Front office changes prove Wolves serious about rebuild

When the Wolves finally started to use the word “rebuild,” everybody was really wondering to what extent the changes would go.

After the hiring of a new general manager, the transformation of the hockey operations staff is now complete.

Along with bringing Barclay Branch on board as GM, the new look coaching staff is also in place with the interim tag removed from Dave Matsos and replaced with the title of head coach. Drake Berehowsky was added as an associate coach, joining long time assistant coach Bryan Verreault.

Those moves have solidified what will happen on the ice with a staff the players will be able to relate to on all levels necessary.

With all the changes on and off the ice during the off-season, the change in general manager is the number one sign that the organization is taking the rebuild seriously.

Right off the bat I want to make it clear that I have been a big supporter of Blaine Smith. He was GM for the last five seasons, with the team getting into the playoffs in four of those years, with two second-round appearances.

Smith made some pretty good trades over the last five years. No doubt his best deal was acquiring Michael Sgarbossa, who went on to be the OHL's top scorer in the 2011-12 season.

On the other side, he took the heat for the collapse of the 2013-14 team. The Wolves were a first place team when Smith made a couple of trades that didn’t work out and in a roundabout way led to the downfall.

That said, at the time, there wasn’t anyone around who didn’t like the fact that Smith had brought in two NHL drafted players, but the chemistry wasn’t there, and it led to a first round exit.

Even last season, there were people out there who believed Smith should have done more to avoid a last-place finish. But again, unloading assets was the right thing to do, otherwise a lot of the talented youth on the team would be gone and the Wolves and their fans would be facing many more years of average hockey.

The good news is that Smith will be staying on as team president, meaning his years of experience will still be available to the new management team.

Guiding the team now is 39-year-old Barclay Branch, who has spent the last 11 years as assistant general manager and director of player personnel of the former Belleville Bulls.

You might think at the age of 39, Branch would be lacking experience, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He has worked under the guidance of one of the best in the OHL in George Burnett and has been involved in drafting some premium players and putting together some of the best teams in the league.

Wolves owner Mark Burgess summed it up with his comments when the Branch hiring was announced. “Barclay is a professional in every way, and our organization will truly benefit from his leadership,” he said.

“He has what it takes to lead and manage our young team into a contending team in the near future."

I like the move.

The Wolves get a proven winner in Branch and have shown that they are more than serious about the “rebuild.”

Stew Kernan is the radio and television voice of the Sudbury Wolves, and the news director at Kiss 105.3 and Q92.