The signing of new head coach Kurtis Jones has cleared the way for the Cochrane Generals Jr. B team to get the ball rolling for the 2019-20 season.

Late last week it was announced Jones will be taking over the reins from Travis McMillan, who has recently joined the staff of the Campbell River Storm as associate coach and assistant general manager.

Jones has been the assistant coach of the Alberta Jr. Hockey League Canmore Eagles for the last eight seasons. He will be a familiar face to many in Cochrane from when he coached the minor midget AAA AC Avalanche and the Bow Valley Timberwolves AA peewee, bantam and midget teams.

Gens general manager Rick Richards says he thrilled Jones is joining the organization.

"He's definitely done a lot of coaching here in Cochrane and when we contacted him he was eager to get on the board," says Richards.

A summer training camp was cancelled with the departure of McMillan until a new coach was selected. The Gens fall camp is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3 to 5 with a potential series of four exhibition games to follow.

The Gens are seeking warmup games on Sept. 5-6 on the heels of the training camp and are hoping to arrange a home-and-home series against either Stettler or the defending provincial champion Airdrie Techmation Thunder. They have firmed up a home-and-home series against the High River Flyers on Sept. 13-14 with the Sept. 14 game being held in Cochrane.

The Heritage Jr. B. Hockey League (HJHL) regular season begins Sept. 20. The Three Hill Thrashers have opted out for the season. Stettler's manager has retired and the team will be deciding whether they will be icing a team by the next HJHL board meeting. A Rocky Mountain House team is joining the league and whether they are in the north or south division will largely hinge upon what Stettler decides.

Richards says the Generals expect to see a large number of veterans returning for the 2019-20 season.

"As far as I know, we're going to have a really good contingent of returning players," he says. "I would say we should have probably 15-16 players returning this year."

Braden Bain, their leading scorer in last year's campaign, was the only player who aged out and the team already has the maximum number of players allowed in the overage category. In fact, they would have had to make a tough decision on who would get the spots if not for Harry Osler's decision to head to Ontario for his post-secondary education.

The Generals will be focusing on upping their profile in the community this season, says Richards.

"Kurtis really wants the team to be involved in the community. He really wants us to be a part of what's going on in Cochrane."

Sundays will be special for Cochrane youth. The club will be rolling out its Jr. Generals Night for all its Sunday games. They will also be holding their annual Pub Night that has packed the house in recent years.

There are also some new sponsors and new board members to add a spark to the organization.

"It should be an exciting year," says Richards.