When the Swan Valley Stampeders began the 2017-2018 Manitoba Junior Hockey League season, the team had a new bench boss, and his name is Taurean White.
White spent the past two seasons with the Kingston Voyageurs of the OJHL before joining the Stamps.
"It's been great for my family and myself so far for sure," said White. "It's a little different than the city lifestyle, but I came here to take over a program and change the direction of that, and I think the rest of the coaching staff and myself have done a good job of that so far."
This season is the first for White as a General Manager and Head Coach, with his only other experience as a Manager coming with the Battlefords North Stars when he was an Assistant Manager back in 2014.
"It's a bit of an adjustment," said White. "I've tried to spend as much time as possible at the rink to make my job easier. I'm surrounded by some great people, and I have great support from my family which allows me to be at the rink as long as I need to be. I love my job, and I just want this program to strive and be the best it can be, but it definitely has it's ups and downs, but I'm loving it."
Heading into Tuesday's game, the Stampeders are in eighth place with a 4-5-3 record.
"I like that our guys don't give up," said White. "We pride ourselves on our work ethic, and obviously if you look at the stats, we don't score. Our group likes to keep things light, which makes it enjoyable for me, but they also know when it's time to take things seriously. I'm a pretty intense person on the bench and on gameday, and players have a pretty good understanding of how to handle me."
Taurean and the rest of the Stampeders hit the ice this evening as they take on the Virden Oil Capitals at the Swan River Centennial Arena, and puck drop is set for 7:30.
