The Bombers held their annual general meeting July 16, with the club staying on a similar track with its finances, staff and board.
About 30 fans and board members packed into the team’s office on Main Street to hear about the past season, where the club sits financially and what will come next with the Bombers.
After a season where the Bombers went to the league final once again, the team not only was profitable according to unaudited financial statements, but cleared a profit of over $100,000. The team has also brought back assistant coach Cole McCaig for another season, as well as returning four out of five board members whose terms expired.
Finances
The team posted a total net income last season of $109,072.40, having made over $1 million in total revenue and having spent $944,196.43. The Bombers cleared more than $300,000 through advertising revenue and almost cleared the $300,000 mark in total ticket sales during the club’s first season without crowd-limiting COVID-19-related health measures.
“A successful season on the ice generally leads to a successful season off the ice, as far as finances go,” said Bomber treasurer Janice Slipp.
Slipp said the team’s profit doesn’t tell the whole story - that number includes a sum of money from Hockey Canada to cover expenses incurred during the team’s Centennial Cup campaign last season that was originally marked down in last year’s team report, but was actually received during this year’s pay period.
“That’s about $30,000, part of this $110,000 - so if you look at our bottom line for the season itself, we’re closer to $80,000 [in net profit],” said Slipp.
The team’s main expenses remain travel and personnel costs, with the team spending over $150,000 on travel to and from games, over $120,000 in player-related costs and more than $100,000 on office and administration fees. While the team still cleared considerable profit, Slipp said the team will need to be careful with money.
“It’s probably as much as we can hope to make in a season. Playoffs generate a lot of money, but they are extremely expensive. I don’t think people realize how much is involved with travel costs, additional ice rental, league fees and whatnot,” Slipp said.
“I think moving forward, we have to be cognizant of increased costs for billets, for travel, for every aspect we see in our lives every day. We have to make sure we’re cautious with our money.”
Team
Head coach and general manager Mike Reagan provided an update on how the club did on-ice last year and the club’s plans for this season.
The first order of business is the return of McCaig. A former Bomber forward with long family ties to Flin Flon, McCaig began coaching with the Bombers in 2018 and is now returning for his sixth year as Reagan’s right hand man.
“He’s coming back as the team’s assistant coach, which is big for us,” said team president Travis Rideout.
Not everyone will be returning, however. Mark Patton, who had served as the team's chief Manitoba scout, has left the Bombers' scout team, joining on with the MJHL's OCN Blizzard as the team's new head scout.
On some matters, Reagan has kept his cards close to his chest. The coach spoke about an upcoming big move, but did not say what it was - only saying that it required paperwork to be filed before being announced.
More recently, the Bombers have acquired the SJHL playing rights to former Moose Jaw Warrior forward Riley Niven from the Weyburn Red Wings, doing so for a player development fee and a future SJHL draft pick. Niven had five assists in 17 games last year with the WHL team and is entering his 20-year-old season. It is not known yet if Niven will report to the club, but Reagan said initial talks between him and Niven have been positive.
“I had a conversation with him the other day. Obviously he’s disappointed he’s not playing in the Western league, but the kid thanked us for trading tor him,” Reagan said.
“In the first conversation we have, I never ask them to make a decision in that conversation because they should take some time and think of it. I’m pretty confident he will be a Bomber and I think he’ll have a great impact on our team.”
New challenges have appeared this season, including the emergence of the BCHL following the league’s split from Hockey Canada. The BCHL voted earlier this year to fully separate from the national group, opting instead to run as a rebel league. That has led BCHL teams to poach talent from junior A leagues across Canada, including SJHL clubs - Humboldt defender Carsten Kayter is heading out west, as are reigning SJHL rookie of the year Riley Ashe and Estevan’s Jagjeevan Phangura, with little or no compensation heading to their now-former clubs.
Reagan said approaches had been made by BCHL clubs to Bomber forward Alexi Sylvestre, with at least two teams interested in poaching the team’s 18-year-old leading playoff scorer and rookie of the year. Neither has been successful, with Reagan saying he’ll be back and wants to be a part of a title winning team in Flin Flon.
“He had two offers to leave. He said no - said he wants to be a Bomber,” said Reagan.
“I met with his family for supper while I was out there [in Quebec] and they said they couldn’t be happier about Alexi’s season, with him being a Bomber and they want to be loyal. They believe we can help him get what he wants and he can be a part of a championship. He had three Division I schools this summer that were interested in him - I expect that he’ll have a scholarship early on.”
The Bombers are able to play eight 20-year-olds - that is, players born in 2003 - this season. The club currently has six players who can return - forwards Matt Egan, Brock Mueller, Jeremi Tremblay and Jacob Vockler, defender Noah Houle and goalie Harmon Laser-Hume. Forward Barron Stibbe is also eligible to return, but will stay in the U.S. to play college club hockey with the Univ. of Ohio.
At least five of those six are sure to return this season. Reagan said Vockler was a near certainty to come back north and play his final junior season before going to the college hockey ranks with Merrimack.
“I asked Jacob if he was coming back and he said ‘100 per cent. I trust you Reags and I want to be a Bomber.’ Those were his exact words. I trust what Vocks has to say and that goes both ways. I think we’ll have one of the best forwards in the league in Jacob Vockler,” Reagan said.
Not all the news is good. Reagan said that forward Tremblay’s return to the club for his final year of junior hockey is currently up in the air. The Quebecois forward, who has played for the Bombers in each of the past two seasons, was recently drafted in the NAHL’s annual draft, going in the first round to the Maryland Black Bears.
Coached and managed by former Notre Dame Hounds bench boss Clint Mylymok, the Black Bears brought Tremblay down south for the team’s main camp late last month. Whether Tremblay returns to Flin Flon or heads down to the U.S. - either to play for Maryland or for Sacred Heart Univ., where he is committed to play in the future - is not currently known, but the coach is optimistic.
“We’re not sure what we’re doing with him right now. Obviously, he was drafted in the NAHL and he went down for their camp. When I was in Montreal, their camp was at the same time - Jeremi’s brother came to our camp. I talked a bit more with his father and we said we would talk a bit later in the summer,” said Reagan.
“Jeremi’s a very good hockey player. I think it’s unfortunate that he’s been banged up for both of our playoff runs. We’ll see how that goes.”
Reagan also said the team had missed out on a key major junior recruit from Quebec, saying that despite an attempt to sway the player - who was not named - he had instead taken an invitation to play for a team in the Maritime Hockey League, staying closer to home.
Board seats
Very little changed for the team’s board, keeping the same president and most of the same incumbents.
Board president Rideout accepted a nomination from the crowd during the suggestion period, while only one other person, current team vice-president Eldred Dicks, was nominated by meeting-goers. Dicks declined to let his name stand, allowing Rideout to gain his spot as team president by acclamation.
Five board spots, each for two-year terms, were up for grabs at the meeting. By the time the dust settled, the board ended up looking almost the same as it did before the meeting. Six people, four of them incumbents, were nominated for spots and accepted the nomination, leading to a vote for who would fill the remaining five spots.
In the end, Tim Babcock, Kelly Mansell, Matt Morrison, Adam Ricard and Billy Williamson were elected to the board - only Todd Simms allowed his name to stand and was not elected.
Out of the five elected candidates, only Babcock was not on the board prior to the meeting and even he had served on the board in the past, including as the City of Flin Flon’s representative during his time as a city councillor. Mansell, Morrison, Ricard and Williamson were all active board members last season.
