Behind a successful Flin Flon Bombers team on the ice is a strong hockey operations staff off the ice.
Head coach and general manager Mike Reagan leads the way, but emphasizes the importance of his staff. Cole McCaig and Chris Bortis serve as assistant coaches. Jason Savill is the athletic therapist and equipment manager, while Jon Klassen serves as Flin Flon’s head scout.
“All our staff have different roles and each one is important to the success of our present and future,” Reagan said. “We are in constant contact in making sure we are on the same page.”
As of Sunday, the team sat second in the SJHL with a 33-11-5-0 record. The Bombers went 3-1 on a southern road trip last week. With their first victory of the trip, a 4-3 win over Yorkton, the squad clinched a playoff spot. Additional victories – 5-3 wins over both Melville and Notre Dame – gave Flin Flon a six-game winning streak. The road trip wrapped up with a 6-2 loss to Estevan. Reagan said he felt the team played well in two of their four games.
“We were fortunate in Melville, even though shots were 45-19,” Reagan said. “We didn’t play well. In Notre Dame, I thought that was one of the best games on the road we played all year. Our puck possession was probably 75 to 25 in favour of us. Our puck movement and cycle game was great. It was not a 5-3 game.”
“(Saturday) in Estevan, I thought we ran out of gas and didn’t have a lot of puck luck. They had three goals deflected with one being a questionable high stick. I didn’t think we played bad per se - just didn’t have a lot go right for us. Overall, winning seven out of eight on our two trips, we have to be pleased. Our play on the road this year has been tremendous.”
The Bombers are 17-5-4-0 on the road this season. The squad’s hockey operations staff is a team in itself. Four are based in Flin Flon and have strong camaraderie.
“What I enjoy about working with Mike, Cole and Chris is how tight knit we are as a staff,” Savill said.
“Just how we joke around with each other. We’ll go for dinner together, stuff like that. Another thing I really enjoy is how we’re all here with the same goal in mind, and that’s to win.”
Head scout
Klassen might be unknown to some fans, but he is a crucial part of the Bombers organization. Now in his 16th year with the team, he is based in Martensville, Sask.. Being close to Saskatoon allows him to see teams in Saskatchewan’s top leagues on a regular basis.
“I enjoy the challenge of helping build a team of players from all over the map,” Klassen said. “Whether it be watching a Saskatchewan kid develop through the draft or watching players who are eligible to play junior in a year’s time... it's fun to evaluate players of all ages and watch to see what type of player they end up becoming.”
Klassen works with scouts based in Winnipeg, Kamloops, Calgary, and Saskatoon as the Bombers are continually seeking to improve the team’s 50-player list. During the season, his focus is monitoring listed players as well as scouting and preparing for the SJHL bantam draft. He communicates with midget AAA coaches and managers in western Canada.
Reagan speaks to Klassen daily and said the head scout has “done a tremendous job at making sure we have quality players/people constantly coming through the system.”
“Jon has been doing this for a long time,” the head coach said. “He’s our eyes and ears and in charge of communication with our drafted and listed players. He is responsible for our spring camp and main camp.”
Klassen is already at work getting ready for the spring camp in Saskatoon.
“We will have up to 100 players going through a three-day camp showing us they have what it takes to be a Bomber in the future,” he said.
Assistant coaches
Bortis and McCaig both have strong connections to the Bombers. McCaig played for the Bombers, while Bortis grew up in Flin Flon. He was with the team for a couple months as a player, but due to an injury, did not see action. Bortis played his junior hockey in Alberta.
“Mike is one of my best friends and I feel we have a great connection and chemistry with the same hockey ideas and same goal in mind,” he said.
“With us both being local guys, we know how passionate the town is about hockey and we would love to be the ones to bring a championship back to Flin Flon. We both have the same priorities when it comes to our team, moving our players on to the next level and bringing a championship to Flin Flon.”
After scouting for the team while living in Manitoba, Bortis joined the Bombers as an assistant coach on an interim basis during the 2013-2014 season. Reagan said that Bortis’ years of experience with the team are valuable and he is great to bounce ideas off of.
Bortis balances his contributions to the Bombers with a fulltime job as an electrician with Hudbay. After being on the bench for a number of years, he has taken on an eye-in-the-sky role and continues to work with players in practice.
“I still really do just love being around the staff and players and feel I still have a lot that I can contribute to the team and to the players development going forward in their hockey careers and life in general,” Bortis said.
Last season, McCaig returned to the Bombers after studying, playing hockey and competing in track and field at NCAA Division IIII Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wis. He joined as the marketing manager and an assistant coach.
“Last year was a good experience because I was able to kind of sit back and learn from Mike, Garry (Childerhose) and Chris, which has helped me a lot for this season. It almost felt like a bit of an internship,” McCaig said.
Although still serving as the marketing manager, his coaching duties have expanded with Childerhose’s departure. Reagan said that the development and tracking of players is very important and that McCaig has done a good job in the analytics. McCaig runs the Bombers’ defence and Reagan has praised him for his work with the team’s penalty killing units.
McCaig appreciates coaching for a team with a great history and a passionate fan base, adding he feels his experience as a Bomber has benefitted him as a coach.
“Obviously having the opportunity to play here, I’m very familiar with the community and the expectations the organization has,” he said. “It makes it a lot easier for me to relate to the players because I’ve been in their shoes. Mike was my coach when I was a Bomber, so it makes it a bit easier that I can pull a player to the side and give them advice on what Mike expects from his players. I’m able to use some of my experiences or teammates’ experiences to help the players in certain situations. I take a lot of pride in the fact that I was a Flin Flon Bomber. I believe in this program and having the opportunity to learn from a guy like Mike Reagan is huge for my development as a coach.”
Athletic therapist
Like McCaig, Savill is in his second season with the team and enjoying the experience. When asked what is the best part of his job, Savill said “it’s kind of like asking a parent who they’re favourite child is.
“I’ve probably said this a million times, and I’ll say it a million more, but I truly believe I have the best job in the world. I get to come to the rink everyday and work with a great group of guys, the passion of the crowd on a game day, even just talking to people around the rink and when I’m out and about town. I just love everything about my job.”
Savill is from Leduc, Alta. The University of Regina grad helps keep the Bombers healthy and takes care of their equipment needs. His personality is also important to the team.
“Jason does a great job with the players health and morale,” Reagan said. “He’s a guy the players enjoy being around. He keeps the mood light and has a good pulse on the players.”
