NEWS

Mike Daley has been named the interim general manager of the Oakville Blades, replacing the recently departed Duncan Harvey at the helm.

Daley, who is the club's head scout and carded as an assistant coach, is also the head coach of the Oakville Rangers Midget 'AAA' squad this season and will guide the Blades through the 2013-14 season that sees the club host the 2013 OJHL Governors' Showcase from September 28-29, 2013.

Below is a story on the transition from the Oakville Beaver (www.insidehalton.com):

With training camp about to get underway, the Oakville Blades have undergone a change in a key position.

Blades general manager Duncan Harvey unexpectedly resigned this week, leaving the team in need to find a replacement — and quick. With a number of initiatives planned for this season, including the hosting the College Showcase —which will see every team in the league will play at 16 Mile Sports Complex over one weekend — Sept. 28-29, the Blades could not afford to waste time filling the position.

Blades president Rob Campbell said the team made a list of very qualified candidates, but in the end the team didn’t have to look very far for a successor. The team named head scout Mike Daley as the interim general manager. Campbell said the interim tag was applied “because I don’t think Mike even saw this coming,” and will it allow him to see if it’s a role he wishes to continue in.

Campbell said promoting from within the organization made the most sense.

“We wanted to bring someone on board we could trust,” he said. “Mike is coaching (Oakville’s) midget AAA team and we had already carded him as a (assistant) coach for the Blades. Where we’re at, Mike made a lot of sense because he’s already integrated with the team. He’s a sharp hockey guy. He knows the coaches and GMs in the league and he’s a well-respected guy in the business.”

Harvey took over as the team’s general manager last season following a change in ownership. The Blades went 34-16-5 but were eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs in his one season as GM. He also assembled the team that will hit the ice for its first exhibition game Aug. 21 in Burlington.

“It was a number of little things,” Harvey said, explaining his decision. “It was a big commitment and it wasn’t the fit I was hoping it would be. The job itself was quite enjoyable but I’m pretty particular about how I like things to be done.”

Harvey said he is not leaving the Blades to join another team.

“As of right now, I’m out of hockey. I felt quite happy about how the (minor midget) ’97 team finished up and I really enjoyed the chance to work with them and with the Blades. But it’s time to step away and find the next challenge.”

Campbell said there were no hard feelings over Duncan’s sudden departure.

“He did a great job with us. With new ownership over the past year, he did a great job helping us on the hockey side. I wish him nothing but the best. I’ve known him for a lot of years and I hope the next step for him is a great one.”

As for the team Harvey assembled for the coming season, Campbell said the Blades “will be a young, skilled team but maybe a little feistier than last year.”

It is also in keeping with the team’s goal to be more of a community team with more local players.

“We’re tyring our best to truly make it an Oakville hockey team. We want to create an event every Friday night — back to the days at Oakville Arena where everyone wanted to go see the Blades play.”