FORMER WHEAT KING LANDS COACHING JOB
(Courtesy of Perry Bergson) — It didn’t take long for one of Daniel Tetrault’s hockey dreams to come true.
The former Brandon Wheat Kings defenceman, who retired from a 15-year professional career after the 2014-15 season, told The Brandon Sun just over a year ago that his goal was to move behind the bench.
After being hired last July as an assistant coach by the Rapid City Rush of the ECHL, Tetrault was promoted to the top job on Thursday.
“You wouldn’t believe how excited I am,” he said. “I am pumped up.”
After retiring from his pro career, Tetrault played senior hockey in 2015-16 with the Boissevain Border Kings of the Tiger Hills Hockey League, finishing the season with the South East Prairie Thunder as they tried to repeat as Allan Cup champions. For the majority of last season, Tetrault, who capped his playing career as a member of the Rush, also served as the colour analyst on Rapid City radio broadcasts for home games.
His first job in coaching came unexpectedly.
Joe Ferras left his job as head coach of the Rush during a 14-game losing streak in the 2015-16 season to concentrate on his duties as general manager.
Mark DeSantis, who was an assistant at the time, was named head coach on Feb. 17, 2016, and in 96 games over two seasons went 38-47-11. DeSantis added Tetrault as an assistant, but was fired in April after the team went 26-38-8 last season, finishing last in the Mountain Division and missing the playoffs.
The team interviewed more than a dozen candidates before settling on Tetrault, a 37-year-old product of La Broquerie who played five seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings from 1995 to 2000.
“Daniel is a very upbeat and positive person with a ton of passion for this great sport, and this will certainly resonate throughout the locker room,” Ferras said in a release. “He has been a leader at every level of hockey, has won championships and understands the work and commitment that it takes to reach these accomplishments.”
Tetrault spent time in five different leagues with 10 different teams, playing more than 900 games as a professional.
He admitted that he had a lot to learn during his first year as an assistant coach on things such as preparation and video. But he knows what he likes in players, and has for a long time.
“I want to bring 20 guys in with character who have been leaders in the past,” he said. “I believe that’s important. I’ve had these values since my playing days in Brandon with Kelly McCrimmon and Bobby Lowes, and that’s why I had a successful career playing 15 years of pro.”
Tetrault said it’s a skating game now with no obstruction so you need speed up front and defenceman who can move the puck quickly. He adds there is still a place for grit in the game, something illustrated by how many goals in the National Hockey League playoffs have been scored within a few feet of the net.
Tetrault said he likes passionate players who talk a lot, and added communication is also a key for him.
“I believe that you have to be fired up and very vocal at all times,” he said. “And be very honest with the players as well. If they’re not playing well and not putting in 100 per cent, you have to hold them accountable.”
His former Wheat Kings teammate Ryan Craig, who was hired by the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights as an assistant coach on Friday, said Tetrault used to pick him up and take him to the Keystone Centre for practices. Craig said Tetrault is a terrific leader.
“Danny Tetrault was an older guy who was the captain when I joined the team and a guy I looked up to,” Craig said. “My memories of Danny are not just his talent as a hockey player but he was a real good teammate and a fun-loving guy.
“I’m very excited for Danny … Obviously he was a leader for us back then and to have an opportunity to run his own bench now is great.”
The Rush, an ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes who will enter their 10th season, is sending Tetrault to the NHL coaches seminar on June 22 in Chicago.
In the meantime, he’s been working the phones, reaching out to players, coaches and agents. He said the fans deserve his best effort.
“Rapid City reminds me of Brandon a little bit,” he said. “It has a population of 70,000; it’s a small, tight-knit community. They’re passionate fans and hard-working people here. They deserve a hard-working team on the ice. This community fits my character.”
