It didn't take the Swan Valley Stampeders long to find their leader going forward. Geoff Grimwood has been named the team's new Head Coach and General Manager. 

Geoff, 38-year-old from Victoria, BC, and he comes to the team with a ton of experience at the Jr. A level. He spent this past season with the West Kelowna Warriors where he led the team to the playoffs. Prior to that, Geoff was the Head Coach and General Manager of the Kindersley Clippers from 2015-2018.

He also served as an Assistant Coach for the Victoria Royals from 2012-2015 and he spent time with the Powell River Kings of the BCHL as well.

Grimwood's first day with the organization is on Saturday, June 1. That's when his grind begins as he looks to lead the Stampeders to the promise land.

"Seeing how successful they were last year really appealed to me, it's an exciting day for me absolutely," said Grimwood. "When you have a team like that there is going to be a fair bit of turnover, but that happens. It's nice to walk into a situation where a lot of the foundation is built. I know they came really close last year and they're disappointed, and we're looking forward to getting one step farther than last season."

"Our main focus, of course, will be filling the holes that there will be after some of the top players graduated," he added. "I feel I've been through a lot of different situations throughout my coaching career, and I definitely feel comfortable bringing them to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League." 

Although Swan Valley will lose some top prospects like Josh Tripp, Bradly Goethals, and Quintin Sudom just to name a few, the future looks bright. Players like Jackson Betcher and Carter Cockburn just to name a couple will be looking to make a big impact on the roster next season. That accompanied by Geoff's connections could amount to success.

"We think we have a good class of incoming players with our Manitoba list," said Grimwood. "We want to be a team that's as homegrown as possible, but that certainly gets supplemented with some players out west or into the United States. It's important for us to have a strong draft and having a good list within our province. Our staff is in place with Darren Webster and Mitch Kirkup and I know I will be leaning heavily on them early."

"I'll also be getting in touch with the returning players and seeing where they are at as far as their summer preparing and what not," he added. "I also have to get settled in a new town and a new province. I'll hit the road a little bit as well. I'm definitely looking forward to getting going."

The contract signed is for three years.