The South Shore Canadian Tire Mustangs have a new boss behind the bench. Grant Johnston has been named the new head coach after former coach Tim Boyce informed president Lionel Haughn he wasn't returning. Johnston says he brings a hard working philosophy.
"When you are in an organization, usually you get a lot of talent but you have to instill hard work, you have to instill preparation whether it be hockey, off-ice, on-ice, you know we want to do our best in any situation and preparing and working hard will definitely be a main factor in our success."
Johnston hasn't named any assistant coaches yet, but says he has a few people in mind. Boyce led the Mustangs to one of their best regular seasons, matching a franchise-best 19 wins and third in the Nova Scotia Major Midget standings behind Halifax and Dartmouth. Johnston says he learned a lot from Boyce.
"Not only to gain a lot of knowledge in terms of x's and o's with the game of hockey, but you know, from road trips to hockey practices to the games, the way a bench should be ran, he had so much to offer in terms of all levels of the game."
Johnston spent last season as an assistant coach with the Mustangs. Before that, he coached Peewee 'AAA' and Atom 'AAA' teams on the South Shore. President Haughn says Johnston was hired over the weekend after a series of interviews.
