Chatham

Maroons Pursuing Shortlist Of Possible Head Coaches

With training camp exactly one month away, the Chatham Maroons already have a list of candidates ready to replace outgoing head coach Ron Horvat.

Maroons General Manager Kevin Fisher says they're set to start interviewing candidates Friday afternoon.

"We are looking to have a new head coach in place as early as next weekend, if not, then the first week following," says Fisher. "We were well aware of some people who were going to become available and as news hit the public [that Horvat was leaving], it garnered some more interest as well."

Speaking of Horvat's exit to join the Komoka Kings, Fisher says there are no hard feelings on either side.

"It was 100% the travel... the drive was getting to him," says Fisher, adding Horvat lives about a ten-minute drive away from the Kings' home arena compared to about the hour-long one-way commute he was making to get to Memorial Arena in Chatham. "A lot of things come into effect here where you're more than just a junior hockey coach -- you're also a parent and a husband... even at this level of junior hockey, it's very time-consuming."

Fisher says Horvat will be missed, adding that the team was a very close-knit group this past season and that they will look to continue building on the foundation that Horvat helped to build in Chatham.

"We're going to stay the course and stay to the plan that myself and Ron executed last year and that's a driving force for who Ron's successor is going to be in Chatham," says Fisher. "We're going to bring a young, energetic team into Chatham and build from there."

Fisher says he's hopeful that a good core group will be returning to the Maroons, adding the camp that will open up on May 5 and 6 is expected to be very competitive.

"We're going to probably be looking to fill six or seven spots, which is a little on the low side compared to the last two seasons," says Fisher. "It's a rather nice thing to come into the spring camp knowing you're only looking to fill about five to seven roster positions."

Read More Local Stories