The Vancouver Giants have announced Michael Dyck as the new head coach.
“To be the head coach of an elite franchise is a huge honour for me” Dyck said Thursday at a Vancouver Giants press conference in Tsawwassen Springs.
Earlier this month, the Langley-based Western Hockey League team parted ways with former head coach Jason McKee. McKee was the Giants bench-boss for two seasons, combining for an overall record of 56-73-9-6.
The Giants returned to the WHL post-season after a four-year absence, pushing the Victoria Royals to seven games in the quarter-finals in 2018.
“I think the team took a step in the right direction (last season). It was a good team. The challenge is how do we go from good to great,” Dyck said.
The Giants had hired Barclay Parneta as general manager of the club on May 23 after Glen Hanlon decided to step down.
.@WHLGiants GM Barclay Parneta "the coach we wanted was somebody that was in touch with the kids and younger generation…[Michael Dyck] hit all the marks for me" #Giants #WHL
— Kieran O'Connor (@kieranroconnor) June 28, 2018
Parneta was formally the assistant general manager for the Tri-City Americans.
“The coach we wanted was somebody that was in touch with the kids and younger generation…[Dyck] hit all the marks for me” said Parneta.
Dyck originally joined the Giants as an assistant coach in 2002-03 while Parneta was working as a scout with the club.
In November 2005, Dyck left the Giants to be the head coach for his hometown Lethbridge Hurricanes where he led them to the Western Hockey League final in 2008 only to lose to the Spokane Chiefs.
Dyck returned to Vancouver as a scout for the Giants in 2009 for three more seasons until he left back to Lethbridge to coach his son, Carson through minor hockey.
Dyck becomes the fifth coach for the Giants since Don Hay left to coach the Kamloops Blazers in May 2014. Hay is the winningest coach in WHL history.
The search for an assistant coach to Join Dyck’s staff, parneta said the process is ongoing.
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