From today's Mercury:
There will be no shortage of players looking to earn a spot with the Estevan Bruins at the team’s training camp this weekend.
Head coach and general manager Keith Cassidy expects about 75 players to show up and they will be divided into four teams for scrimmages.
The main reason for the large group is so Cassidy can get a first-hand look at as many list players as possible in his first camp behind the bench.
Many of those players also attended the team’s conditioning camp last week, including one day when 30 players showed up. No goalies made it to any of the sessions though.
One of the biggest names at camp will be goaltender Derek Tendler, who was released by the Western Hockey League’s Swift Current Broncos last week.
The 1992-born netminder played 38 games for the Bruins in 2009-10. He has since spent time with the Broncos, Vancouver Giants and the Winnipeg Saints of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League.
It’s believed the Broncos let Tendler go mainly because of his conditioning, but Cassidy said he will be given every chance to battle for the starter’s job alongside 20-year-old Shea Cooper.
“We’ll see what he looks like when he gets here. That’s a bit of a pet peeve of mine, if guys don’t show up in shape, but we’ll see. He apparently spent the whole summer in Swift Current, so I can’t see him being too terribly out of shape.”
A whopping 10 goaltenders will be in camp.
The most difficult decisions will likely be up front, where a strong group of ’93 forwards will battle a returning contingent of eight players for roster spots.
Read the rest of the story here
Showing posts with label Mercury stories. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mercury stories. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Lots of SJHL players packing their bags
Here's my column from this week's Mercury, recapping off-season movement in the SJHL. You guys are getting the long version... we had to cut out a few things to squeeze it into the paper. Bonus!
Lots of SJHL players packing their bags
It's been a busier SJHL off-season than usual, in no small part due to all the in-province futures deals that were made leading up to the January trade deadline.
Almost every top player on the block found a new home within the league, and most of those swaps included players to be named later.
As a result, we are seeing teams get dramatic makeovers, with last year's middle-of-the-pack clubs like Humboldt and Melville getting facelifts at the expense of Yorkton and Melfort, respectively.
Who could forget last year's mega-blockbuster that sent top scorers Jeremy Boyer and Justin Buzzeo to Yorkton? The pair made their mark, but the Terriers fell one win short of the Credit Union Cup and now they're paying for it.
The return, 1991-born forwards Clarke Breitkreuz and Robbie Ciolfi, was the worst-kept secret in the SJHL. It played out as expected and now the Broncos have arguably the two top forwards in the league to lead the charge for the Royal Bank Cup.
Breitkreuz is the odds-on favourite to win the SJHL scoring title. Ciolfi needs to keep his focus on the rink, and if he can do that, there's no telling how good he can be.
Humboldt also picked up Ryan Marshall from Swan Valley as the futures for Nick Keller, and I think we'll be looking back on this as the best trade of the off-season. Marshall is a complete player who can play first-line minutes and lead the penalty kill. He'll be invaluable to the Broncos during the RBC.
The Broncos also acquired stud defenceman Mat Backhouse from the Dauphin Kings.
They've built an impressive attack; now they need a top-end goalie. They have been linked to Blake Voth, who the Battlefords North Stars picked up from Vernon this spring, but it won't be cheap to land his services from an inter-divisional rival.
Yorkton won't be terrorizing the Sherwood Conference, but it's not all gloomy for them. Warren Shymko is a capable starter and their attack will be led by the likes of Zak Majkowski, Brent Struble, Brenden Poncelet, Nathan Murray and Kyle McLeod.
The other major futures deal completed this summer saw Melfort send three star players to Melville to complete two separate deals for Cody Hanson and Brayden Metz before the deadline.
Read the rest of the column here
Lots of SJHL players packing their bags
It's been a busier SJHL off-season than usual, in no small part due to all the in-province futures deals that were made leading up to the January trade deadline.
Almost every top player on the block found a new home within the league, and most of those swaps included players to be named later.
As a result, we are seeing teams get dramatic makeovers, with last year's middle-of-the-pack clubs like Humboldt and Melville getting facelifts at the expense of Yorkton and Melfort, respectively.
Who could forget last year's mega-blockbuster that sent top scorers Jeremy Boyer and Justin Buzzeo to Yorkton? The pair made their mark, but the Terriers fell one win short of the Credit Union Cup and now they're paying for it.
