By Nathan Kanter

Hasselberg getting set for first pro season

Oct 20, 2016 | 5:03 PM

The SJHL season began over a month ago, the NHL season began last week, but the Southern Professional Hockey League doesn’t open their regular season until this weekend.

That’s when former North Stars bench boss Kevin Hasselberg will get his feet wet in the professional coaching ranks with the Pensacola Ice Flyers, who open up their season with back-to-back home games against the Fayetteville FireAntz.

Hasselberg coached the North Stars to their best regular season yet in 2015-16, with a 43-11-2-2 record (0.776 win percentage). He accepted the new coaching gig in northwest Florida in late August after tallying five seasons behind the bench for the North Stars.

“It’s been quite the roller coaster ride at times but as far as the preparation for the season goes, we’re ready to go,” Hasselberg said in a phone interview on Wednesday afternoon. “We’re extremely happy about our roster.”

The biggest challenge for Hasselberg’s move down south has been being without his wife, Leah, and two children, daughter Shauni and son Dyllan.

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He plans on coaching the first season without bringing them down and is grateful for how easy it is nowadays to stay in touch.

“We’ve got a lot to be thankful for with technology now and having Facetime available to get those conversations and get that quality time spent with the family when you have down time,” he said.

And like any good Canadian, Hasselberg made sure to bring up the weather when asked about his adjustment.

“I’m not shovelling snow and scrapping windshields like you guys are up there,” he laughed. “That part of the transition has certainly been a real good one. But you can’t take a Canadian kid out of Canada and not miss the snow.

“Right now the warm weather certainly isn’t hurting my feelings either,” he added.

As for on the ice, Hasselberg said he’s looking forward to coaching the same way he did in the Battlefords, a style he thoroughly enjoyed and labelled “fun.”

The team bought into his system in training camp, despite the stark difference from how things were previously done.

“Sometimes change isn’t a bad thing and I’ve always been taught that if you’re not changing, you’re getting left behind,” Hasselberg said. “The players embrace that opportunity to be creative and they’ve done that here.

“You recruit based on the style of play that you want to incorporate and then you make the best hand possible with the cards you’re dealt.”

One player named to the opening night Ice Flyers roster is already familiar with Hasselberg’s system. That man is Igor Leonenko, a name that immediately jumps out for North Star fans.

The Belarusian forward scored 47 goals in 58 games for Battlefords last season, and got an invitation to attend St. Louis Blues prospect camp at the annual fall tournament in Traverse City. He only dressed in one game and wasn’t offered a contract.

But Leonenko made his way down to Florida and earned his spot on the Ice Flyers in training camp.

“I’ve believed in that young man since I first saw him on video before he came to the Battlefords,” Hasselberg said. “He’s continually improved and he’s faced adversity in all forms.

“He’s worked hard. He’s stayed after practice, worked on his individual game and all those characteristics that he was taught in the Battlefords, adjusting to the Canadian style, he’s applying here. He’s going to be successful because he’s going to earn it.”

Hasselberg said Leonenko’s experience with the Blues organization was “eye-opening.”

Some of the players in the eight-team tournament are top prospects in the NHL, including the likes of recent third-overall pick Pierre-Luc Dubois, Zach Werenski, and Hobey Baker award winner Jimmy Vesey.

“I think it really gave him a sense of where he’s at in the game and how far he still has to come to play at the highest level,” Hasselberg said. “It hasn’t changed his dream. He still dreams to play in the NHL and this is just going to be a part of the journey to get there. Being that he is still only 21 years of age, he does still have that development time in front of him but that window of opportunity really goes by fast and you don’t want to get left behind.”

The Ice Flyers have won the SPHL championship in three of the past four seasons, so there are certainly expectations for Leonenko, Hasselberg, and the rest of the organization this season.

“The Ice Flyers rule the roost and they’re the hot ticket when it comes to hockey and everything kind of revolves around them,” Hasselberg said. “I’ll get my first test of what the fans are going to be like in Pensacola tomorrow night and I can’t wait for that. It’s going to be a lot of fun. Everything I’ve heard from the people that I’ve met up to this point in time, they’re definitely passionate about the team and love the entertainment.”

Friday’s and Saturday’s games are scheduled for 7:05 p.m. central time.

Nathan Kanter is battlefordsNOW’s sports reporter and voice of the Battlefords North Stars. He can be reached at Nathan.Kanter@jpbg.ca or tweet him @NathanKanter11