Photo courtesy of Medicine Hat Cubs

By Scott Roblin

Head Scout

Cubs task Gilbert with role of head scout ahead of 2019-20 season

Jul 15, 2019 | 7:40 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – The scouting department of the Medicine Hat Cubs received a sizable boost on Monday, as the team announced the hiring of Sean Gilbert.

Taking over the reigns as the team’s new head scout, Gilbert will oversee all development and scouting for the Cubs beginning with the upcoming 2019-2020 season.

“I’m pretty excited about it,” said Gilbert. “With my history in the past I’ve joined franchises kind of in a rebuild. The Cubs are in their second year of a rebuild, so it’s a pretty good opportunity to help get a few kids to the next level.”

Based in Calgary, Gilbert comes to the Cubs organization with over two decades of experience as a coach and has more recently been a Calgary-area scout with the AJHL’s Calgary Mustangs and KIJHL’s Golden Rockets.

With the Mustangs taking a one year leave of absence from the AJHL, that gave Gilbert an opening to join a Cubs organization that continues to boast one of the youngest roster in the Heritage Junior ‘B’ League.

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Gilbert will be working in close partnership with other team staff such as Saskatchewan scout Mike Halpenny and United States scout Ryan Arrigo, along with Cubs director of player personnel Jory Green.

“We’re trying to get a scout in northern Alberta, central Alberta,” said Gilbert. “We’ve got some Saskatchewan scouts, we’ve got myself in the Calgary area, we’ve got Jory Green in southern Alberta, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge area. So, we’ve got the area covered pretty well.”

While the Cubs are in the second year of a self-proclaimed rebuild, the local club took major steps during last year’s HJHL playoffs.

Pushing the Coaldale Copperheads to seven games in their South Division semi-finals series, the Cubs also won their first playoff series in six years over Strathmore.

Medicine Hat only had one graduate from the program due to age as well, with captain Quinten Karg departing from the Cubs organization.

Expecting a roster built from returning players in the fall, Gilbert said his job will be to fill out the rest of the team with up and coming young players who want to make the next step in their hockey careers.

“We’re out there trying to find those midget AA kids and AAA kids to show them there’s all kinds of different opportunities to get to the next level after junior hockey,” said Gilbert. “Because, there are NCAA opportunities out there.”

On Friday, the Cubs announced they would be facing the Copperheads in a home-and-home set on September 14 and 15 to get their 2019-20 pre-season underway.