The return, 1991-born forwards Clarke Breitkreuz and Robbie Ciolfi, was the worst-kept secret in the SJHL. It played out as expected and now the Broncos have arguably the two top forwards in the league to lead the charge for the Royal Bank Cup.
Breitkreuz is the odds-on favourite to win the SJHL scoring title. Ciolfi needs to keep his focus on the rink, and if he can do that, there's no telling how good he can be.
Humboldt also picked up Ryan Marshall from Swan Valley as the futures for Nick Keller, and I think we'll be looking back on this as the best trade of the off-season. Marshall is a complete player who can play first-line minutes and lead the penalty kill. He'll be invaluable to the Broncos during the RBC.
The Broncos also acquired stud defenceman Mat Backhouse from the Dauphin Kings.
They've built an impressive attack; now they need a top-end goalie. They have been linked to Blake Voth, who the Battlefords North Stars picked up from Vernon this spring, but it won't be cheap to land his services from an inter-divisional rival.
Yorkton won't be terrorizing the Sherwood Conference, but it's not all gloomy for them. Warren Shymko is a capable starter and their attack will be led by the likes of Zak Majkowski, Brent Struble, Brenden Poncelet, Nathan Murray and Kyle McLeod.
The other major futures deal completed this summer saw Melfort send three star players to Melville to complete two separate deals for Cody Hanson and Brayden Metz before the deadline.
Read the rest of the column here
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Ceci to continue career close to home
From today's Mercury:
Faced with the decision of playing Division 3 hockey in the United States or at a Canadian college near his hometown, Jonathan Ceci took the no-brainer.
The former Estevan Bruin has earned a scholarship from Simon Fraser University, located in Burnaby, B.C.
The 21-year-old North Vancouver native will study business at SFU and said the school’s academic reputation factored into his choice.
“It took a while there to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I had a couple of options and this was the best fit for me,” said Ceci.
The Clan is coming off a British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League championship and looking south.
“They’re trying to get their hockey program up and going into the NCAA and it’s close to home for me, so it’s exciting,” Ceci said.
Read the rest of the story here
Faced with the decision of playing Division 3 hockey in the United States or at a Canadian college near his hometown, Jonathan Ceci took the no-brainer.
The former Estevan Bruin has earned a scholarship from Simon Fraser University, located in Burnaby, B.C.
The 21-year-old North Vancouver native will study business at SFU and said the school’s academic reputation factored into his choice.
“It took a while there to figure out what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. I had a couple of options and this was the best fit for me,” said Ceci.
The Clan is coming off a British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League championship and looking south.
“They’re trying to get their hockey program up and going into the NCAA and it’s close to home for me, so it’s exciting,” Ceci said.
Read the rest of the story here
********************
Also, here's the release from the SJHL on Joel Danyluk earning the Roger Neilson/Hockey Ministries International award earlier this week. Congrats to Joel. I've never met him, but have heard great things about him as a person.
ROGER NEILSON AWARD (FAIR PLAY AND DEDICATION TO THE GAME)
Joel Danyluk of the Estevan Bruins is the winner of the Roger Neilson award. This 20 year old goalie from Yorkton has a full understanding of what a community means to a hockey club. He works very hard to ensure that children who attended Bruin games received autograph's, souvenirs and the attention that they need to keep them coming back to the games. Joel was constantly involved in the community through school visits, helping out with minor hockey, volunteering at community events and making sure that this community knows that the Estevan Bruins Hockey Club as a whole depends on the community for support.
This award is voted on by the twelve coaches and team chaplains of SJHL teams, and it goes to the player who best displays fair play and dedication to the game of hockey. These attributes are both on and off the ice. The winner also has to show a commitment to the team chaplain program. This award is also known as the Hockey Ministries International Award
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Spectra Place gets massive housewarming party
My column from today's Mercury:
Other than winning the Credit Union Cup, the annual Showcase is about as good as it gets in the SJHL.
If you have never been to one, you are in for a treat. If you have, you know what I’m talking about.
I had the pleasure of going to the 2009 Showcase in North Battleford and it was one of the most unique experiences I’ve had in hockey.
