Of all the head coach changes in the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s North Division this off-season, the most interesting of the five came from the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
Tim Fragle, who had led successful Crusader teams over the better part of the past decade, stepped away from the league, joining the NAIT Ooks. The chain of events thrust former Fort McMurray Oil Barons forward Adam Manah into the spotlight.
“It’s something when I first started coaching at 21 or 22, it was a dream of mine to get to the AJHL somehow someway,” said Manah following his team’s 5-3 loss to the MOB Saturday. “When that was going to be was to be determined, but it’s been a great challenge not only for me, but for our entire team and organization.”
While junior A hockey experience isn’t a requirement for coaching success in the AJHL’s ranks, the knowledge Manah gained from 224 games in the league, including an AJHL title in the 2005-06 season with the MOB, have gone a long way to help him.