BROOKS, AB – The Brooks Bandits of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) are pleased to announce the hiring of Wayne Labrie (Grande Prairie, AB) as the organization’s new Head Scout.
In his new role, Labrie will assist the organization’s staff in player recruitment as the team moves towards its 2019 RBC Cup national championship hosting year.
Labrie is a well-known name in AJHL and Junior A circles, having served as Head Scout for the Drumheller Dragons for five years, as well as Head Scout and Director of Player Personnel for the Calgary Canucks for two seasons. Most recently, he was Director of Hockey and Scouting Operations for the Dryden Ice Dogs of the Superior International Junior Hockey League (SIJHL).
“Wayne has an extensive background in junior hockey, most recently on the scouting and recruiting side of the business,” said Bandits head coach and general manager Ryan Papaioannou. “His ability to assess talent and work with families on making their junior hockey choice is paramount.
“His reputation as a tireless worker fit exactly what we were looking for, not to mention the long list of contacts he’s made over the years,” he added. With his having lived in Brooks for a number of years, we are familiar with the work he’s done for other organizations and are excited to say he will now do that work for us. “
“I wasn’t looking to get back into the AJHL this season, but when Ryan contacted me with the opportunity it didn’t take long for me to answer,” said Labrie. “It made sense for me and my family and I’m just overjoyed about it. Having lived in Brooks I have a great deal of respect for what Ryan, his staff and the Bandit Board have accomplished, and it made it even more appealing.”
Labrie has also served as head coach in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) with the Kindersley Klippers and the Lloydminster Blazers, while also previously scouting for the Lloydminster Bobcats in the AJHL for three years.
He is the second addition to the Bandits’ scouting staff in the last week, with the prior hire of Eastern Canada/USA scout Colin Birkas (Kingston, ON). Labrie’s scouting focus will be in Alberta and the other western Canadian provinces. He currently resides in Grande Prairie with his wife Michele, daughter Dakota and son Rylan.
“This is another key addition for us moving forward towards the 2019 RBC in Brooks,” said Papaioannou. “We would like to welcome Wayne and his family to the organization.”