By Trevor Redden

Raiders expecting bounce back year off the ice

Aug 22, 2018 | 10:05 AM

The time is now.

That was the message from Prince Albert Raiders general manager Curtis Hunt at the team’s Annual General Meeting at the Ches Leach Lounge on Tuesday night.

For the second straight year, the Raiders reported a loss on the financial statement, primarily driven by a dip in regular season attendance that didn’t correct itself until late in the season when the Raiders made a dramatic run that resulted in a seven-game, first-round playoff loss to the top-seeded Moose Jaw Warriors.

Vice president Brad Toporowski echoed Hunt’s words, expressing disappointment with last season’s financial results, but balancing that with reasons for optimism looking ahead.

“If you’re a business, you want to make money, and if you’re in the entertainment business you want to entertain the fans,” said Toporowski. “I really believe that with Curtis and his staff the pieces are there now to put together an entertaining year, especially with all the returning guys. With that product on the ice, we’ll see that shortfall in revenue wiped out.”

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Despite reporting a 13 per cent year-over-year increase in revenues from 2017, the team still showed a deficit of $168,430. This loss is down from $250,850 last year.

As for the increase in expenses that offset that revenue growth, Toporowski referenced the US road trip which carried a significant cost due to the low value of the Canadian dollar. Overall, team travel expenses climbed 18 per cent this season, which also included an extra four games in Moose Jaw during the playoffs.

Looking to the year ahead, both the general manager and vice president asked Raider fans to serve as advocates in the community and help grow support for the team.

Hunt recalled a conversation with Head Coach Marc Habscheid in November of 2016 as the Raiders found themselves at the bottom of the East Division in a year they expected to contend. At that point, the hockey operations department looked at the depth chart and prospect list of the team and recognized significant changes were needed to avoid an even worse year in 2017-18.

While some of the moves made that year, like trading defenceman Brendan Guhle to Prince George, eroded fan support in the short term, Hunt said the team is now bearing fruit from those difficult decisions and hopes that fans will come back around.

This year’s hockey lineup, anchored by the likes of Ian Scott, Brayden Pachal, Cole Fonstad, and Parker Kelly, is expected to be competitive in the East Division and give Raider fans a reason to be excited right from opening night. In addition to the returning veterans, there are a number of promising prospects on the way, including former first-overall pick Kaiden Guhle and second-rounder Ozzy Wiesblatt, who both attended Hockey Canada’s Under-16 Development Camp this summer. On the import list, Belarusian forward Aliaksei Protas has joined countryman Sergei Sapego in Prince Albert.

The Raiders’ Board of Directors remains unchanged as directors Colin Fraser and Cory Crawford, and treasurer Brent Spademan were all re-elected. The other returning board members for the upcoming season are Toporowski, president/governor Gord Broda, and directors Mark Doell, Dawn Kilmer, Curtis Lemieux, Mike Lypchuk, Brent MacDonald, Dale McFee, Trevor Rumple, and Gord Thompson.

trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden