The notion that a coach can view his working relationship with his players as more collaborative than dictatorial is growing.
The idea that ‘we are all in this together’ appears central to Weyburn Red Wings boss Cody Mapes’s ethos.
“(I) love competing with these young men to a common goal while watching them develop as players and people,” he says.
“It’s great seeing their growth from a 17/18 year-old to a leader as a 20-year-old. Everyone here has the same goal: to reach our potential as players, coaches, and teams. We all want to see players move on to the highest level of post-secondary hockey or pro they can play! And we all want to win.”
Mapes, 36, of Regina, is entering his sixth season on staff with the Wings and his fourth as the head coach.
That continuity has paid off with back-to-back playoff appearances in the last two campaigns in which they were right there and competed with teams that had championship aspirations and talent.
Cody’s hard work, along with the work of his staff and the players, to re-ingratiate the club with the community has led to great support at the rink and made the CPP as tough a place as any to go as a visiting team in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
That love clearly goes both ways.
“The involvement we have had with kids in town has made the players’ experience here much better,” Mapes says.
“They get recognized in town and are treated like heroes in Weyburn. I love seeing our players build relationships with people in town through our community involvement, and they will carry those relationships on for a long time after they leave Weyburn.”
Cody noted he and his staff are “excited and optimistic” ahead of the 2024-25 season, and they “are further ahead now than we were last year at this point.” One expectation is that they will be as elite as anybody in the net, with the potential returns of both goaltenders, including one of the league’s best in Dazza Mitchell. The back end is always a great place to start.
The Wings finished eighth two years ago and sixth last year, so expectations for the club’s development curve to continue to grow remain high in ‘The Opportunity City.’
