Former Vipers Head Coach-GM Mark Ferner Gets First Look At New Team:

Former Vernon Vipers head coach-gm, Mark Ferner got to take a look at his new team Thursday, when the WHL Everett Silvertips opened up training camp. Ferner was head coach-gm of the Vipers for four years (2007-2011).

This was in the Everett Herald Newspaper:

Silvertips coach gets first look at team

Now that the players are over the first-day jitters, new coach Mark Ferner expects to see better hockey at today's workouts

By Nick Patterson, Herald Writer

Published: Friday, August 26, 2011

EVERETT -- It's been a long wait, but Mark Ferner finally received his first chance to see his new charges up close and personal Thursday.

The Everett Silvertips' new head coach got his first look at his players when the Tips opened their training camp for the 2011-12 WHL season Thursday at Comcast Arena.

Ferner, who was hired in early July to replace the departed Craig Hartsburg, has been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to start working first-hand with his new team. Though his role Thursday was strictly as an observer rather than a coach, he was happy to finally get the process started.

"It's great to get everyone together and try to put a name to a face and vice versa with the players toward me," Ferner said following Thursday's scrimmages. "There's a lot of new people, new faces, and we certainly want this to be a good experience for our young guys. But we can't wait to get on the ice and get through some structure and how we want to be as a hockey team this year."

A total of 69 players skated Thursday, a group that included Everett's returning players, the prospects on its 50-player protected list, and several invited free agents. That group was split into four teams, with each team playing one game in the morning and one in the afternoon.

"I thought it was good," Everett captain Ryan Murray said about the first day. "It was good to see all the young guys, all the young prospects coming up. We've got a lot of good players out here and it's just fun to go out there and play with the young guys, hang out with the future of this franchise."

As for Ferner's first impression of Everett's players, he said he was pleased that several of the veterans came into camp in good shape, but he also expressed some mixed feelings about what he saw on the ice Thursday.

"Knowing what the kids went through yesterday with all the testing, I know there's a lot of nervous kids out there," Ferner said diplomatically. "Today was more of a feeling-out process for them and I expect us to be better tomorrow as far as the group is concerned.

"Right now there's not a lot of structure," Ferner explained. "They haven't played together and there's a lot of new faces out there. I think once you have structure you look quicker, you look faster, you look smarter. That's something we've talked about as a group and today was more about getting the kids on the ice and familiar with the rink and the area and each other."

One player Ferner was impressed by was Murray. Murray, who's coming off a busy offseason that included playing for Canada at the U-18 World Championships and attending Canada's summer development camp for the upcoming World Junior Hockey Championships, already was named captain for the upcoming season, despite the fact he doesn't turn 18 until September. After watching Murray for the first time Ferner understands why.

"There's no question he's an elite player," Ferner said. "I think the players gravitate to him. Everything he does is of a pro mentality, whether it's working out or the way he plays. We're certainly very fortunate to have a player like him in the organization."

And Ferner emphasized that with the regime change, every player needs to show him something in order to make the team.

"This is training camp and they certainly have to understand there's no free passes here," Ferner said. "There are some jobs available, with younger players pushing the older guys.

"Everybody starts with a clean slate here, regardless of where they played or how they did last year," Ferner added. "We're starting over and they get to make that first impression again. So far a lot of them have made a positive one."