Butte Cobras Interview

(Credit to wshl.pointstreaksites.com)

Biscuits and Breezers

   Welcome back to another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! In this blog we will be talking about the WSHL's newest and 29th franchise, the Butte Cobras. About mid March, the league owners and Maulers owner Michael Burks announced that hockey would be returning to it's rightful home in Butte, Montana. As the months have progressed, the team has already signed a coach who is fired up and ready to go and 2 players; Derick Berhm and Josh Smith. It has only been a short while since the headline was announced and already things are in full force. I have been lucky enough to be able to be involved in the off season operations and let me tell you right now, this team is going to be a wickedly tough competitor right out of the gates. They already have a faithful fan base, the players they are signing are huge and strong skaters who are confident on the ice, and their coach (Coach Jon Jonasson) has absolutely great standards and skills that will undoubtedly pass on to his players. Butte has quite a long line of hockey history involving the Copper Kings (youth team) and the Roughriders (Junior team) and unfortunately junior hockey has been absent for too long. This could be Butte's big break to rise back to the top of Montana's hockey scene. So, to introduce the team to my amazing fan base, here are two interviews. One from owner Michael Burks and the other from Coach Jon Jonasson. Lastly, the Cobras will play their home games at the Butte Civic Center. Enjoy!

(Credit to mtstandard.com)

  Coach Jon Jonasson was signed as the head coach of the Steele County Blades at the beginning of the 2012-2013 season and has held the position throughout the 2013-2014 season. He led the team in 2 successful playoff runs in both seasons as head coach and is expected to bring those talents over to the Cobras. I am very much a fan of Jonasson's coaching style because it is strict yet effective and is produces amazing results. In my opinion, he will be a great asset to the Butte hockey scene and the Montana hockey market because he is bringing in great experience from the MnJHL (one of the most successful junior leagues in the USA) and he is constantly pushing the boundaries. He isn't afraid to take risks with his team because he has gained enough trust with his players that they have no doubt he ultimately knows what's best for them. Without any further delays, here is Coach Jon Jonasson's interview!

Biscuits: First of all, why did you decide to coach the Cobras?

Jonasson: I was approached by Michael Burks as soon as our season ended with the Steele County Blades. He had a great plan for the new team, perfect reasoning why to have a junior team in Butte, MT and he was in it for the right reasons. Burks and I have seen eye to eye since day 1 so far and I see us building a very successful franchise. At the end of the day it was a no brainer for my family and I to make the decision to move to MT

Biscuits: You have already signed your first player, are things coming together quicker than you had anticipated?

Jonasson: Yes, I believe it is. Things are beginning to fall in place where I want them to. I had been talking to this player for quite some time throughout  last season and knew that he would be a good fit for our program. I expect to be receiving up to 4 more contracts withing the next week. The last 2 seasons when I was in Minnesota I didn't have any tenders or contracts signed until after May 1 so I would say I am a little ahead of the game for this new team, but I need to be because building a new franchise is never an easy task!

Biscuits: What do you expect to see from your new team in the 2014-2015 season?

Jonasson: We will be a very disciplined team, with a high speed aggressive offensive game

Biscuits: What types of players are you looking to fill your roster with?

Jonasson: The players I will be looking for are players with confidence, class, discipline, and strong character

Biscuits: How are the other organizations in the WSHL reacting to Butte's new team?

Jonasson: The Coaches, Managers, and Owners that I have spoken to since accepting the position have been great so far and more than willing to offer any advice I need adjusting to the WSHL and AAU coming over from the MNJHL and USA Hockey. Everyone I have met so far is very professional and considerate. I could not be more excited to join this elite class of Coaches and Organizations of the WSHL

Biscuits: Do you see a thriving future for the Cobras in the seasons to come?

Jonasson: I do, it will not happen overnight and will take a lot of work. But we have the perfect place for a Junior team, the right ownership, and the right facilities to be successful this year and in the future

Biscuits: What level of excellence are you expecting from the team?

