Gaelan Patterson has left his position with the La Ronge Ice Wolves. (La Ronge Ice Wolves Hockey Club/Facebook)

By Derek Cornet

Junior Hockey

Patterson headed for Nanaimo to take on director of hockey operations position

Apr 12, 2021 | 5:08 PM

After three years with the La Ronge Ice Wolves, associate head coach and general manager Gaelan Patterson has accepted a position as director of hockey operations for the Nanaimo Minor Hockey Association.

“It’s a good way to stay in hockey,” Patterson said about his new position. “A lot of what I will be doing is helping the coaches and coaching in general just for the whole association. Every team I think I will be part of that a little bit. It’s not too far away from that. It is in a sense what I was doing in La Ronge, but it’s staying in hockey and building a bigger data base in hockey and just growing myself in the game too.”

During his time with the Ice Wolves, Patterson explained it was rewarding to witness the team go from the poorest performing in the league to a powerhouse. He noted the coronavirus pandemic had an impact on the team’s success, but he believes he did a lot of good work while he was in town.

Patterson also talked about the time he spent working with Ice Wolves head coach Kevin Kaminski.

“It just worked out really good right away,” Patterson said. “We had a good relationship. We worked really well together. He let me do what I thought needed to be done and I learned a lot from him. He’s like that. He’s a coach. He’s always growing and learning. He’s one of the greatest coaches I’ve worked with.”

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In an announcing his departure from the team, the organization stated in a social media post Patterson was a big part in turning the team around in the last three years.

“His work with the defencemen paid off for the team and for the players as a number of them have received commitments from post-secondary schools,” the announcement states. “Patty has a keen hockey mind and is great at evaluating young players. He will be putting those skills to use as a scout.”

Patterson mentioned he enjoyed the time he spent back in his hometown while with the Ice Wolves. He said he was able to get a grasp on how the community was doing, adding perhaps some day he will return to work with the team as a head coach.

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derek.cornet@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @saskjourno