Blenheim's Jamie Schaafsma is looking to transition from playing to coaching in his hockey career.
Schaafsma, who plays for the Fort Wayne Komets in the ECHL, first took on the role of player/assistant coach last September.
"I'm hoping to maybe move into coaching after I'm done playing so that's something I'm kind of starting to work towards now," says Schaafsma.
He's using the off-season as a tune-up before returning to the ice again this fall.
"The season for me is quite the grind at my age, so it's nice to get back in the gym... Already in that short period [of four to six weeks] I feel a lot better than I did," explains Schaafsma.
While he's in Chatham, he's also going to take part in this summer's Athlete's Fuel Cup games at the Thames Campus Arena later this summer.
"It's a really nice thing for us here, especially with the hockey community. I get to know some of the younger kids in Chatham that I probably wouldn't meet otherwise. It's great for us to kind of come together," says Schaafsma.
The Cup's best of six series starts July 31 and runs until August 17.