A long scouting and coaching career has finally paid off in a full-time hockey opportunity for Gary Aubin.

The Swift Current Broncos have brought the St. Albert product into the fold as their new Director of Player Personnel.

"I'm very excited," Aubin said. "It's an opportunity I've been looking for throughout the years in scouting, but due to work commitments it just didn't pan out. When work commitments changed a year ago this opportunity came up and it was a no-brainer to take it."

He and new Broncos Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Dean Brockman connected through a mutual friend and quickly clicked.

"It was basically two conversations about 45 minutes in length," Aubin noted. "Very positive. Dean seems like an unbelievable guy. When I was chatting wtih him it was really easy to talk to him. That made the decision easy too. It was like talking to somebody I've known for 40 years."



Despite being a guy who likes physical hockey, Aubin sees a trend in the game that will certainly influence his work as the top scout for the Broncos. That's a lesson he started to learn a few years ago when coaching a team during a summer trip across the pond.

"I went to Europe with a team and it was all (future) WHL guys," Aubin said. "Guys that played as 20-year-olds in the WHL and this was a group of 15-year-olds (at the time) all 6'1, big, strong and we never won a game over there. So then the next year I said I'm going with skill and speed and we won all eight. Even though I like the rough and tough physical part of the game especially now the game has changed. The biggest thing is speed and skill. Speed kills. I know in Spokane that is what we've changed over to the last couple years. Obviously if you have size, compete and speed and skill that's the number one, but I still think speed and skill will take over with the way the game has changed."

Aubin's scouting career started as a regional scout with the Kamloops Blazers from 1992 to 2007. He was there in the middle of back-to-back Memorial Cups in 1994 and 1995 before eventually joining Spokane in 2007 the year before their most recent Memorial Cup victory. The people he worked for in those jobs will be a big influence on Aubin now. 

"Just some great guys to work with and learn from," he emphasized. "Stu MacGregor (and) Randy Hansch (in Kamlooops) Randy and I were pretty close. Learned so much from those guys. Switching over to Spokane Chris Moulton had a different perspective on how he handled parents. He was very friendly... wanted to know all the information from the parents, their brothers and sisters... just an unbelievable guy to work for. Those three guys have kind of formed how I look at things."

Aubin knows the actual scouting is maybe not as import these days as building trust.

"I think it's more the relationships that you need to build," he said. "You need to be on top of their games. If they're playing midget and they got a hat trick the night before you've got to make sure you're sending them a text congratulate them. Just forming the relationships making parents and kids feel comfortable."

Though he was clear the scouting process is a team game, Aubin does recall with pride several players he helped bring to the WHL as undrafted list players including former World Junior captain Scottie Upshall, Winnipeg Jets first-round draft pick Keaton Ellerby and five-year WHLer Adam Chorneyko. 

Scouting is just a part of Aubin's hockey background as he has coached consistently since the early 90s. 

"I started coaching in Victoria some peewee and bantam," he noted. "I started going over to Europe with some BC midget teams back in the early 90s. The coaching continued... I have two boys and I was involved in all their hockey. In between I would take some summer teams over to the Czech Republic and Finland. It's good background for what I'm doing. As for the development I'm working with Inside Edge right now part time in the summer running some ice sessions. It's a great opportunity to see kids in the summer, meet with parents and kind of get a start to the year."

Aubin was also chief instructor at the Canadian Trinity Hockey School for 14 years. He will now have to fill the shoes of Jamie Porter who leaves the Broncos after 12 years running their bantam draft and recruitment. 

Swift Current will also have some turnover among regional scouts that Brockman and Aubin need to address.

"I think the biggest thing is loyalty, going out to work, not having an ego on your shoulder," Aubin said. "Lets come out as a group, get in the rink and have some fun. We really just need to have some fun out there and be a team. It requires a mix."

The turnover is pretty obvious on the ice as well. The Broncos will likely graduate their top six scoring forwards, at least two of their best defencemen and their top goaltender after a WHL Championship run. That means they could be a destination for some undrafted players looking for an opportunity.

"After any year where you've done so well there's turnover," Aubin noted. "It creates opportunities for everybody. Dean had sent me an e-mail and the title was free agents. I know there's guys on my list... that's something I'll be looking at right off the bat."

Time is already ticking away as the Broncos are a little over a month away from the start of training camp.