By Jeff D'Andrea

Mintos celebrate successes at banquet, and say goodbye to those leaving

Apr 29, 2012 | 12:45 AM

“Once a Minto, always a Minto.”

It’s an old motto the Prince Albert Mintos use at this time of year, its graduating players know that no matter what they’re moving onto, they’ll always support of a tightly-knit hockey family back in PA.

That’s something that means a lot right now to Mintos captain Michael Statchuk, who's graduating from the program this season. Although he’s unhappy to be leaving the team he battled with for three seasons, he didn’t walk away empty handed.

Statchuk sauntered around after the Travelodge Hotel ball room with four plaques tucked under his arm after the Mintos Year End Banquet Saturday.

Statchuk was awarded with two awards from the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League, Top Defenceman and First Team All-Star, and the Mintos awarded him with two team awards, Top Defenceman and Most Valuable Player. His teammates called him ‘Stats’ even before he led the league in points by a defenceman with 39.

Riderville

Riders Have Options Heading into Tuesday CFL Draft

3h ago

Weekend hockey

PAGC set to host largest Senator's Cup tournament to date

4h ago

VAISAKHI MELA

Hundreds flocking to P.A. for Vaisakhi Mela celebration

4h ago

“Of course it feels great personally, but it’s always a sad day when you leave the Prince Albert Mintos,” said Statchuk, who committed to the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL. “I’ll never forget this organization.”

Usually, the “Once a Minto, always a Minto,” motto applies to just the players, but this year, that’s obviously not the case.

Tim Leonard, who’s been the head coach for the last seven years and on the staff for the last 10, accepted an assistant coaching position with the Prince Albert Raiders of the Western Hockey League this offseason.

Although he’s very excited about his new position in the WHL, it was a very emotional night for Leonard. His battled tears at the podium while he gave his “not goodbye, but see you later” speech before receiving a standing ovation from the players, parents, staff and volunteers all in attendance.

“It’s bittersweet, it’s sad leaving,” said Leonard. “It’s like a family, I’ve been involved here for a long time. I set some goals for the program, I wanted it to be one of the better programs in Canada. We succeeded, so that part, I’m very happy about.

“I’m going to hand the torch off to a couple of guys; I’m pretty confident they’ll just take it and not miss a beat. That’s what’s given me peace with this. It’s tough leaving, but knowing things are in good hands.”

Taking the reins now for the team is Ken Morrison, who said he’s learned a lot from Leonard in their time together behind the bench. He even compared him to Raiders coaching legend Terry Simpson, who coached Morrison for four years as a Raider, and Ken Hitchcock, who mentored Morrison with the Kamloops Blazers.

“You just have a respect for them and you know they know what they’re doing– that’s what Tim has,” said Morrison. “Just that connection with the guys and knows how to say the right thing at the right time.

“He gets the most out of the guys which is obviously what you want to be doing as a coach. I’ve learned a ton from him, just watching him.”

Morrison also received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was introduced as the new head coach moving forward. Brad Bergen, who joined the team partway through the year, will be an assistant.

Here are the rest of the awards.

SMAAAHL Awards

Top Goaltender—Tanner Burgardt. The 16-year-old rookie and Regina Pats prospect shone in his first SMAAAHL season, leading the league in GAA with 2.10 and finishing second in wins with 20 and shutouts with three.

Top Forward, First Team All-Star—Brett Njaa. The 17-year-old rookie had led the Mintos in points with 65 in 44 games, good for third in the league, and lead the league in playoff scoring with 16 points in 10 games.

Mintos Team Awards

Rookie of the Year— Miles Warkentine. On a team with 15 rookies, it was a tough decision for the coaching staff, but a true 15-year-old rookie in Warkentine gets rewarded here. He had 39 points in just 31 games this season. He was drafted 16th overall by the Moose Jaw Warriors in 2011 and could play there next season.

Top Forward—Brett Njaa and Matt Anholt. The Mintos split the Top Forward award to two special, 17-year-old rookie forwards in Njaa and Anholt. Anholt was second on the team with 55 points in 44 games, and 13 points in 12 playoff games. Njaa has committed to the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL next season, and Anholt has signed with the Westside Warriors of the BCHL.

Yves Blais Scholastic Award—Regan Wilton. It’s difficult to juggle academics and the demands of practicing and playing Midget AAA hockey, but Wilton passed that test with flying colours. When introducing Wilton to receive this award, Coach Morrison talked about how bright of a kid Wilton was both in the classroom and on the ice.

Dedication and Commitment—Adam Osczevski. He admittedly didn’t get off to the start he wanted, but the 16-year-old rookie Osczevski was one of the better Mintos near the season’s end as 14 of his 31 points game in his last nine games. He also had nine postseason points, third best on the team. Leonard talked about his massive improvement and how Osczevski stuck to the game plan. He’ll be counted on to be a key contributor next season as a 17-year-old vet.

Sportsmanship Award—Adam Fauchoux. Fauchoux led the Mintos with 155 hits throughout the year, but finished with just 26 penalty minutes in the regular season. A very tough but fair player, Fauchoux signed with the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL along with Statchuk.

jdandrea@panow.com