The Revelstoke Grizzlies are on the road for the start of the 2025-2026 hockey season with a roster of new players, some experienced goalie power and head coach Jiri Novak’s plan to keep players mentally, “on the ice.”
“We need to keep the guys honest, stay still with their feet on the ground and just work on what we learned,” Novak said. This is his focus from last year, with Novak telling the Mountaineer in a 2024-2025 recap interview his goal for this season would be learning how to keep players calm and focused in each game.
He’s already seeing that mentality take shape during pre-season camps and recent exhibition games. Instead of players mulling over losing the final series during last year’s Teck Cup playoffs, the team has been focused on perfecting even the tiniest skill after each practice and game.
“They’re ready to make that final step from what we missed last year and they’re really working hard at it,” Novak said.
The exhibition season, a time for low-stakes games and a chance for teams to try out new dynamics, put the Grizzlies on the road for four away games out of the total six played. The team nearly swept the pre-season, with the Kimberley Dynamiters handing the Revelstoke Grizzlies the only loss in the final game.
The regular season has been a tight competition so far, with the first two games ending in an overtime and a shoot-out. While that could indicate a team already willing to leave everything on the ice, Novak instead is focusing on how players are taking every opportunity to learn for the next game.
“You are seeing the newer players, they are a little bit nervous. But the whole team, they are showing me that if we fix just these little things we can be a really good hockey team,” Novak said when asked what dynamics the first couple of games highlight.
“We have this good mix of older guys carrying on the message of what it means to play for the Grizzlies,” Novak said, adding even the players have coached not letting a loss derail the team mentality.
“The younger guys, they’re absorbing this information, and I can see them getting better and better every day. I’m really looking forward to where they can reach this year.”
The Grizzlies often start the regular season on the road, and this year is no different with the first home game at the Revelstoke Forum scheduled Saturday, Oct. 18 against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. A month of away games can be daunting, especially for a team with 14 rookies on the roster, but Novak thinks that time out of home territory is foundational in shaping the team for the season.
“It’s not easy to play that many games on the road, but I think we kind of like it like that. You spend that much time together and they all start to know each other and become tighter as a group.”
It also builds a particular energy within the team for home opener, eager to showcase what they’ve learned to a crowd known in the league for bringing in some rafter-shaking support.
“We are always looking forward to playing in front of the people of Revelstoke,” Novak said. “This is a special crowd.”
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