It was an opportunity too good for Aaron Wilbur to ignore.
His coaching career was officially on hold after working as an assistant with the UBC Thunderbirds and a successful stint in the B.C. Hockey League with the Penticton Vees. That was until the Richmond Sockeyes suddenly had a vacancy to fill when longtime head coach Judd Lambert stepped down last March.
Wilbur was already working locally as an instructor with the Vancouver Hockey School and a chance to be part of the storied junior franchise piqued his interest. After some positive meetings with the Sockeyes ownership group, he was onboard with one of the perennial powerhouse teams in the Pacific International Junior Hockey League.
"What really attracted me was the tradition and the ownership's vision of the impact they want to have on the players' lives," said Wilbur who will make his debut behind the bench on Thursday (7: 30 p.m.) for the Sockeyes' regular season opener against the Grandview Steelers at Minoru Arena.
"When I was coaching in the BCHL, Richmond is the first roster you always wanted to see who their top recruits were. They have an ownership group that wants to be part of the community. You always want to surround yourself with good people and I think we have some really good people here."
To say Wilbur has large shoes to fill might be an understatement. During Lambert's tenure, the Sockeyes had the league's best regular season record in three of the past four years and won a pair of league championships, along with a Western Canadian title. He at least left the team well stocked.
The Sockeyes have 12 players back from last season, including three of their top top six scorers - Jeremy Hamaguchi, Rudi Thorsteinson and Justin Rai. Veterans on the blueline include Scott Wessa, Mathew Wagner and Dominic Cents, while Kootenay Alder is back in net after making 29 starts, including playoffs.
"Judd did an unbelievable job here and his record speaks for itself," continued Wilbur. "I think if I came in here and tried to duplicate what he accomplished I would be putting a lot of weight on my shoulders. For myself, I bring my own experiences and success and will build off of those. Hopefully at the end of year we end up in the same place. We might just get there a little differently."
With so many returnees, training camp unfolded smoothly as Wilbur came familiar with his players. Following Sunday's first practice after final cuts, he named veteran Seafair product Sam Chichak his captain, while Hamaguchi and Wessa will serve as assistants.
"For myself, the most pleasant sign we have had so far is that the veteran guys have done a tremendous job of providing the right leadership and sending the right message to our younger players."
Wilbur works along side Derek Popke and Yogi Svejvosky at the Vancouver Hockey School. He is also president of the Coaches Site, a leading edge company that provides coaching conferences to minor hockey association.
"Hockey also happens to be my full-time job," he added. "I'm really passionate about the game and really excited to be involved with this franchise."
