interview with Twohey

Patrick King | July 13, 2012, 11:01 am

Twitter @SNPatrickKing
Jeff Twohey recognized a good fit when he saw it.

It appeared weird at first, the red, blue and white of the Oshawa Generals after being decorated in the maroon and white of the rival Peterborough Petes for nearly three decades. Two years passed since the Petes cut ties to their longest-serving employee, who scouted for the Phoenix Coyotes the last two seasons before the Generals came calling.

Twohey was hired as the team's new general manager in late April. He was given the keys to the franchise along with a new wardrobe.

"The first time I put on a Generals jacket, it was a little strange," Twohey said Wednesday. "But the more I wore it, the more comfortable I got with it."

The jacket fits just as nicely as the situation in Oshawa. Twohey, who turned down four other opportunities, was willing to return for the Generals' job after two enjoyable seasons with the Coyotes.

Gone now are the long road trips and replaced by the responsibility which comes with a hockey franchise's top job.

"It was a relatively easy environment to work in, especially in Phoenix with good people," he said. "To get back into it where you got your cell phone and your computer 24/7 to stay on top of things is more of a challenge. But anybody who's in junior hockey, you have to love it or you shouldn't be here."

It's that love for the junior game and the situation in Oshawa that brought Twohey back.

"I love the building, I love the history of this franchise, I love the passion of the fans," he said. "There was a draw for me to be part of it, which I hadn't felt before in any other opportunities."

Twohey accomplished the first goal on his checklist by hiring D.J. Smith as his new head coach two weeks ago. Smith comes with a proven pedigree including two MasterCard Memorial Cup championships as an assistant coach with the Windsor Spitfires in 2009 and 2010 and has a track record of developing young prospects for the pro game.

In Smith, Twohey sees a like-minded individual.

"We're both kind of in the same boat," Twohey said. "He didn't need to leave Windsor. This isn't a job he had to have -- it's a job that he wanted and I'm the same."

Twohey and Smith inherited a team in need of some house-cleaning. The Generals were considered a potential championship contender prior to last season, but merely outlasted the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference to qualify as the eighth-seed.

Last year's version was maddeningly inconsistent and showed glimpses of their potential sporadically before being eliminated in six games by the Niagara IceDogs in the opening round. The team's shortcomings cost GM Chris DePiero and head coach Gary Agnew their jobs following the playoffs.

Twohey saw those Generals enough last season to identify the missing ingredient.

"A team that were at their best when they played as a team," he noted. "Whenever adversity hit, they broke down into a bunch of individuals."

The core of returning players includes Philadelphia Flyers first-rounder Scott Laughton, captain Boone Jenner, Lucas Lessio, and talented overagers Geoffrey Schemitsch and Matt Petgrave, to name a few. The window of opportunity is still open for the Generals, though the team's play and the players' willingness to buy into the team concept will determine which direction they head.

"It won't be an option," Twohey says. "If you don't buy in, then obviously you're not going to be here."

They will likely be without the services of the Vancouver Canucks' first-round pick in 2011, Danish forward Nicklas Jensen. The 19-year-old is not eligible for the American Hockey League and his agent made it clear this summer that Jensen would either be with the Canucks or in the Swedish Elite League to further his development.

They will return German forward Sebastian Uvira as one of their two imports and drafted Latvian centre Teddy Blueger 48th overall in the import draft, though Blueger intends in playing college hockey next season.

They could, however, add one of the Toronto Maple Leafs' first round picks in 2011 in American forward Tyler Biggs, should he decide to leave the NCAA. Biggs was chosen by the Generals in the second round of the 2009 OHL priority selection and will attend Oshawa's training camp. He will join Oshawa should the Maple Leafs determine his development is better served in the OHL.

"If Tyler ends up here, then obviously that will help take the sting away from Nicklas leaving," Twohey said before adding that Jensen would still be welcomed back in Oshawa.

The Generals' new GM has yet to make a trade, but is looking to pull the trigger to send overage goalie Kevin Bailie elsewhere. Bailie's days in Oshawa appear to be numbered following the emergence of Daniel Altshuller, a third-round pick by Carolina this summer, and last year's second-round OHL pick, Ken Appleby.

"(Bailie is) the Mike Smith of the OHL," Twohey said. "If he goes into the right situation, I think he can carry a team."

Twohey wouldn't rule out the possibility of having Bailie back in Oshawa, though he would like to find his veteran goalie a new team prior to training camp.

Assuming Schemitsch and Petgrave are ready to meet the requirements determined by Twohey and Smith as overages, only one spot remains open. It's conceivable if there's an NHL lockout that the high-scoring Christian Thomas could be back, though the Generals will move forward anticipating his departure.

Much of the makeup of this roster will depend on the players' willingness to embrace the new culture in Oshawa.

"There's just something that's special about this franchise," Twohey says, "and to me, it's a privilege to be part of it."