Submitted by George Hurlbut
The Fernie Ghostriders have signed 42-year-old Craig Mohr as their new head coach and general manager (GM) for the upcoming season. Mohr is no stranger to the Ghostriders, or for that matter the KIJHL, as he was the Rider's first ever KIJHL coach in 2004-05 and had seasons in Golden and Beaver Valley after that. In Mohr’s second year with the Riders he compiled a 35-9-3-3 record, finished in first place and won the Eddie Mountain Division in the playoffs. Since then, Mohr has spent time in Golden, Beaver Valley, a few seasons with the Calgary North Stars AAA Midget team and most recently was an assistant coach and GM with the AJHL’s Calgary Canucks.
In his two years with the Riders, Mohr proved to be an excellent recruiter and several of his players were instrumental in winning KIJHL Championships after he had left the team. For those keeping score, Martin Croteau, Jon Roth, Stevan Bilic, and Derek Porter all worked with him. Mohr also recognized the local players and gave Scott Traverse, Joe Deluca, Trevor Hertz, Kiel Klapp, Kyle Brennan and Scott Anderson a chance - they all ended up as part of one of the championship teams as well.
For the last few years Mohr has been coaching in the Calgary area. It has always been a prime recruiting ground for the Fernie Ghostriders so Mohr will have a great read on potential players from that area. The former KIJHL Coach of the Year winner was an easy choice for the team.