Phil Alalouf got a little more than he bargained for when he decided it might be time to dip his toes into the coaching waters of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League.
The longtime coach and executive in South Delta had the wheels in motion to step behind the bench for the 2013-14 season as an assistant to Leland Mack.
That was until Mack informed him he had accepted a job with the Burnaby Winter Club Academy and was stepping down as head coach of the Greater Vancouver Canadians.
Alalouf then went through the application process with B.C. Hockey and was recently announced as the fourth head coach in franchise history, following Rob Rogers, Matt Erhart and Mack.
"One week I'm talking to Leland about potentially working together and the next I'm applying to be head coach," said Alalouf. "I'm very excited about this opportunity. It's going to be a lot of hard work and fun too."
What Alalouf has going for him is an understanding of this elite province-wide league from every perspective. He was president of South Delta Minor Hockey when B.C. Hockey gave its reasons for launching the BCMMHL over a decade
ago and has coached the age group that feeds talent into the league at the expense of potential success for their own associations. He also has been a parent with his son Nathan having spent the past two seasons
with the Canadians in goal.
"I was there during the meetings when the league was being created and have written cheques too," laughed Alalouf. "I have seen and heard everything from all angles."
Alalouf will be running conditioning camps as players make final preparations for next month's four-day tryout camp, which gets underway Aug 8. He must initially sign 12 players and the rest of
the roster will be filled out by mid-September when the picture becomes clearer what kids will be back from auditioning for major junior and junior "A" clubs.
The make-up for elite hockey has somewhat changed in the past couple of years with the launching of midget age teams by school hockey academies. Alalouf said this route can be ideal for the 15-year-olds who may not initially crack the major midget level but can benefit from another year of seasoning in these programs rather than play for their home association midget teams. He is also aware it's important for the Canadians to have a good relationship with the academies to understand what talent is coming through.
"Leland did an outstanding job with this program and I have very big shoes to fill," Alalouf added. "At the same time, I think some people thought these teams had already been predetermined through earlier camps in the spring. I'm trying change that perception and to say the opportunity to make
this team is wide open for everyone."
The Canadians will be holding their main camp at the Richmond Olympic Oval and will once again play out of the world class venue in the coming season.
