The Yorkton Kinsmen Maulers have announced Dustin Nehring has taken on the role of Director of Player Development.
Nehring said the decision to accept the position with the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League team took a bit of initial reflection on his part.
“I thought more and more,” he told Grasslands News, adding with some thought that he realized “today was a good time to give back to the organization that was so good to me.”
Nehring played in 2001-02 and 2002-03 with the program, then the Yorkton Mallers and the Yorkton Harvest.
Nehring’s Maulers experience included being on the 2002-03 Harvest, which won the SMAAAHL Championship over the Saskatoon Contacts. The group lost in overtime in the bronze medal match-up in the 2003 Air Canada Cup.
“I remember Lance Herauf having a Yorkton Maulers hat, and I wanted one so bad,” he said.
Now in the new, volunteer, organizational position, Nehring will work with Mauler coach Josh Garbutt who took over mid-season to better the fortunes of a team that has struggled of late including an 11th place finished this season based on a record of 6-34-3-1 for 16 points.
Nehring spent seven seasons playing with Garbutt in the SJHL and then senior in the Fishing Lake Hockey League and Triangle Hockey League.
It will start with building a culture where players want to come to Yorkton.
“Back when I was becoming a Mauler it was a hot ticket,” said Nehring, who then admitted things have been running cold of late.
“Obviously there’s been more tough years than good ones the last 10-15 years,” he said, adding that reality creates some “urgency” in rebuilding things.
Nehring does have some personal pedigree to draw upon as in addition to his time with the Maulers he was also a member of the 2005-06 Yorkton Terriers, a team that won the SJHL Championship and nearly captured a Junior A Championship at the RBC Cup, as well as on the 2004-05 SJHL Champion group, which lost in the Anavet Cup.
It’s a case of more or less starting foundationally “to build a community and structure around it.”
And of course, being better on the ice needs to be part of the foundation.
“Winning does solve a lot of things,” said Nehring.
