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WHITBY -- John Annis has stepped down as general manager of the Durham Fury.
The decision came late last week, and only a little more than a week after the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League's trade deadline.
His resignation ends an interesting tenure with the second-year organization, one that has seen the team struggle to find a satisfying identity.
Expectations were more than met with last season's 16-31-2 mark, but when the team struggled out of the gate this season, the trades and roster movements came fast and furious and almost without interruption prior to the roster deadline.
Though only eight games remained on the schedule heading into last night's game (after our deadline) against Pickering, Annis, with all his other commitments in mind, including his scouting post with the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs, figured the time for change was now.
"I've been wanting to do it for a while, and (director of hockey operations) Peter (Tosh) knew that I've been dragged all over the place with this. I know there is only like eight or nine games left but... I just wanted to help get them through the trade deadline and move forward from there," Annis says.
He also cites an increased workload in his job away from hockey and other family commitments as reasons for stepping aside.
And though the team has struggled mightily at times this campaign, Annis figures the core looks pretty good heading down the stretch and into next season.
"When it's all said and done, I think the team is set up nice. There are some good talented hockey kids that have made their way here," he says. "The Taylor Law's, Tim Halloran's, Kris Faric's, the Matt Gauld's the two Footy's (Brandon and Derek Foote). They'll obviously need a goaltender next year and a couple defencemen out of Whitby minor to solidify the back end but I think it's going to be a good solid team."
For the interim, Tosh will assume the GM duties, while the search for a replacement will happen in the summer.
"We're not going to do anything now," says Tosh. "I'm just going to take the role over and we'll re-evaluate what direction we want to go in. We are pretty happy with the direction and the change we've had. We've got a pretty good group of kids. John did a good job while he was here."
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