The Man Behind the Scenes

Ritchie Thibeau was brought in to right the ship at the Moncton Wildcats darkest time.

Thibeau was suppose to be the man behind the scenes to assist in the team’s scouting process.

Aside from his scouting role Thibeau was also brought in to provide support in an advisory role to ensure and oversee the rebuild process.

That all changed when the Wildcats organization decided to make a change at the helm when they released former Director of Hockey Operations Roger Shannon after the team’s 2nd round exit of the President Cup Playoffs in 2018.

The Wildcats also failed to capture hosting duties of the 2019 Memorial Cup losing out to archival and expansion cousins the Halifax Mooseheads.

Thibeau was thrust into a position he was more than capable and qualified to do, but the quiet confident former NHL scout has never been a fan of the spotlight.

You see Ritchie Thibeau prefers to do all his work behind the scenes to help the team anyway he can to win.

Thibeau picked up the ball and started running with it almost instantly since his arrival with the organization.

The former Calgary Flames Amateur Scout brought a different philosophy to the Wildcats scouting and evaluation process which has certainly paid dividends.

The organization has drafted well since the team decided to bring Thibeau into the fold.

Sure there have been some pumps along the way with regards to drafting and developing, but that’s all part of the process.

It’s been a long road for the Wildcats organization which have faced their share of adversity throughout the rebuild process, nevertheless, throughout it all Thibeau has been the one constant behind the scenes and on the front lines of the team’s strategic climb to championship creditability.

Thibeau has certainly experienced all the ups and downs over the past few seasons, that’s what makes the prospects of this season so special.

The Wildcats have solidified themselves as a front runner and championship contender this season and have followed their plan almost to a tee this season recently adding two critical pieces to their club. The addition of Benoit-Oliver Groulx and Jared McIsaac identify much needed experience, depth, grit and skill and speed to the Cats lineup.

It’s clear Ritchie Thibeau isn’t finished tweaking the Cats roster heading into the second half of the season.

From the business side to the scouting world, to building a championship contender Ritchie Thibeau deserves a lot of credit for all the Wildcats success even though it’s all come from behind the scenes.