Darren Naylor is staying in the Delta Ice Hawks nest.
The reigning Pacific Junior Hockey League coach-of-the-year has been named director of hockey operations of the B.C. Hockey League’s Nanaimo Clippers. The announcement came after the BCHL franchise was purchased by former Ice Hawks owner Wes Mussio.
Naylor told the Optimist Friday he will continue his duties with the Ice Hawks for the balance of the season. He is also the club’s general manager.
Delta owns a league best 18-1-0-0 record — its best start in franchise history.
“This maybe junior ‘B’ but we have something special here and I am not going anywhere,” said Naylor. “I am really close to all of the guys and we are all in this together.
“The thing is the Ice Hawks are really not taking up that much of my time. Besides practices and games, it’s almost self-running. I’m not evaluating or looking for players.”
His appointment to the Clippers comes as no surprise given his close relationship with Mussio. It’s the reason he ended up with the Ice Hawks in the first place. Mussio eventually sold the Ice Hawks to current owner Eduard Ephstein as he continued his pursuit of purchasing a BCHL team.
“This is something we have been working on for the last couple of years,” said Naylor. “It’s actually come full circle as Nanaimo was one of the first groups Wes talked to.”
Mussio is committed to keeping the franchise in Nanaimo.
“I’m here to ensure the Clippers remain a valuable part of Nanaimo for years to come,” he said. “I’ve always been heavily involved in hockey and I wanted to move up to the BC Hockey League level.
“I remain committed to hockey in B.C. I want to build a competitive team like Delta was and is, that’s a team I built.”
Naylor will be busy in the months ahead. His task now is taking a close look at the hockey side of the Clippers’ operation while potentially guiding the Ice Hawks on a deep playoff run.
“Basically I am going to be evaluating everything. From the on ice talent right down to the team bus driver,” added Naylor.
The Aldergrove resident took over the Ice Hawks coaching duties late in the 2015-16 season. He promptly guided the club to an opening round playoff upset of the first place North Vancouver Wolf Pack. Delta bowed out in six games to Grandview in the conference final.
Naylor’s impact carried over into the 2016-17 campaign with the Hawks capturing Tom Shaw Conference regular season honours for the first time in over a decade with a 31-12-0-1 record and reaching the PJHL final.
Now the club is on a blistering pace with 10 rookies in its line-up.
Naylor’s 17-year-old son Jordan, a former B.C. U16 member, is the team’s No. 1 goaltender.
