Former Swift Current Broncos Assistant Coach and Director of Player Development Jamie Heward, along with his Vancouver Giants, got the upper-hand last night in a 6-2 win over the Broncos.

Heward spent the previous six seasons with the Broncos, before getting hired as an associate coach with the Giants in the offseason.

Leaving the familiar southwest after a run to the Memorial Cup this past spring, the Regina-born Heward says it boiled down to prospective pro hockey opportunities.

"After we were done at the Memorial Cup, I had a couple interviews with some pro teams. The final kind of vote for them was experience. They just said they liked everything that I was doing, but I just needed some more experience. In order to make that move, I just wanted to get to a bigger market and kind of get more exposure and see if that's something that I really want to pursue."

"I had taken a big step forward with Manny in the last couple years, being at the rink more than I had ever been before and I started to like it. I liked being around the guys, I liked seeing their development on a regular basis, and I just felt this was the next necessary step."

Heward was hired onto the Broncos staff ahead of the 2012-13 season, spending the first four under then-head coach Mark Lamb, and most-recently ending his stint with a pair of years served under Manny Viveiros.

Getting to kick-start his coaching career in his home province was certainly an opportunity Heward noted he's grateful for.

Over that span, the former NHL defenceman helped coach a handful of current pro blueliners. The development and success of Dillon Heatherington, Julius Honka, Max Lajoie, and Colby Sissons are among those that stand out as bright spots from his player

Heward will still have ties to Swift Current as he moves forward with his coaching career, as his son Blake was drafted by the Broncos in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft.

The possibility of seeing his son suit up for Swift is an enjoyable possibility, and Heward added he's helped equipped Blake for success.

Heward and the Giants sit first in the Western Conference with a 9-1-1-0 record through 11 games. Meanwhile the Broncos are on the road against the Victoria Royals tonight.

Catch all of the action starting at 7:30 p.m. for Robertson Family Group Broncos hockey on Magic 97.