Jonasson: High, my players will hold themselves professional on and off the ice when in the community of Butte, MT. With being disciplined and holding a good public image on and off the ice, it will be a good recipe for a team of high level excellence

Biscuits: Do you think the new and friendly competition could turn into a fierce and despised rivalry with the Missoula Maulers down the road?

Jonasson: I think this is a good possibility. I saw one of Burks' quotes that he hopes that we go into overtime every game. I don't hope that, but I definitely think it could be a potential rivalry to build over the years

Biscuits: What would you like to tell the city of Butte concerning the new team and organization?

Jonasson: It has only been about 3 weeks that I have been in the position of Head Coach/GM for this team and I couldn't be more excited by how welcoming the city of Butte has been thus far. It is a great town for a Junior team. The past is the past, and we are the new. Our team will be coming into Butte looking to have a program that the community can be proud to call their own. We look forward to getting out in the town and doing volunteer work and building a long lasting relationship!

Biscuits: What kind of coaching style will you be using on the team next season?

Jonasson: As said earlier, I will have a very disciplined coaching style with a high end offense. We will be in a very tough division that has very much proved itself, and to be successful we need to be disciplined and hard working. That is what I plan to bring to the table this season

Biscuits: In a long term aspect, where do you see the Cobras 5 years down the road?

Jonasson: 5 years down the road is a long way out. But I hope to see this as one of the top programs in the WSHL competing for the Division Championship and Thorne Cup day in and day out. I also hope to see the players that play for us this year in 5 years playing college hockey and being assets for their college teams

Biscuits: Do you think the Cobras will be a strong competitor right out of the gates?

Jonasson: I do, it will definitely be a grind to get to where we want to be this summer. But I believe that if recruiting continues to go well throughout the off season we should be a strong competitor from day 1

Biscuits: With the addition of the Cobras, is this possibly another way to positively promote the untapped Montana hockey market?

Jonasson: Absolutely, Montana has developed some high end players over the years. Being within the community of Butte, I hope to really have an opportunity to work with the Youth program and create a strong mend with the youth program and Cobras and develop some future junior players

  Thank you very much Coach Jonasson for the amazing interview and I look forward to working with you and the team all throughout the 2014-2015 season! Next up, Michael Burks!

(Credit to Facebook - Butte Cobras)

  With the addition of the Butte Cobras, Michael Burks has become the owner of two WSHL franchises. Burks is the owner of the Missoula Maulers that moved over to the WSHL last season and made it to the first round of the 2014 Playoffs. He has been a very successful force in the creation and promotion of the Maulers in Missoula's community and is now translating those skills over to Butte's hockey community. The Cobras are in full force of trying to build the absolute best team they can, and so far, they are on the right track. I thought it would be great to get some answers from the person in the driver's chair and that is exactly what I got. With Michael Burk's answers, you will be able to get a special insider's look at the organizational side of the new team who you will certainly be hearing quite a bit about next season! Here you go!

Biscuits: First of all, why did you decide to create the Cobras?

Burks: We received a tremendous amount of compliments for moving to the WSHL due to the higher caliber of hockey, but the one consistent complaint was that the local competition was gone. The Bighorns vs. Maulers games were by far the highest attended at home, and the proximity made it easy for the the fans to attend away games in Helena. The closet away game in this league was 5 hours away in McCall, ID and that is on a sunny day with no black ice or snow. So, the logical choice for me was to create a rivalry, and with Butte being vacant, it was just a natural fit

Biscuits: You have already signed a coach and now the first players, are things coming together quicker than you had anticipated?

Burks: I am very excited about how quickly things are coming along for the organization. When we started the Maulers we found out how hard it was to find a solid coach who understands the difficulty involved in recruiting for a new organization. Coach Jonasson was the first coach of his former team's franchise, so he was the perfect fit for Butte. The fact that he is already signing players is incredible and very promising. He plans on bringing in a full crew by season start

Biscuits: What do you expect to see from your new team in the 2014-2015 season?

