Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt, left, goaltender Ian Scott, centre, and head coach Marc Habscheid, right, at the 2019 WHL Awards. (Rob Wallator/Western Hockey League)

By Trevor Redden

Extended

Hunt, Habscheid to remain at home in Prince Albert

Jun 3, 2019 | 1:06 PM

The reigning WHL Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year will remain with the Prince Albert Raiders this fall.

In a press release Monday morning, the team announced that general manager Curtis Hunt and head coach Marc Habscheid had both signed multi-year extensions with the club.

In four seasons together, Hunt and Habscheid were not only able to build a contending team, but a team that led the league from start to finish in 2018-19. The Raiders earned the Scotty Munro Trophy as the league’s top team in the regular season, East Division and Eastern Conference titles, and the second WHL Championship in franchise history.

Hunt emphasized that the work is far from over, as he intends to keep the Raiders in the upper echelon of the league in the years to come.

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“I think it’s one thing to get here, the next challenge on my plate is to stay here like those teams we’ve seen in the past,” Hunt said, referencing the Kootenay Ice who made the playoffs 17 straight times, earning three league titles in that span. “Teams that are consistently there [near the top of the league], year after year, that’s the next phase of this process.”

As for extending Habscheid, Hunt said the veteran coach has created a winning mentality in the organization.

“I thought he took our group and created an incredible culture starting with his coaching staff. It’s had some changes over the years, but I think it starts there, then through our leadership group where he spends a tremendous amount of time talking to the influence players in our room, then of course the on-ice product,” Hunt said.

“Prince Albert is now a desirable place to want to play and that’s part and parcel of the work that we’ve all done, but specifically to the coaching staff and the reputation they’ve set up for our organization.”

Habscheid has coached the Raiders to a 168-135-25-11 record since joining the team, including a remarkable 54-10-2-2 this past season. He also became the eighth coach in WHL history to record 500 wins and coached in his 1,000th game this year.

The remainder of the coaching staff for next season is still to be determined, as no announcement has been made regarding assistant coaches Jeff Truitt and Dan Gendur.

“Marc and I will sit down together. We’ll give the guys a chance to search for opportunities as well, but those decisions have yet to be made. When we have the right amount of time to look back and look forward, we’ll execute as needed,” Hunt said.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden