The Nanaimo Buccaneers have hired Lee Stone as the team's new head coach and general manager. Stone joins after a 10 year stint with Campbell River which included three VIJHL titles. (Island Images Photography)

By Alex Rawnsley

new bench boss

‘Character is number one:’ new Nanaimo Buccaneers coach eyes rapid rebuild

Apr 5, 2023 | 4:33 PM

NANAIMO — It’s a change at the helm of the ship for the VIJHL’s Nanaimo Buccaneers.

Lee Stone has signed onto the team as its new head coach and general manager, in a move announced Wednesday, April 5. He joins the club after a decade with the Campbell River Storm, winning three league championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Stone said after leaving Campbell River earlier this season, the opportunity to rebuild a fledgling Nanaimo program was enticing.

“It’s a unique challenge, there’s no question about it, I’m not going to sit here and deny the fact it’s certainly been a struggle but I think the experience I have in Campbell River and frankly doing something similar when I first went to Campbell River…I’m looking forward to taking advantage of that.”

Stone’s appointment comes after a tumultuous time for the team.

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The Bucs won just a single game in the 2021/22 season when it was owned by Carl and Marnie Ollech.

Nicole Branbenburg then purchased the franchise in April 2022, with her son Andy Hellweger serving as the head coach and general manager.

Fortunes continued to run against Nanaimo, as they again finished last in the 2021/2022 campaign with five wins.

Stone said the recent history will be a recruiting challenge, but one they’re leaning into.

“Character is number one, the reality is this squad isn’t going to be for everyone. There are going to be players that I’m going to phone, that’ll look at the Nanaimo Buccaneers record over the last three years and say ‘thanks, but no thanks’.”

He added the team wants players ready for a grind, and wanting to “be right at the ground floor” of re-building the franchise.

“We want the kids who have the type of character that relish that type of opportunity. They’ll want to be part of a group that’s going to make change and push the program in the right direction.”

The Buccaneers will host an identification camp in mid-April and Stone intends to have a strong presence at a variety of BCHL camps this off-season too.

He said he prides himself on knowing something about every player who could come to the VIJHL and wants to ensure he either watches them play or has a conversation directly.

Stone also wants to utilize the larger centre of Nanaimo to build better relationships between the city’s Junior A and Junior B franchises.

“Having someone right in our backyard (the BCHL’s Nanaimo Clippers), obviously it’s an absolute no brainer for us. We want to try and partner with them as much as we possibly can, hopefully have a working relationship.”

The Nanaimo Buccaneers entered the VIJHL in 2012 as an expansion franchise, but have yet to win a VIJHL Championship.

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