Burks: Competitiveness on the ice and community service off of the ice

Biscuits: How are the other organizations in the WSHL reacting to Butte's new team?

Burks: They are very excited as this is going to help cut travel costs within the division. The addition of Whitefish looks to seal the deal. We are hoping that this season we will just be playing our own divisional opponents and won't have to make long trips to cities like Phoenix and Los Angeles

Biscuits: Do you see a thriving future for the Cobras in the seasons to come?

Burks: Absolutely! The city and media is on fire for the team. The amount of people that have already signed up to be volunteers at all levels is staggering. I am very impressed with the first month of the organization and have no doubt that it will just get more media attention that will make for an incredible opening night

Biscuits: What level of excellence are you expecting from the team? 

Burks: I am expecting a competitive team that learns from their mistakes and will get better as the season goes on.  It is very difficult to expect to win, but it is not out of the question to expect a team to improve as the season progresses. The Maulers started off very rough in their first year in the WSHL, but Coach Baxter turned it around and the team made the playoffs for the 7th straight year!

Biscuits: Do you think the new and friendly competition could turn into a fierce and despised rivalry with the Maulers?

Burks: I am not looking for despised. I am looking for 2 teams to create a huge rivalry in which fans can attend both arenas every game they play. I expect both coaches to play fair, clean, but very hard hitting hockey so that the fans get what they pay for

Biscuits: I know quite a few concerned Maulers fans, what would you like to tell all of the Missoula hockey fans?

Burks: I don't have anything to do with the day to day operations on the ice or recruiting. Both teams have a budget that they can work with and I am hoping that every game between Butte and Missoula goes into a shoot out so that the fans are into it until the final goal of the night. My goal is that both teams make it to the finals for the Thorne Cup and Montana can hold their head high while Butte and Missoula both place in the league finals

Biscuits: Back to the rivalry question, how do you think the Missoula boys will react to this new competition?

Burks: I am hoping they understand how much Coach Jonasson wants prove to the WSHL. He is recruiting hard as we speak to bring a team that can knock Idaho off the top of the standing in our division. Be ready for some great hockey on the other side of the red line

Biscuits: In a long term aspect, where do you see the Cobras 5 years down the road?

Burks: I am hoping that they are still packing the house and making Butte proud

Biscuits: Will you be splitting your time between both organizations?

Burks: My job for the Maulers is to promote and get the word out about the team. The same is for the Cobras. After that, it is up to the coaches and players to do the rest

Biscuits: With the addition of the Cobras, is this possibly another way to positively promote the untapped  Montana hockey market?

Burks: Absolutely! There are so many young athletes that don't have hockey as a sport of choice. Hopefully this rivalry will get the word out  and bring more youth to the rink when they are 3-4 years old so that we will see the fruit of this in 10-15 years

  Thank you very Michael for the great interview and an inside,preview look at what we can expect for the 2014-2015 season! I look forward to working with the Cobras this season!

  As you can see, the Butte Cobras are going to be a great organization and are going to be an absolutely wicked team! I am incredibly thrilled that I will be working with Coach Jon Jonasson and his skaters for the 2014-2015 season because already, the team is full of talent. This is just a preview of what you will see when next season starts so make sure to keep checking on the updates and team interactions Biscuits and Breezers will have with the Butte Cobras! If you haven't already, please go friend their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/buttecobras?fref=ts) to keep up with important Cobra news! I feel that the bond between Biscuits and Breezers and the Cobras will be a definite strong one.

   Thanks for reading another blog of Biscuits and Breezers! Every blog will be filled with updated hockey news, player reviews, and much more! Until next time remember, don't get your breezers in a bunch because hockey is always around the corner. Remember, it's always a great day for hockey and it's a lifestyle not just a sport!