The Selkirk Saints mens hockey team is off to a good start after several days of training at the Castlegar Recreation Complex. With a new coach/general manager (GM) and 22 new faces at camp, it's a totally re-done hockey team with lofty aspirations.
"I think it's going well," said coach/gm Jeff Dubois. "We knew coming in that we had the challenge of evaluating 22 new players. We're obviously short on returning guys. So really this week is about getting the conditioning level back to where we want it and expect it to be and getting a sense of the guys and where they're going to fit in."
Dubois says that he and assistant coach Jamie Freiss have seen the incoming players at the junior level, but it's different when you get them out together.
"We like the team speed," he said. "Certainly the attitude of the group is good. We've got some first year guys quickly emerging as leaders. We can see there's guys that when they open up their mouths, they're getting immediate respect from their teammates. I'd say we're happy with how it's gone so far."
Although the coaches are wont to make any big judgments after a couple of days of camp, Dubois says there has been several standouts so far.
"Mason Spear, who played down in Beaver Valley, is a guy who's stuck out," he said. "Lucas Hildebrand, who played in Revelstoke and played some games for the Vernon Vipers (Junior A) last year, even from day one he jumped out at Jamie and I. Alex Sirard, one of our goalie recruits who spent some time in the Western Hockey League and played Junior A out in Saskatchewan, he looked really good the first day. He actually got injured during our fitness testing yesterday (Tuesday). He's got a wrist injury that'll probably keep him out the rest of the week. But good first impression from him."
The coaches have also been impressed with returning all-star forward Jordan Wood. Last year's top scorer is one of only four returning players for the Saints.
"Jordan, who's going to be our captain, is probably our leader both off-ice and in terms of on-ice performance and probably, in all likelihood, our leading scorer," said Dubois. "He looks really good. He's kind of taken the bull by the horns in terms of getting guys organized. So he's been really impressive."
The coaches have been working on putting the players into lines for the upcoming season, which starts Oct. 5 with a trip to Vancouver Island to play the University of Victoria.
"We're starting to see the chemistry and who fits with whom," said Dubois.
The Saints will be hitting the ice in Fruitvale on Friday and Saturday where they will be scrimmaging against the Beaver Valley Nitehawks' split squads.
"We're doing a mini-tournament down in Beaver Valley where we split the guys into two teams," said Dubois. "Guys in training camp here aren't trying to lay each other out with big hits. It's different at college than junior where guys are trying to make a spot and so they play with more of a physical edge. I don't expect them to go full on against some 16 and 17 year-old kids, but it gives the players a chance to see some new competition and the coaches get to watch and evaluate."
Trail product Logan Proulx, who started last season with the Smoke Eaters and ended with Cowichan Valley, said that camp has gone well and the team is starting to gell.
"It's going really well," he said. "The boys are shaking a little rust off and getting back into the swing of it. We're doing some basic stuff out there and getting a feel for each other and getting our legs moving."
Proulx, who also played two seasons in the WHL with the Edmonton Oil Kings, is confident the team will do well this year.
"I think we're pretty strong all around," he said. "We've got a lot of guys coming in who have a lot of experience. So I think it'll be a good year."
With just a week before school starts, Proulx is looking forward to getting into the swing of the college life. He is taking the Fish and Wildlife Management program at Selkirk.
"It's been my plan for a couple of years to take the Fish and Wildlife program," said Proulx, who is glad to be back in the West Kootenays. "I love it here."