Brent Hughes rebuilds the Ice Rays, his way

CORPUS CHRISTI , Texas — Like his 14 counterparts in the Central Hockey League, Brent Hughes is on the ice today taking stock of 28 players attending training camp.
With a full off-season of recruiting behind him, the Corpus Christi Ice Rays head coach will spend the week surveying the fruits of his labor. It’s a relatively short amount of time to decide on a final roster but for Hughes, it’s nothing new.

Hughes, who had a 12-year professional career, including over 350 games in the NHL, coached the Ice Rays’ former divisional rival, the Austin Ice Bats, for six seasons. He joined the Ice Rays with just 14 games remaining in the 2008-09 regular season, replacing first-time head coach Sylvain Cloutier, who was fired in mid-February.  
Hughes led the team to a 7-5-2 finish, guiding them into the post-season after an exciting seven-round shootout win over the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs on the final night of the regular season. Although they were defeated in the first round two games to one by the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, the Ice Rays had built a momentum that has fans in Corpus Christi excited about their teams’ prospects this season.  
Immediately manning the phones, Hughes made some huge off-season acquisitions for his 2009-10 roster.
The first was the signing of veteran sniper Chad Woollard, who not only brings size and experience but adds a strong scoring touch. He has averaged over 35 goals per season for the last five years and is eager to play for Hughes.
“I’ve heard nothing but good things about him and his style of coaching suits me,” Woollard said. “I’m very excited. He’s a proven winner at this level and wants to win, and has always put together good teams in the past.”
Although he comes in with 10 years of pro experience, Woollard doesn’t think the Ice Rays need him to do provide any leadership, except by example.
“They have the core group from last year and a good bunch of leaders already. I think my job this year is to perform on the ice and be a leader that way,” Woollard said.
Woollard joins returning Ice Rays scoring leaders Chris Richards, Justin Quenneville, Ryan Bennett and Adam Powell. Also returning is Jereme Tendler, who as a rookie played only 17 games but added 13 points (9 G, 4 A), including two hat tricks to the offensive production.
“ Everybody here in Corpus is excited about this upcoming season,” Quenneville said. “We are bringing back a strong core of players and have improved in every department. We have more depth this season and with Coach Hughes behind the bench, we will be ready from the drop of the puck every night.”
Hughes has also added Maxime Boisclair and rookies Morgan Maclean, Jared Jagow, Stefan Lachapelle and Justin St. Louis, who will battle three other prospects for a spot on the roster in this weeks training camp.
Hughes, who has a history of building successful teams around his defensive corps, also made a splash in the off-season with the acquisitions of veterans Jeff Alcombrack from Mississippi and Jason Tessier from Wichita, which will add stability and a much needed offensive threat from the blue line.
Alcombrack, one of the best skaters in the league, tallied 49 points (14 G, 35 A, +18) with 32 points (10 G, 22 A) coming on the power play, an important number because the Ice Rays definitely need someone who can run a power play. He previously played with Chris Richards and Ryan Bennett in Youngstown.
An offensive-minded Tessier put up 34 points (10 G, 24 A) with 20 points (6 G, 14 A) coming on the power play. Both played in all 64 games during the regular season.   Chris Mei is the only defenseman to return. Mei struggled with injuries last season, missing 24 games but is a solid defenseman and a safe addition to the roster.
Other adds to the blue line include Kyle Peto from the Mississippi Sea Wolves (ECHL), Steven Later from the Muskegon Lumberjacks (IHL) and rookie Jay Cascalenda from the University of Minnesota (NCAA). Rob Jarvis who played his rookie season with the Kalamazoo K-Wings (IHL) and two other prospects have reported to training camp as well.
In goal, Kris Tebbs has returned for his sixth pro season and is joined by rookies Kevin Desfosses and Tommy Lee, who will battle for the number two spot.
Team captain Justin Quenneville offered this confident early assessment of the 2009-10 Ice Rays.
“I can guarantee you this; nobody is going to look forward to playing against us this season,” Quenneville said.
The Ice Rays will host a pre-season game against the Laredo Bucks on Saturday and then travel to Hidalgo, Texas on Sunday for a game against the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees. They travel to Odessa on October 16^th to open their 12th season against the Jackalopes.
Contact the author at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com