OLIVER PAIPOONGE – A first-place finish has earned rookie Kam River Fighting Walleye coach Matt Valley a two-year contract extension.
Team officials said the two-year deal will keep Valley behind the bench through the 2023-24 campaign.
The 32-year-old led Kam River to a 35-7-2 finish during the regular season, earning an automatic bye in the Superior International Junior Hockey League’s second round of the playoffs, where they are set to open a best-of-seven series against the Thunder Bay North Stars.
Valley was named SIJHL coach of the year for his efforts and said he’s thankful for the faith of the entire Fighting Walleye organization in his abilities to deliver results on and off the ice.
“I will continue to strive for excellence and bring my energy, passion, and work ethic to the rink every single day,” Valley said, thanking the organization, his staff and players and his family for making it all possible.
General manager Kevin McCallum said the team is lucky to have a coach like Valley in place for the foreseeable future.
“When looking for a head coach we had certain criteria that we wanted, and Matt achieved all of those. With the success we have achieved in our organization, we wanted to continue the growth and give Matt the opportunity to continue to develop and grow into one of junior hockey's premier coaches,” McCallum said.
The Fighting Walleye and North Stars kick off Game 1 of their series on Thursday night at the Norwest Arena. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.
