By Sean Evans (The Cascade) – Email
Date Posted: August 31, 2011
Print Edition: August 25, 2011
Things are heating up. As the new season is just around the corner for the Abbotsford Heat, the focus has been on personnel changes. Most notably, as of August 2, the Heat have taken on Ryan Walter as the new club president.
Walter has a long history with hockey in the Lower Mainland. A native of New Westminster, he played 15 seasons in the NHL, won a Stanley Cup in 1986 with Montreal and finished his career as a Vancouver Canuck in 1993. In 2008, Walter was hired as an assistant coach for the Canucks, but after two seasons he was let go due to a disappointing showing in the postseason. In any case, Walter moved on to greener pastures and was hired in September of 2010 as the head coach of Canada’s women’s hockey team, which promptly won gold at the 2010 Four Nations Cup.
As the club president, Ryan Walter will bring a depth of knowledge and experience that is sure to prove valuable in the coming season. Speaking at a press conference at the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Center, Walter gave his thoughts on his new position: “The American Hockey League is second only to the NHL in both talent and excitement…I am excited to begin connecting with our players, fans, community, and our entire Abbotsford Heat team.”
While the opportunity is exciting, there is much work to be done. In their sophomore year, the Heat came up short of a playoff berth and saw an increasing amount of empty seats in the Abbotsford Entertainment and Sports Center. Clearly, it has been difficult generating excitement due to the fact that the Heat are affiliated with the Calgary Flames, rival to our hometown Vancouver Canucks. Walter and the Heat have their work cut out for them.
The challenges the Heat face off the ice are matched by the challenges on the ice. When last season ended with disappointment and the Heat failed to make the playoffs, there were changes that needed to be made. A large part of the struggles last year can be attributed to the fact that important players were missing as the Flames were in need of reinforcements. During the off-season however, the Heat solidified their roster by resigning two key players: forward Quintin Laing and defender Joe Piskula. Both of these players should prove to be valuable in the coming year.
Originally drafted in 1997, Laing struggled with setbacks and injuries, only playing 79 games for Chicago and Washington. Liang signed with the Heat last year as a free agent and was named as captain, recording seven goals and 19 assists. Liang provides the Heat with experience and a strong leadership ability, which have been valuable in the development of younger players. Watch for Liang to be a go-to player both on and off the ice this season.
Joe Piskula is a player that is poised to make the jump to the NHL in the future. Playing for the Heat last season, Piskula recorded 12 points and provided strong leadership and depth on the blue line and is sure to be an impact player this season.
