Sudbury Wolves name Craig Duncanson new head coach

Sudbury -

The Sudbury Wolves officially announced Craig Duncanson as the new head coach Wednesday. He’s a familiar face in the community and is now back to where his hockey career started.

Duncanson is replacing the former head coach Cory Stillman, who left the team earlier this year. For the Lively native, he's back to where his career started.

“I’m extremely excited to be back in the Wolves family," he said. "I am a Sudbury Wolf -- I’ve always been either a Sudbury Wolf, alumni, or a fan.”

Duncanson comes with many years of professional experience.

“I played for the Sudbury Wolves in '83 and '85," he said. "I was drafted and I played a little bit for the LA Kings, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, and their subsequent American League teams.”

Players and fans haven’t been able to take in OHL game action for 16 months, a period of uncertainty that affected every aspect of operations. The owner of the Sudbury Wolves, Dario Zulich, said the time off has only made the organization stronger.

“Adversity can do one of two things -- it can break apart an organization or it can make you come together stronger,” said Zulich.

The Ontario Hockey League was on high alert from the province in determining if and when it could return to play. But after being given the go-ahead and the hiring of Duncanson, Wolves GM Rob Papineau said everything is falling into place.

“He’s been a captain of the Sudbury Wolves, he’s had a long successful professional career, has coached for 10 years at a high level and really understands the game and is an amazing communicator,” said Papineau.

“He brings a lot of integrity, and I think he played the game the way our players today -- the group of guys we have -- play the game... with a lot of skill and a lot of compete.”

Meanwhile, Zulich said the organization will be busy until puck drop in October. He said the team took a big hit financially without games.

“You go from zero to 60, but the revenues go from 60 to zero overnight,” said Zulich. “All our revenue dried up so we had to tighten our belt and all of us have contributed in the organization to try to keep the team together.”

With a new coach, new players and a new attitude, Zulich is banking the transition from inactivity to on-ice play will be a treat for fans this season.

The home opener is Oct. 8.