For an SJHL fan, it’s tough to get a good read on other teams and their players, especially when they don’t play in your division.
So getting to sit in one arena and watch all 12 teams play over three days is something to behold.
This year’s Showcase in Estevan will be in mid-October, less than a month after the season starts, so you’ll get to watch all the rookies and get a first-hand look at the changes each team has made.
Read the rest of the story here
Other than winning the Credit Union Cup, the annual Showcase is about as good as it gets in the SJHL.
If you have never been to one, you are in for a treat. If you have, you know what I’m talking about.
I had the pleasure of going to the 2009 Showcase in North Battleford and it was one of the most unique experiences I’ve had in hockey.
For an SJHL fan, it’s tough to get a good read on other teams and their players, especially when they don’t play in your division.
So getting to sit in one arena and watch all 12 teams play over three days is something to behold.
This year’s Showcase in Estevan will be in mid-October, less than a month after the season starts, so you’ll get to watch all the rookies and get a first-hand look at the changes each team has made.
Read the rest of the story here
Arena helps Bruins land Showcase
From today's Mercury:
Spectra Place is already paying dividends for the Estevan Bruins.
It was announced Sunday that the annual SJHL Showcase has been awarded to Estevan for this season.
The decision was made during the league’s annual meetings held on the weekend in Nipawin.
The event will run Oct. 14-16 at Spectra Place, the first major hockey event to be held in the new facility.
The Showcase brings all 12 SJHL teams together in one venue for three days. Each club plays two games over that span.
It’s an event designed to give scouts from the college and professional ranks a chance to view all of the SJHL’s top talent in one location.
“It’s huge for our hockey club. I think it’ll be very beneficial to the city,” said Bruins president Jeff Pierson. “It’s ironic that it’s called a showcase because it’ll allow us to showcase our rink to a whole new group of people. It’s a win-win on all fronts.”
Read the rest of the story here
Spectra Place is already paying dividends for the Estevan Bruins.
It was announced Sunday that the annual SJHL Showcase has been awarded to Estevan for this season.
The decision was made during the league’s annual meetings held on the weekend in Nipawin.
The event will run Oct. 14-16 at Spectra Place, the first major hockey event to be held in the new facility.
The Showcase brings all 12 SJHL teams together in one venue for three days. Each club plays two games over that span.
It’s an event designed to give scouts from the college and professional ranks a chance to view all of the SJHL’s top talent in one location.
“It’s huge for our hockey club. I think it’ll be very beneficial to the city,” said Bruins president Jeff Pierson. “It’s ironic that it’s called a showcase because it’ll allow us to showcase our rink to a whole new group of people. It’s a win-win on all fronts.”
Read the rest of the story here
Bruins start locking up bumper recruiting crop
From today's Mercury:
With SJHL cards being issued last Tuesday, the Estevan Bruins have been getting down to business.
Head coach Keith Cassidy, director of player personnel Rick Oakes and the team's scouting staff have been pounding the pavement, signing players in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Seven prospective Bruins have been signed in the past week, with more expected to be on the way.
"I’m just thrilled with the number and the quality of the signings we’ve made this year. In my time with the club, I’ve never seen a year like this," said Bruins president Jeff Pierson.
Cassidy got two players locked up last Thursday — Winnipeg Thrashers defenceman Tyler Kauk and Yorkton Harvest right winger Ben Johnstone.
Kauk, a 1993-born defenceman who won the Telus Cup with the Thrashers last month, may well be the biggest catch of the group.
Read the rest of the story here
With SJHL cards being issued last Tuesday, the Estevan Bruins have been getting down to business.
Head coach Keith Cassidy, director of player personnel Rick Oakes and the team's scouting staff have been pounding the pavement, signing players in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Seven prospective Bruins have been signed in the past week, with more expected to be on the way.
"I’m just thrilled with the number and the quality of the signings we’ve made this year. In my time with the club, I’ve never seen a year like this," said Bruins president Jeff Pierson.
Cassidy got two players locked up last Thursday — Winnipeg Thrashers defenceman Tyler Kauk and Yorkton Harvest right winger Ben Johnstone.
Kauk, a 1993-born defenceman who won the Telus Cup with the Thrashers last month, may well be the biggest catch of the group.
Read the rest of the story here
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)