‘Definitely an awesome situation’

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This article was published 09/09/2024 (612 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Josh Gratton’s hockey resume reads more like a globe-trotting adventure novel.

From starting out with the St. Mary’s Lincolns of the now-defunct Western Ontario Junior B Hockey League to making it to the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and Phoenix Coyotes, the 42-year-old Gratton has pretty much been there and done that when it comes to levels and locations.

There was a brief trip to the Mid-Western Junior Hockey League, four different clubs in the Ontario Hockey League, three separate stints in the ECHL, seven squads in the AHL, two Russian teams, two more in Kazakhstan, one in Denmark, one in Sweden, one in Slovakia, one in France and one in England.

“A lot of good life experiences, that’s for sure,” Gratton told the Free Press on Monday. “I wouldn’t change it. Very fortunate to play the game and see a lot of different places.”

His latest stop is here in Winnipeg. Gratton is the new head coach and general manager of the Winnipeg Blues, tasked with trying to put the local club back on the Manitoba Junior Hockey League map. The product of Brantford, Ont., is hoping a wealth of experience and knowledge he’s gained throughout his playing days will now translate behind the bench.

“Not that I know everything, but I’ve seen a lot. There’s not much I haven’t seen in the game of hockey,” said Gratton, who ultimately played 86 games in the NHL (three goals, three assists, 294 penalty minutes) while spending the majority of his two-decade career in the minors and overseas.

“To be able to relay this and pay it forward to these young kids is definitely gratifying, and I’m really enjoying the experience so far.”

It’s been a tough stretch for the Blues, who have gone a combined 26-77-13 over the past two years and missed the playoffs under Alex Mandolidis, who was recently named the club’s VP of Operations. As one of two Junior A teams left in the city, along with the Winnipeg Freeze, they’ve arguably fallen off the sporting radar a bit around here.

Gratton is trying to change that by not only improving the on-ice product, but making important community connections as well. No doubt having a former NHL player at the helm, one who was previously coached by Wayne Gretzky and counts new Toronto Maple Leafs bench boss Craig Berube as one of his close mentors and friends, won’t hurt the cause.

“Craig reminds me a lot of myself,” he said.

“John Stevens (Vegas Golden Knights assistant) as well. They were my first two coaches in pro. They helped me out and kind of school me on situations or questions that I have. I’ve always respected them, the way they run things and the professionalism and the personalities they have towards their players. So I kind of follow in those footsteps both of those guys and definitely use them as resources.”

As for the Great One, whose transition from playing to coaching didn’t work out so well.

“We had a great relationship,” said Gratton. “He mentioned to me that I was one of the best teammates he’d ever seen in hockey. And I pride myself in a comment like that from him. He taught me a lot. He’s definitely a players’ coach. The fact that I got to play for him and learn from him was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Gratton hung up his skates as a player in 2019 after spending that year with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL. He then travelled to China to help run a hockey academy, then came back to Ontario once COVID-19 hit and began volunteering with a local tier two team in the area,

“I kind of got the (coaching) itch and started liking it, getting the passion back, realizing this might be something I was interested in,” he said.

His first shot came in 2020 when he was hired to be the new head coach of the Potomac Patriots of the United States Premier Hockey League.

“We ended up turning that program around, from three wins to a national championship,” he said.

The idea of coaching back in Canada — and in a hockey-crazed market like Winnipeg where he played many games as a visitor against the Manitoba Moose — is what ultimately drew him to the Blues opening.

“I enjoy the junior age. I went the junior route and can give a lot of insight on that from my experience, and then the pro level,” he said. “It’s all about giving them life skills after hockey. Some will want to play pro, some will go to school, but developing good habits and a purpose day in and day out is what I try to preach to these kids.”

Just like he did as a player, Gratton is prepared to pay his dues as he works his way up the ranks as a coach.

“I have aspirations of trying to get to major-junior at some point. I’ve got a lot to learn still, but this is definitely an awesome situation for myself,” he said.

“Knowing about hockey in the city and obviously the Jets here now makes it that much more special. It also gives you resources playing out of the Hockey For All Centre to talk to and work with those Manitoba Moose and Winnipeg Jets, pick their brains and watch how they do things. So you gain a lot of experience, a lot of opportunity.”

The Blues played their first preseason game on Sunday (a 4-1 victory over the Freeze) and have two more — Thursday and Saturday at the Hockey For All Centre — as they prepare to begin the MJHL season on Sept. 20 in Selkirk against the Steelers.

What might Gratton’s group look like?

“We definitely have some good young players, some good pieces in place here. We brought a couple of the returning players from last year. But for the most part, it’s gonna be a pretty big turnaround,” said Gratton.

“It’s definitely a rebuild in the sense of culture change, but I think it’s going to be a little quicker, and we’re going to be a lot more successful than people give us credit for at the moment. We have a little chip on our shoulder, something to prove it. We’re all excited, players included, to be a part of it and to put a stamp on this team and make sure we’re not going to be the same Winnipeg Blues. It’s a new team, a new culture.”

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

X: @mikemcintyrewpg