The Moncton Wildcats were left to pick up the pieces after a horrible ending of the 2019-2020 season.
This was supposed to be the year.
They had the team, they finally had their coach in place.
All of the Championship aspirations, all of their championship dreams ruined by the horrific COVID-19 pandemic.
Things didn’t look good for the Cats heading into the draft.
Uncertainty surrounded every aspect of the organization.
Nevertheless, things started to fall into place very quickly.
Ritchie Thibeau and his staff had a brilliant draft, but the biggest announcement of this off season is undoubtedly Daniel Lacroix’s return.
It would appear the entire coaching staff is set to return as well.
Nothing is official as of yet, but all signs point to consistency behind the Wildcats bench for the first time in quite sometime.
Consistency is paramount when rebuilding, but consistency is a great indicator of future organizational success.
Look at all the organizations in the QMJHL that have successful runs at championships in the last few years, they all have consistency from the front office all the down to behind the bench.
Obviously, there’s a few exceptions to the rule with some organizations choosing to bring in a “specialist” for “a load and go” scenario, but those experiments are quickly fading in the game.
Josh Hepditch, Ryan Salvis, Darryl Boyce and Marc Terriault all bring different skill and experiences to the staff.
It was evident that Lacroix gave autonomy to his coaching staff in his brief time here last season.
Obviously he’s the head coach for a reason and would have final say, but his experience being an Asst. Coach in the NHL and abroad would certainly provide him an upper hand when it comes to the trust factor between his staff.
The Moncton Wildcats are building toward something very special and it starts from the top down.
The Wildcats are building capacity and consistency within their organization which will undoubtedly speed up their rebuild.
FDS Podcast Network 