June 17th

It’s just over 2 months until veterans report for training camp… oh fitness testing, what a great day that is!

While the NHL season wrapped up less than a week ago there is already a question on HockeyTalk about when the AJHL schedule comes out. Despite the fact the CFL exhibition season kicks off tonight with the Riders in Edmonton there are still those of us who can’t wait for hockey training camps to start.

Camp brings a sense of hope and anticipation to every team as well as a number of story lines that play themselves out as the season approaches. I will be curious to see which veterans worked hardest in the summer, can someone show a Matthew Register esq. year over year improvement and become a dominating force? For that matter how much better can Matthew Register get? How will Marc-Antoine Juneau look after off season knee surgery? Who will end up with a letter on their jersey?

While it’s good to catch up with the vets camp is even better because of the rookie battles. Some come in with a little experience after having a cup of coffee in Bonnyville because of the injury problems with the Pontiacs last season. Kevin Carthy was named Best defensive forward in the AMHL last year playing for the Knights of Columbus out of Edmonton and I’d be interested in having Carthy line up on one goal line and Devon Kalinski line up on the other and then watch them collide at centre. Carthy will join fellow KofC teammates Blake Leask, Dante Burrelli and possibly Derek Hutton at Camp. Leask is a slick, puck moving defenseman who got into 4 games last year with the Pontiacs while Hutton was scoreless in one appearance. Burrelli did not play in Bonnyville last year but had 11 goals (7 on the Powerplay) and 7 assists with KofC. Also repping Edmonton and showing up at camp will be goaltender Zach Weissbach.

Speaking of players who spent some time in Bonnyville last year Steven Jean, who played with Lloydminster (not that we hold that agaisnt him) in the AMHL and dressed for seven Pontiacs games, will be up here for camp come August.

As always there will be a contingent from Saskatchewan showing up at camp which includes a couple-three players I will be interested in checking out. ’91 forward Jake Towriss is listed at 5’9 and 160 lbs and had 38 points in 42 games with the Saskatoon Contacts. Towriss added 3 goals and 5 assissts in 10 playoff games and football fans will recognize the name as his father Brian Towriss is the head coach of the CISpowerhouse University of Saskatchewan Huskies. His battles in the SMAAAHL will continue in camp as he faces off against Saskatoon cross-town rival Eric Peterson who had 32 points in 34 games with the Blazers and the word is Peterson can “outright fly”. I’m also interested in seeing Dillon Curry of the Swift Current Legionaires. Curry put up 32 points in 43 games with a S.C. team that didn’t make the playoffs last year.

This is just a sampling of what I'll be looking for once camp commences during the second half of August but maybe the best part of camp will be seeing the players I don’t know anything about. What kind of local flavour will last years RAMHL champion Northeast Panthers be able to provide? What other surprises do Chad and Ryan have up their sleeves in regards to recruits? How much of Tyler Henry’s hair will have grown back?