After hoisting the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions, the Swift Current Broncos will be in the market for a new bench boss for the 2018-19 WHL season.

Manny Viveiros, the now-former Head coach and Director of Player Personnel, was one of three coaches hired on to the Edmonton Oilers' staff under head coach Todd McLellan. 

"Anytime you get an opportunity to go the NHL you certainly have to look at it," Viveiros said. "They're a real good organization and they're from my hometown. I grew up watching them and there's a special place in my heart for the Oilers. More importantly I think they have an opportunity for them to win real soon."

As much as the chance to move to the highest level is exciting, there will be a part of him tied to his now former home.

"I'm always going to be a Bronco for now and forever," Viveiros noted. "Certainly looking forward to new challenges going forward, but my heart is always going to be here in Swift Current."

The Oilers hired Viveiros, Glen Gulutzan and Trent Yawney to work under another former Broncos coach, Todd McClellan.

"This is a really good staff," Viveiros said. "An opportunity for me to grow as a coach and learn and along the way hopefully help them out."

It's a deep staff that features three current or former NHL Head Coaches. That's an opportunity for Viveiros to learn as well as contribute some things from his variety of experiences both in North American and Europe.

"It's going to be a collaboration of everyone," Viveiros said. "No one is going to have one real set individual role. That's how we worked things here in Swift Current. Everyone works together in different areas and together we make the decisions to do what's best for the hockey teams... I've learned more from my coaching staff here than they've probably learned from me. Change is so important in today's game. That's something I really prided myself as far as our group is we really adapted quite a bit especially throughout this playoffs... we made numerous changes throughout that. I'm so looking forward to (learning) different things from different coaches. Especially at the highest level."

Viveiros led the Broncos to records of 39-23-4-6 in his first season and 48-17-5-2 this season. He went 5-1 in playoff series including a WHL Championship this spring. Those shoes won't be easy to fill and he believes they should attempt to stick by a similar brand of hockey.



"I think it is very important the Broncos going forward the style of play we're accustomed to, our identity continues," Viveiros noted. "That's nothing new. That's just the way hockey is now."

It had been 25 years since the Broncos had last won a championship or even been in the league final. Viveiros still found lots of advantages to being in one of the CHL's smallest markets for any coach or player.

"For me it's the environment," he noted. "Now that we've been on the stage, we had the (Canada/Russia series) here and people had an opportunity to come see our facilities. Our workout facilities, the dressing room, the city itself and the schooling... we have great travel in Swift Current. There's so many advantages of being in a small market here. During the winter time we're the only game in town. The community really rallied around us over this last two season and the playoffs. I seriously believe it made a difference."

Now the Broncos will start the process of replacing Viveiros and he gave a strong vote of confidence when asked if either Associate Coach Ryan Smith or Assistant Coach Jamie Heward are worth of consideration for his old job.

"Absolutely," Viveiros noted. "They're both more than ready for that. Absolutely."

Today's announcements also included the impending departure of Director of Business Operations Dianne Sletten. She spent six years in the job and will remain in place until the organization is able to find and properly prepare he successor.