The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer Making one move before the trade deadline, the Flin Flon Bombers are ready to take on the rest of the season. With the trade deadline passing on Monday, the Bombers acquired defenceman Tanner Clark from the Humboldt Broncos and gave up the rights to a future Western Hockey League player for one year. As well, the Bombers said goodbye to Conrad Szydlowski, making room for Clark. As a new addition to the blueline, the 17-year-old Clark brings skill and good composition to the team. "I think he's going to be very good (on the) power play for us in the future. Whether that's now or next year, I'm not sure," said head coach and GM Mike Reagan. Excited to welcome Clark, Reagan said "he's an individual that's got a huge upside. It was just a deal that we couldn't pass...on." "So, it just made sense from every angle that we looked," said the coach. Not easy Saying that, Reagan says moving Szydlowski to Drayton Valley, Alta., wasn't easy. "We had seven defencemen and with the acquisition of Clark, we felt that Conrad wouldn't be happy with being a number eight," he said. "We think that our D-core is better today than it was yesterday." Reagan had nothing but good things to say about Szydlowski. "We think Conrad is a great kid and we wish him all the best," he said. "I think that it will be a good position for him, going to Drayton Valley, as he's going to get a chance to play a little bit more." Reagan says moving Szydlowski is "just a part of the business." "You gotta move someone to move someone in," said the coach. For his part, Clark has a potential of three years left with the Bombers. "He's a skilled guy and he's got Western Hockey League experience," said Reagan. As well as the Western league, Clark played with the Humboldt Broncos as a 16-year-old. With the SJHL as tight as it has been this year, Reagan knows his team hasn't performed to its potential every game. "We felt that our team has underachieved so far this year," he said. "But we weren't willing to risk the future of our organization by selling off some of our younger guys to get older guys that will maybe make our team better in the present. "In the future, you know, we'll be back to square one. We felt that if we could get some good young players that were going to be able to help our club right now and in the future, that's what we would be willing to do." Conversation Previous to the January 10 deadline, the Bomber coaching staff took the 20-year-old players aside and had a conversation about where the team is going. "We talked to them (about) whether they believed in this team and thought that we could do some damage in the playoffs," Reagan said, "or if they wanted to be in a better position and move them to maybe a team with a better record." The Bombers have endured some tough times this season as they went on a five-game losing skid early on. Following that skid with a seven-game winning streak, the team has struggled to find their niche. "All of our 20-year-olds said that they would like to stay here and see what we could do," said Reagan. "We realize that we haven't...played our best hockey all the time and that we're inconsistent. We can play some good games." The coach says there are times when the Bombers look like "world leaders" but then follow it up by resembling "a bunch of bums." But the regular season is really one big practice for the playoffs. See 'Every...' on pg. 5 Continued from pg. 4 "Come the start of the playoffs, everyone is at the same point," said Reagan. "Everyone has the same record and we believe this team is going to be tough to play in the playoffs." Currently, the Bombers sit fifth in the Bauer Conference, but they know there is still hockey left to play. "It takes us getting a little bit of confidence going into the playoffs," said Reagan. "If we get some of our older guys playing like they are capable of playing, then we think we've got a very good chance." Looking at the league, the Melfort Mustangs are in a similar position as the Bombers were last season. "...they're a team that is very similar to what we were last year. We weren't successful," said Reagan. "They loaded up with a lot of skilled hockey players and that's what we did last year and it didn't work for us." The Bombers hope that their approach of bringing in new faces this year will be benefit the club. "We had a lot of opportunities to get some older players, but the price was outrageous and it meant trading off some of our good, young players," Reagan said. "I didn't think that that's worth it." Keeping their team fairly young this year, the Bombers have 15 players eligible to return for next season. "That's a very good core of guys and we're still going to be young next year," said Reagan. Options Looking at Flin Flon's options, Reagan said the team wasn't "in a position to just throw it all out on the line." "I know this town wants to win, win, win every year, but you know, there are going to be years where you'll have some ups and downs," he said. The coach, a former Bomber himself, says the club isn't always going to be the best team in the league. "We believe in our young guys," he said. "We believe that come playoff time, they're going to be there for us." Trades The trade between the Bombers and Broncos may benefit Flin Flon today, but Humboldt hopes to gain next year. As hosts of the RBC Cup, the Broncos are looking to form the best team possible. Earning the rights to a player with Western experience is a big plus for the Broncos. "If they weren't hosting the RBC Cup next year, I don't think they would have made those moves," said Reagan. "They probably would have tried to move a couple things around." Clark joined the Bombers for their practices Wednesday and Thursday and was scheduled to head to Yorkton with the team this morning. "...he'll be a part of the team going forward from here," Reagan said Tuesday afternoon.
