Vancouver Giants has now wrapped up its pre-season training with a 3-2 win over the Kelowna Rockets on Sept. 17 and are headed into the regular season games, which kicks off in Langley on Friday, Sept. 23.
Associate coach for the Giants, Adam Maglio, explained that this pre-season – while not full of wins – was a very good learning opportunity.
“It’s been a really encouraging camp,” said Maglio. “We’ve had a lot of growth, and we’re definitely on the right track.”
Pre-season is a time of experimentation for them, he explained, where they have the chance to shuffle their roster around and try out different lineups to see what works.
Maglio also made it clear that the Giants train with long-term goals in mind, rather than focusing on just getting the next win.
“The camp is a lot of working on our identity and figuring out our style of play. The way our team plays and our culture is very important,” he said.
“It’s a process, and we’re still carrying quite a few bodies. We’re not too concerned about wins. We’d rather focus on the habits of our players and making sure that we’re stressing habits that we feel are important. That’s our number one area of focus right now.”
Maglio stressed that the pre-season training, which included an exhibition game in Maple Ridge on Saturday, Sept. 17, is also about trying to get the Giants and the rest of the league more public exposure.
READ MORE: Vancouver Giants get their first pre-season win in Maple Ridge
“It’s all about showcasing the Giants and the Western Hockey League to as many people as possible,” he said.
While Maglio has been coaching in the Western Hockey League for a few years now, it is his first season with the Giants, having previously coached the Spokane Chiefs in both associate coach and head coach roles.
During his time with the Chiefs, Maglio was able to pull out a winning record of 59-54-11-2, and hopes to have even greater success with the Giants this upcoming season.
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The regular season home opener for the Vancouver Giants will be against the Seattle Thunderbirds at Langley Events Centre on Friday, Sept. 23. Puck drop is set to take place at 7:30 p.m., with more information – including tickets – being available at https://vancouvergiants.com/.
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