Shaun Clouston is the new general manager of the Kamloops Blazers. He will retain his role as head coach (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

BLAZERS NEW GM

Clouston feels at home in new dual roles with the Blazers, will lean on O’Donovan, Sandland for support

Jul 20, 2021 | 5:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s the first time in the Tom Gaglardi era the Blazers have employed a dual head coach and general manager role, but the team’s majority owner felt comfortable giving Shaun Clouston both roles.

Gaglardi wanted someone with extensive experience in the Western Hockey League and Clouston ticked all the boxes.

“I just became obvious to us that the answers were internally,” said Gaglardi. “We’re in a good trajectory here, so there wasn’t a need to bring in new viewpoints, new strategies, new ways of doing things.”

Clouston was eager to take on the GM role, while staying behind the bench, his real passion. Clouston was the head coach and GM of the Medicine Hat Tigers for six seasons and feels right at home with both roles.

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“I worked the minor leagues, the central league, and the Western professional league and the West Coast league. You basically manage and coach, you recruit, you sign players, you trade players,” said Clouston, talking about how comfortable he is in both roles. “My roots are doing this. My roots are where you’re heavily involved in all areas of the game.”

The Blazers carry forward the legacy that Matt Bardsley left behind, and first and foremost it starts with drafting the best players available.

“You focus on IQ. You focus on skill. You focus on compete,” said Clouston. “If you have those things, if you have hard-working, intelligent, skilled players, you’re going to be fine.”

It’s worked to this point in getting the Blazers back to a legitimate contender. It’s a philosophy Clouston, Tim O’Donovan and Robbie Sandland will carry on.

On Tuesday, the Blazers announced O’Donovan’s promotion to the team’s assistant GM. From his days volunteering with the Blazers under Dean Clark to now becoming assistant GM, O’Donovan has come a long way.

“Probably a lot of patience at times and perseverance,” he said. “I’ve always had a love for the game from a young age and have always loved this team. Being a part of this team, for me, is basically a dream come true and getting to this point, I’m really proud of the work that’s been put in and the people I’ve been surrounded by. I’ve learned a lot from a lot of the different people that have been through here.”

Clouston says he’s built a lot of trust with O’Donovan, who will help lighten his GM load.

There are some things Clouston has learned since last taking on both roles in Medicine Hat, where he wanted to do everything. He has realized the importance of leaning on others within the organization.

“You cling a little bit to certain things. I think I learned how important relying on your staff is,” he said. “Delegation becomes really important. It’s making sure you empower people around you to be able to do the things the organization needs done.”