Lewis ready to take charge of Cougars

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This article was published 28/06/2022 (1376 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It doesn’t take much for Tanner Lewis to get excited about the upcoming Manitoba AAA Under-18 Hockey League season.

All that the newly named head coach of the Southwest Cougars has to do is watch the final minutes of the Telus Cup Western Regional final in Virden on May 1 when the Cougars rallied back from a 3-0 deficit to the Notre Dame Hounds but gave up the game-winning goal with 17.8 seconds to go in regulation.

“I’ve watched the finish of that game over and over again and I still have a sour taste with how it all ended,” Lewis said.

“We’ve got a pretty motivated group here and when I’ve talked to many of the guys this year, they are all ready to go once again. It’s going to be a long summer. September can’t come quick enough.”

After serving three seasons as an assistant with the Cougars U18 program, Lewis has been promoted to the head coach job to replace the departing Troy Leslie.

Prior to an announcement being posted on social media Monday afternoon, the Cougars players found out that Lewis would take over during their year-end wind-up Sunday in Boissevain.

“That was a cool moment for our team as we were able to say goodbye and thanks to Troy before officially welcoming Tanner into the position,” Cougars general manager Dennis McNish said.

“What stands out the most with Tanner is his character. All of us in the organization know the person that we’re getting and that’s something we value the most.”

The 25-year-old Lewis has been with the Cougars as an assistant coach for the last three years, having worked under McNish for a season before Leslie returned to the program in 2020.

He got an inkling that the head coach position could be open earlier this year after the club was swept in their opening round series with the Brandon Wheat Kings.

“With the way Troy was talking in the dressing room and with us individually in the coaches room, it felt like that the regionals were going to be his last kick at the can,” Lewis said.

“When you get into coaching, you want to be the guy and I’m really excited about being chosen to lead the Cougars. There’s a great support staff around me here and I’ve learned so much over the last couple of seasons under both Dennis and Troy. To have the team trust me to be in charge is something that I can’t really put into words.”

Prior to being on the bench with Leslie, Lewis played under him with the Cougars program and in the MJHL with the Virden Oil Capitals.

“When I played for Troy, he always preached about being good humans first and being good hockey players second,” Lewis said. “Troy and (his brother) Chad (who was the assistant general manager in Virden at the time) were a big reason why I elected to stay and play junior in my hometown.

“Troy really pays attention to the details. He knows how to put a game plan in place and get the boys to play within it. That’s something I’ve really taken a lot from during my two seasons with him on the Cougars bench, along with seeing how Denny was very good in motivating the guys in my first year here.”

Lewis says he’s also learned a lot from Neepawa Titans head coach and general manager Ken Pearson — who he played for with the Winkler Flyers during his final season in the MJHL — and his father Dale, who coached Lewis through most of his minor hockey career.

“When I first started coaching at the under-15 level with the Cougars, my dad saw that this was a bit of adjustment for me,” Lewis said. “He told me to just be myself and I think that allowed me to become more comfortable in that role.

“When I told my dad that I had applied for the job, he didn’t even bat an eye. He told me that was the right move.”

As he gets ready for the upcoming campaign, which will officially start with training camp in the second weekend of September, Lewis is excited about what the Cougars can do after their strong showing at the regionals.

“We’re not going to be a young team anymore,” Lewis said. “Obviously it’s hard to tell at this early stage what the roster is going to be like with junior camps coming up, but it looks like we’re going to be have a very strong lineup and there’s not going to be a lot of spots up for grabs with so many guys coming back.

“When I talked to the boys this weekend, you can see it in their eyes that they want to do something special. They want to come back and finish what we started.”

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