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New faces around Athletic Park at Mavericks mini-camp

May 29, 2017 | 5:21 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — He’s a husband and a father of two, but is now more than 2,400 kilometres away from home.

Michael Thompson, the new head coach of the Medicine Hat Mavericks, arrived in the Gas City Sunday night, in time for the team’s mini camp, which started on Monday.

Thompson recently became a father again two weeks ago, and his wife and children remain at home in California. Though they aren’t there in person, he says they remain with him every step of the way.

“It’s always difficult,” he said. “I miss them tremendously. Luckily, I was able to spend the last two-and-a-half weeks with them.

“It’s always hard, but sometimes, those are the sacrifices you have to make. I have a wonderful wife who supports what I’m doing. It may not be the easiest job for her back home this summer, but I’m hoping we can get her up here at least for a couple days or a week with the kids.”

In his first practice as head coach, Thompson says he’s seen evidence the team is ready to develop chemistry on the field.

“It’s always a little quiet at first, but then you start seeing guys get out of their shell and communicate,” he said. “I heard guys talking in the locker room, so it wasn’t dead silent in there. I think they’re getting more familiar with their teammates and their surroundings.”

Thompson is not the only new face in Athletic Park. Taylor Van Ham, who graduated from Medicine Hat High School, is at the camp hoping to crack the main roster. Van Ham just finished playing for Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops and says potentially playing in front of friends and family at Athletic Park is a cool feeling.

“It’s definitely been a dream as a kid to always come back and play for the Mavericks,” he said. “It’s nice to get the opportunity to come try out and put my best effort in and try and crack a roster spot.”

Thompson says his new team is starting to feel like home, and with the season just around the corner, is getting excited.

“The city’s beautiful, the organization couldn’t be better,” he said. “You can see on these guys’ faces walking in the appreciation they have for the amount of work that has gone into preparing for this season, and the perks the organization has prepared for them.

“I saw in practice (Monday), the guys were energized. It was fun to watch, very exciting.”

The Mavericks start the season on the road, with back-to-back games in Okotoks Friday and Saturday, and wrapping up in Brooks on Sunday.