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Days after Esso Cup win, Regina Rebels open spring camp with new coach
Kai Leggett moves from assistant to head coach, replacing temporary boss Kim Perepeluk
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Regina Rebels start preparing for next hockey season.
The Regina Rebels are preparing for their next hockey season. PHOTO BY KAYLE NEIS /Regina Leader-Post
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Four days after winning the Esso Cup in Vernon, B.C., former Regina Rebels assistant coach Kai Leggett will now be in charge of the reigning Canadian female U18 hockey champions, starting with their two-day spring camp at the Co-Operators Centre.
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“We have camps starting (Wednesday) and Thursday, with about 40 players,” Leggett said Tuesday evening, one day after Hockey Regina announced he was replacing temporary fill-in Kim Perepeluk with the Rebels. “They’re the new crop, vying for a few of the spots we have open
“There’s definitely some pressure behind it. But we kind of relish those moments as you try to raise the bar once again.”
Leggett, Laurie Alexander, Kelsie Graham and Rod Houk were the assistant coaches throughout the team’s playoff run. They took over when Hockey Canada, acting on a third-party complaint that eventually proved to be unwarranted, temporarily suspended veteran coach Mike Merk and appointed Perepeluk as the head coach. Perepeluk had coached the Rebels before Merk and insisted he didn’t want to stay behind the bench.
“The board made the decision to hire (Leggett) last week, but didn’t want to make the announcement until after the Esso Cup,” said Blair Watson, Hockey Regina’s executive director.
“(Perepeluk) didn’t want it. When he took the job he made it exceptionally clear it was for that season only. We double-checked with him before going to nationals.”
Leggett hopes to retain the coaching staff and might even call upon Perepeluk for advice.
“Kim will be helping me behind the scenes,” said Leggett. “He’s gonna step back, kind of be a mentor for me with some of the questions I may have.”
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Leggett played hockey for the University of Regina Cougars and SJHL’s Melville Millionaires. He coached minor hockey before spending the past four seasons as an assistant with the male U18 AAA Pat Canadians. His daughter, Olivia Leggett, is a third-year member of the women’s university hockey team.
The Rebels placed first overall in Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League standings before winning three playoff series en route to the six-team Esso Cup, where they had a 3-2 record before winning a semifinal and defeating Ontario’s North York Storm 2-1 in Saturday’s final. The Rebels are an elite program, with six of their players already committed to attend university programs in Canada and the U.S.
“We have a great staff with the Rebels and my daughter went through the program, so I’m quite familiar with the female hockey side of things,” said Leggett. “I felt I still have a lot to offer and these opportunities don’t come up every day.
“I thought I would like to give it a go and help some young hockey players develop.”
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Regina Rebels hoisting the Esso Cup after Sunday’s victory in Vernon, B.C.
