Niverville Nighthawks make Hirst permanent head coach

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This article was published 04/06/2024 (303 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Niverville Nighthawks didn’t have to look far to find their next head coach, as the franchise decided to take the interim label off of Dwight Hirst, announcing changes to their hockey operations department May 22.

Hirst took over the head coach position after the organization fired Kelvin Cech in February. He coached the U18 AAA Eastman Selects until the end of the 2023 season.

The Nighthawks joined the Manitoba Junior Hockey League (MJHL) in 2022, hiring Cech as their first coach and general manager. In both of their years, Niverville has made the playoffs, but the organization is aiming higher after a pair of first-round exits.

“It’s probably something that’s not an overnight success, but it’s something to build towards and build a program that strives to be better every day,” Hirst said when asked how he hoped to take the Nighthawks to the next level on the ice.

“It’s not a matter of coming in and waving a magic wand. It’s something that’s going to be built on consistency and hard work.”

Along with Hirst, the Nighthawks announced they were making Mike McAulay’s promotion from assistant general manager to general manager permanent and were hiring Tyler Anderson as a full-time assistant coach.

Hirst said the trio will be in constant communication on what kind of players they want to bring into the organization, and he likes the set-up of being able to only focus on coaching and not worrying about roster management as much.

The Nighthawks are one of only two teams in the MJHL with a non-general manager head coach, although the Selkirk Steelers’ Hudson Friesen is also the organization’s director of hockey operations.

It’s a short turnaround for the new staff, as they hosted a spring camp in April, and are preparing for the MJHL draft, which is set to take place June 2.

Niverville got a commitment out of their spring camp, with Alberta’s Kayne Pawlick signing a letter of intent. The 2006-born forward played for the Leduc Oil Kings U18 AAA team last season, posting 26 points in 38 games.

“It just shows the players that the players that (McAulay) and his staff brought in were very competitive,” Hirst said.

The Nighthawks will have some holes to fill after goaltender Raiden LeGall and defenseman Kaycee Coyle were drafted to the United States Hockey League this year.

“Ultimately the MJHL is a stepping stone for these athletes to get to that next level,” Hirst said.

“That’s something we know we’re apart of. It’s something we have to deal with and keep filling holes… People get the vibe that if it’s an organization that’s about the athletes and getting them to the next level, that’s a bonus for us for sure.”

Hirst said he hopes to coach a team that is consistent every day, hard to play against and plays at a fast pace.

“Just a resiliency, you could put it that way, of being a team that when players and teams play against us they’re going to say, ‘oh, that was a game,’” he said when asked what his ideal hockey team looks like.

“Just being consistent, and being resilient and being hard working, is going to be what it has to be.”

Hirst added he wants to make sure the Nighthawks will be ready to compete every night.

“You’ve got to be physically fit and mentally ready, so those are all goals that we’re going to get these players aiming to,” he said.

Niverville’s director of hockey operations, Kevin Lansard, said the team’s search was all about doing their due diligence on the three hires. He said despite not advertising the open coaching job anywhere, the organization received “a lot” of resumes from potential coaches.

Hirst, who is from Lac du Bonnet, played in the MJHL for Neepawa from 1996-1998 before heading down south to play in the NCAA. He returned to Manitoba in 2002 playing several years with the Lac du Bonnet Blues in the Manitoba Senior Hockey League. He still lives in Lac du Bonnet, running a construction company in addition to his coaching duties.