." They are just unbelievably cohesive and they understand each other and care for each other, they like hanging out with each other and they look out for each other. That’s taken a long time to develop, but now we have the right mix of guys and the right culture in place to foster that.”
“I’m not trying to call our own shots, but I just have a feeling that something special is going to happen in the second half because this is such a special group.”
He says as the team improves, the fans will get to see some great hockey.
“The fans deserve a winner and they will get a winner,” said Price. “The players are committed to doing it the right way. They are committed to improving and to supporting one other. To do it in a way that can be sustained over several years takes a long time to build. The wins will come, the players know that, the coaches know that. This is why I get this feeling from this team. The groundwork has been laid for the second half.”
He has enjoyed his first season as a head coach. Previous to coming to the Drumheller Dragons, Price served as an assistant coach and an associate coach for the WHL Chilliwack Bruins.
“I love the people. We have great people that play for the team, and they are great players as well. We have a great coaching staff and trainers, and a great scouting staff. Our owners are extremely supportive, intelligent and generous,” said Price. “Our community is second to none. They love hockey and support our team, they are knowledgeable fans and we love playing in front of them.”
“You can’t ask for a better place to coach.”
