It's been a long week for many of the expected returnees for the 2016-17 edition of the Okotoks Oilers.

On Thursday the head coach that recruited the majority of them James Poole and the organization decided to go their separate ways and the search for a new coach has begun.

With the Oilers being the youngest team in the South Division, many of these players will be going through their third coach in as many years when they were recruited from Midget AAA to now coming into their second season of Junior 'A'

Oilers Rookie of the Year Reece Soukoroff says he'll miss the coaching staff that brought him into the fold early in the season when he was released from the Vernon Vipers of the BCHL.

"I really felt James and the staff really connected with the players and I think they really could have helped us win a championship with the stuff they brought to the team, obviously it's really disappointing and I know a lot of the guys feel the same way," he says.

Soukoroff like many in the Oiler locker room are sending their well wishes to their departed staff.

"James, Derek (Stuart), Bobby (Fox) and Jason (Hanna) could have really been a huge help to the team next but I mean obviously Brad (Oilers President of Business & Hockey Operations, Brad Robson) has ideas and we'll see what he figures out in the next couple of weeks and who he hires as Head Coach as well as the assistants."

"I think we laid it all out on the line this year with our systems and we got what we could've done and accomplished as a young group of guys. With a new coach coming in it might shake up the room a bit and might change the vibes a bit."

Second year Oiler heading into his third year with the team Nolan Thompson hoped he'd see the coaching staff coming into fall camp this year.

"It's a pretty general consensus around the team we thought that there was a plan in place to build for next year and this was kind of a rebuild year. We were all at peace with that being a younger team, but this has come as shock as we all expected our coaches would be back next year."

Thompson who joined the team as a 16 year old says he owes a lot to the man who recruited him.

"I have nothing but kind words to say to James obviously he took me in as a 16 year old which doesn't usually happen and probably gave me more opportunities then I had deserved at times but in the end he always treated me well, with respect and we had a good open relationship and he was good coach too."

Thompson says events like this can take a toll on young players going through the grind of junior hockey and hopes the team will be able to compete with the high expectations set out for the coming year.

"It's going to take some time to calm down and let the emotions settle and see what happens. Obviously it's going to be tough, we had built a bond with our coaches and they knew where we were at and where they were at. Obviously now we have to hit the reset button."

The Oilers have started their search for a new coach and will be reviewing resumes for the next few weeks.