The Wellesley Applejacks have selected veteran player Pat Doyle to wear the captain’s “C” this season, with Chris Armstrong, Chris Givlin and Ben Jeffries helping out as assistants.
Coach Kevin Fitzpatrick said he started talking to his captains in the spring about his expectations and philosophy. Doyle was a natural choice after watching how he interacted with the younger players at training camp, putting them at ease and making them feel comfortable.
“Kids come to camp, they’re nervous. As a coach, you want to be able to give them a fair evaluation, and you can’t really do that if they’re nervous.
“From a leadership standpoint, he’s embraced what we asked for.”
Doyle, a graduate of the Waterloo minor hockey system, has played for the Jacks for the past four years and been assistant captain for two.
“I came in as a 17-year-old and there’s been [some] good leaders that taught me a bunch of things.”
Doyle said he takes a bit from each of those leaders – Richard Shantz, Wes Hauck and Scott Litt – and how they approached the season.
Doyle has been working at Crawford Class Action Services in Waterloo since finishing a police foundations course at Conestoga College in 2008. He plans to become a police officer eventually, but he wanted to finish his last season of Junior hockey before applying.
The new captain said he sees his role as bringing together the players who will make up this year’s team.
“I’ve just seen a lot of heart and talent out there and I just want to make it a good experience for all of them,” he said. “I’m looking forward to a fresh start. We’ll take it from there one step at a time. Hopefully we’ll all click together and get something going this year.”
