The La Ronge Ice Wolves finished a three-day training camp on Sunday afternoon at the Mel Hegland Uniplex.
During a normal year, the Ice Wolves would have already kicked off their season, but due to the COVID-19 situation, training camp was pushed back several weeks.
“I thought everything ran very smoothly,” said Ice Wolves Head Coach and GM Kevin Kaminski. “We had the two rinks, less than 50-man bubble. I thought it was very, very good.”
Kaminski says several players stood out at this year’s camp, which took place at the Mel Hegland Uniplex and the JRMCC.
“Spencer Kennedy was very good, but I really thought Gavin Mattey and William Smith really connected very, very well,” said Kaminski.
“We had some young kids, Curren Wintonyk-Pilot, didn’t notice him the first day, but the second and third day, he really gained some confidence and played very, very well. Those are the things we are looking for, consistency.”
In terms of new faces, Quebec forwards Narek Aleksanyan and Mathieu Belanger also dazzled, as both players found the back of the net multiple times throughout the scrimmages. Smooth-skating Saskatoon defenceman Boston Buckberger was also a player fans were impressed by.
The Ice Wolves will now trim down the roster to 28 players who will take part in a scrimmage Monday morning at 11 a.m.
The SJHL’s tentative start date for the 2020-21 season is Oct. 9., but in order for that to happen, the league needs approval from the proper authorities.
(PHOTO: A scrimmage at camp. Photo courtesy of Braden Malsbury.)