Not even a full year into his tenure as Swift Current Broncos Head Coach and Director of Player Personnel, Manny Viveiros has made quite the impression on Swift Current.

Taking over a team that had sold off many assets at the 2016 WHL Trade Deadline to net young talent, the first-year Broncos bench boss guided Swift Current into the second round of the WHL Playoffs for the first time since 2008.

Furthermore, the Broncos were just one win away from returning to the WHL's Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2001.

"As the momentum picked up, it was so exciting," Viveiros said.

"Just seeing the people in Swift Current, seeing the flags downtown and the support on the road in the playoffs, just how many fans travelled with us was really exciting. That is something we want to continue to build going forward."

Coaching Swift Current to a record of 39-23-4-6 and a third place finish in the Eastern Conference's East Division in his rookie season, and pushing the CHL's top ranked team in the Regina Pats to brink of elimination, Viveiros can see plenty of positives from their season and playoff run.

"All of our kids, what they mentioned at our exit meetings was they noticed the difference between the regular season and as soon as playoffs started," he said.

"The intensity, the speed, the emotions and everything else was ramped up another fifty percent and that is something they realized and something they can take with them moving forward. It will be invaluable for the veteran players coming back and especially our young players."

Although finding plenty of good things to take away from the season, having their playoff run end against Regina is still a tough pill to swallow.

"For us, it was game six at home where we had an opportunity up 3-1," Viveiros said.

"We had an opportunity to make it 4-1 on a powerplay and also on a breakaway. Having said that, I think if we put in that one extra goal in that gives us something breathing room and may have just deflated their tires."

The former Prince Albert Raider had been coaching overseas recently, including a stint with the Austrian National Team.

Coming to Swift Current and coaching junior hockey, Viveiros says it was a season full of learning for himself as well.

"From the hockey side, hockey is still hockey," he said.

"The difference between dealing with pro-players and junior players is the level of maturity. Sometimes you definitely forget that these young men are still kids and still going through a lot of phases in their life, maturing and stuff like that. You have to maybe take you foot off the gas a little at times to understand that these kids are still going through a lot of things."

For Broncos fans, the excitement first started to build-up when Viveiros and the Swift Current franchise made a big splash at the WHL Trade Deadline.

Having already acquired overage forward Ryan Graham from Saskatoon earlier in the season, the Broncos went out and got overagers Ryley Lindgren from the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Jordan Papirny from the Brandon Wheat Kings.

"By trading for all three of our 20-year olds, it changed the dynamic in our room," Viveiros said.

"You could just see the different level of excitement that the players had in our room. The experience and new energy they brought to our hockey club was so important for the other players that hadn't been there to feed off that. It was so important for our hockey team to have those trades."

Looking back on the strides that the Broncos were able to make this season, the Viveiros says the organization really helped him settle into his role.

"I was very fortunate to have a great staff, with my associate coaches and (Jamie LeBlanc) helping me out here," he said.

"It was so invaluable having such a great support staff here. They were so helpful in so many different ways."

For each and every one of their 12 home playoff games, the Innovation Credit Union iPlex was sold-out.

Looking ahead to next season, the Broncos Head Coach feels they will have the team to continue building that excitement.

"We are very happy with the core players we are going to have coming back here," he said.

"Plus, with our young players coming up with the experience that they gained this year, we expect them to make that next step. We are very very excited for next year."

Next up for the Broncos will be Thursday's WHL Bantam Draft in Calgary.

At the moment, Swift Current is holding on to two first round selections, the 9th overall pick, and the 13th overall pick.