Dan DaSilva has been promoted to head coach of the Saskatoon Blades with Brennan Sonne leaving to join the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League.
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The Saskatoon Blades scored off the rush Monday, adding a new head coach in short order.
Following the announcement Monday morning that Brennan Sonne was leaving to join the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League, the Blades held their own media conference in the afternoon to unveil Dan DaSilva as the team’s new head coach.
The Blades are converting DaSilva from associate coach to head honcho, as he becomes the 19th Blades head coach in franchise history after signing to what Blades general manager Colin Priestner describes as “a long-term” contract.
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“It’s very special,” said DaSilva, who grew up in Saskatoon as a Blades fan. “I don’t think I can put it into words, honestly, what it means to me. Everything’s happened so quickly. It’s a privilege and honour to be head coach of the Blades, a team that I grew up watching. Coming to this (SaskTel) facility as a young kid, sitting up in the rafters and watching some of my early hockey idols, such as Frank Banham, whose number went to the rafters last year, and Norm Miracle, and to be sitting here now (as head coach) is truly special. So I want to make the city proud being a Saskatoon boy, born and raised. I want to make the community proud and I’m going to do my best to do that.”
As they scrambled to prepare for media conference on short notice, the Blades put together a team jersey with No. 24, and the “DaSilva” name plate stitched on, for the traditional “photo opp.”
(“Hilty wears many hats,” pointed out Priestner, nodding over to former equipment manager/trainer turned associate GM Steve Hildebrand.)
“You know what I did before this (GM job),” confirmed Hildebrand.
DaSilva joined the Blades coaching staff prior to the 2021-22 season as an assistant coach and, after two seasons, he earned the designation of associate coach alongside Sonne while helping lead the Blades to back-to-back WHL Eastern Conference finals and their fifth-ever Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the Western Hockey League’s top team in the regular season.
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“It’s a true honour and privilege for myself,” said DaSilva, 39, who, together with wife Chelsey, has two boys, Dawson and Lukas.
“Being a Saskatoon kid, born and raised, I couldn’t be more excited for this opportunity. It’s a very special time for myself and my family and I’m really looking forward to the challenge moving forward and I know that I’m going to give everything I have towards this. I’ve learned a lot over the past three years and I’m looking forward to the opportunity here and making the most of it.”
The former hockey forward looked after the Blades’ defensive corps and penalty kill, but now gets to oversee the entire team.
It was a whirlwind of events within the past week that led to this sudden promotion.
“When we got the news about Brennan taking a job in the AHL, it was obvious to us that Dan was more than ready for this opportunity,” explained Priestner. “It was a quick and easy decision for me to offer him the job as head coach. He has learned from one of the best coaches I’ve ever seen over the last three years and his respect and love from the players is universally shared.
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“We love the culture that we’ve built. The players love him. We know he can do the job. That’s why we made the decision quickly and so easily.”
As a player, DaSilva spent three seasons with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and collected 151 points in 200 regular-season games. DaSilva went on to play 15 seasons as a pro with stops in the AHL, Germany, Russia and Switzerland.
Sonne leaves the Blades after three seasons. He had taken over as head coach from Mitch Love, who also took a job in the AHL.
“We’re so happy for our teammate, Brennan, getting an opportunity in the American Hockey League,” noted Priestner. “It’s the second coach we’ve promoted to pro in the last three years. It’s something we’re really proud of. It’s bittersweet. It’s always sad to see someone go, someone that’s beloved, but it’s also extremely exciting for us to turn our page now … We’re just extremely lucky to have Dan… He’s just a genuinely amazing person, salt-of-the-earth human being. Very creative. Very intelligent, empathetic person that has a ton of experience as a pro hockey player and now three years as our associate coach here, has learned so much. When Brennan gave us the news that he had gotten the opportunity at Coachella, it was a no-brainer for Hilty (associate GM Steve Hildebrand) and myself to pass the torch. We knew this opportunity would come at some point with Brennan having the success that he did.”
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And if DaSilva is scoring a head coaching job, give the assist to Sonne.
“He (Sonne) gave him (DaSilva) he tools and the education and the experience that he needed to be where is today,” pointed out Priestner.
“The knowledge that he’s shared has been so valuable,” added DaSilva. “I’ve learned so much. Just the bond we’ve created, it’s going to be hard to beat. We were so tight. It was very, very special to come to the rink every day … I’m forever grateful.”
Said Sonne: “He’s ready. He knows the game. He knows the work and he knows the players. They all talked about. It’s true. Every player not just loves him but respects him immensely because he truly cares about those kids. He cares about them developing. He cares about them growing. He cares about them as human beings. And he cares about accountability and a standard. All those things mix with knowing the game, work ethic and knowing how to do it. It couldn’t be in better hands, honestly. I can’t speak highly enough of Dan.”
SONNE JOINS NHL’S KRAKEN AHL AFFILIATE
Sonne, 37, joins the Seattle Kraken’s AHL affiliate in Coachella. The Maple Ridge, B.C., product moves closer to his family.
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“It happened really quickly,” said Sonne. “It was almost so quickly that I’m still almost a little bit in shock and, for both the organizations to get it together so quickly, it’s a blessing that it’s not drawn out — because you can just make your decisions and prepare.
“I’m just really excited to continue to grow as a coach under him (Coachella Firebirds head coach Derek Laxdal). And (Kraken GM) Ron Francis, what can you say? He’s a Hall of Famer, that’s the obvious thing, but he’s a straight shooter, honest, just up-front. He’s my kind of guy. I’ve really enjoyed every conversation we’ve had.”
Sonne says he’s got two main goals in life. One is on the professional level and that goal is to win a Stanley Cup. The other is a personal goal: to be the best dad that he possibly can be.
“Those two things are rarely in harmony,” he added. “If you’re going to be a fantastic coach, that means extra time away from your family, and if you’re going to be a really good dad, that’s extra time away from the rink.
“They so rarely work in harmony but, in this case, my daughter’s grandparents live in Palm Springs for the winter, so it’s one of those beautiful scenarios where I can pursue my professional goals while my daughter gets to be around her grandparents just about every day. Both goals being very important to me, of course, my daughter coming first, being able to give that to my daughter, while I coach my butt off and work as hard as I can, means a lot.”
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