By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

Hurricanes discuss a bright future at exit interviews while graduates look ahead to pro careers

May 1, 2018 | 2:32 PM

LETHBRIDGE – Even with the sting of playoff defeat still in the air, there was a sense of optimism at the ENMAX Centre on Tuesday, May 1 as the Lethbridge Hurricanes conducted exit interviews and prepared to depart for the summer.

Lethbridge will return all but three players if they so choose, with only forward Brad Morrison, defenceman Tate Olson, and goaltender Logan Flodell moving on.

Hurricanes General Manager Peter Anholt says when he looks back at the year, he’s very proud of the players and coaches for what they accomplished.

“There were some ups and downs, I think we came into the season with some high expectations and we really felt we weren’t achieving them in the first half of the season. That’s why decisions were made, but full credit to the kids for the way they performed in the second half and in the playoffs,” Anholt said.

Anholt signalled out the job that the coaching staff, and in particular head coach Brent Kisio, did with Brad Morrison after he arrived from Vancouver.

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“I think it’s one of the great coaching examples that I’ve seen,” Anholt, a veteran of 30 plus years in the WHL, added.

Following a 33-33-6-0 regular season, the Hurricanes went 10-6 in the playoffs and losing to the Swift Current Broncos in the Eastern Conference Final.

“It was a real positive experience, after the trades it took us a while to win over our fans and get them invested in this group,” Anholt continued. “But now we’ve seen that, and the future is bright as long as we’re not complacent.”

At the trade deadline, after the dust had settled on the moves made by Lethbridge, Anholt was adamant that the Hurricanes weren’t giving up on the season and based on the results he was right.

“We got two veteran guys in Flodell and Morrison and mixed young guys into the lineup too. The Central Division was not a strong division, and decisions were made because of that. We weren’t surprised at how things continued on, we were really pleased with how we progressed as a team, but not totally surprised that we made it to the third round, to be honest with you,” Anholt stated.

With so many faces expected back, Hurricanes captain Jordy Bellerive says it’s exciting already looking towards next season.

“We got a lot of experience through this run, and now we have another summer for guys to get better. I’m excited to come back, I know it’s going to be a lot of hard work that’s going to start early in camp, but we’ve got a bright future ahead,” Bellerive said.

The 2018-19 season will be Bellerive’s first full season as captain, and assistants Zane Franklin and Ty Prefontaine will return as well. Bellerive says it’s huge to have that leadership group coming back.

“They’re great leaders too, we’re going to come back to camp with that same mentality from this year and I know we’ll be on the same page,” he continued. “It’s going to be really good for us to come together early on.”

The next important date on the calendar for the Hurricanes is on Thursday, May 3, when Lethbridge will select 8th overall in the WHL Bantam Draft.

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Saying Goodbye – While the future looks bright for members of the Hurricanes who will be returning next year, it also means that three will be saying goodbye.

Brad Morrison, who was acquired at the trade deadline from Vancouver, put up 37 points in 16 playoff games which generated a ton of interest from NHL teams. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Kings announced that they had signed Morrison to a three-year entry-level contract.

Morrison says he’s happy for the opportunity to sign with a team like the Kings.

“Not many people get the chance to do that. I’m really thankful to all of the staff, players and everyone involved with the Lethbridge Hurricanes because I couldn’t have done it without them,” Morrison said.

Next up for Morrison is a return to Kelowna, where he will skate and train with other high-end players in preparation for getting his pro career started in the fall.

Tate Olson is another player whose strong performance in the postseason might garner the attention of pro teams. Olson, who was acquired by the Hurricanes for a 3rd round pick on Sept. 27, had 19 points in 16 playoff games while finishing a +14.

Olson says while the start of the year was tough for everybody, the way things ended made it all worth it.

“It was a good run, I’ve never been past the first round so it was a lot of fun for me and I learned a lot through it,” Olson said, adding he wishes he could’ve gotten to Lethbridge sooner.

Olson says he wants to play pro hockey, but at this point, he hasn’t heard anything so he’s playing the waiting game right now.

And as for the man between the pipes for this playoff run, Logan Flodell says he just wanted to prove what he could do as a goaltender and a leader.

“With such a young team that we had, we came into the playoffs as a .500 team in the regular season and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Final which is incredible. I couldn’t be prouder of the guys in the dressing room,” Flodell said.

As for what he learned during this run?

“It takes a lot to get here. It takes a big toll on you, the body doesn’t feel the best afterwards but it’s worth it,” Flodell stated.

Like the other two graduating players, Flodell hopes to play pro hockey but doesn’t know exactly what that will entail yet.