OLIVER PAIPOONGE — The Kam River Fighting Walleye are on the hunt for their third coach in less than a year.
Geoff Walker, who guided the Superior International Junior Hockey League team in 2022-23 to its first championship, informed team officials on Sunday he was leaving for Drayton Valley of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
Fighting Walleye general manager Kevin McCallum says the search has already begun for a new coach, with training camp not too far over the horizon.
He added it’s not surprising teams started coming after Walker, who also won an SIJHL title behind the bench of the Red Lake Miners in 2021-22, before leaving for a job in Europe. Walker took over the Fighting Walleye reins midway through last season, after the team parted ways with former coach Matt Valley, saying they wanted a full-time bench boss to guide the program.
“Geoff won two championships in a row and he’s going to get a lot of attention. That’s what we do. We move guys on, whether it’s players or staff,” McCallum said.
Walker will be a great fit in Drayton Valley, he added, someone who can help the team rebuild toward winning its first championship since 2002.
“They won 15 games last year and obviously have some work to do there,” McCallum said.
“They got the right guy in place. I spent a year there in my career as well. It’s a good community and I think he’ll be successful.”
Walker’s decision, coming when it did in mid-July, does leave the Fighting Walleye scrambling a bit to find a replacement, the players and staff wanting to know who will be leading the ship when the SIJHL season kicks off in September.
“Right away we’ve had many candidates come out of the woodwork and it’s not even 24 hours old. Obviously the contacts I have, I’ve been all over North America talking with guys. Our recruits are excited. They don’t know anything different and our leadership group, most of them have come to me or texted me that next man up, they’re ready to go and win another championship.”
McCallum is talking with at least one out-of-town candidate and expects plenty of local interest will unveil itself as well.
Walker, who spent 11 seasons playing pro hockey, including four seasons in the American Hockey League and two in Europe, went 29-7-1 behind the Fighting Walleye bench last season. He was 28-6-3 with the Miners in 2021-22, leading them to an upset win over Kam River in the SIJHL final that season.
