It's almost here.
Storm training camp kicks off tomorrow (Thursday) morning with registration at 9:30, and fitness testing beginning at 10:30. The close to 40 players in camp will spend Thursday afternoon at a team building event and barbecue, before hitting the ice for the first time on Friday morning.
Here's how the on-ice schedule looks.
Friday, August 27th
8:30 - 9:15 AM - Team Blue Goalie Session
9:30 - 11:00 AM - Team Blue Practice
11:15 AM - 12:45 PM - Team Gold Practice
1:00 - 1:45 PM - Team Gold Goalie Practice
6:00 - 7:30 PM - SCRIMMAGE - Blue vs Gold
Saturday, August 28th
8:30 - 9:15 AM - Team Gold Goalie Session
9:30 - 11:00 AM - Team Gold Practice
11:15 AM - 12:45 PM - Team Blue Practice
1:00 - 1:45 PM - Team Blue Goalie Practice
6:00 - 7:30 PM - SCRIMMAGE - Blue vs Gold
Sunday, August 29th
11:30 AM - Warm-up
12:00 PM - Blue vs White Intrasquad game
All on-ice sessions will take place at the Canada Games Arena in the Crystal Center.
The best battle could be among the eight netminders expected in camp, who will battle it out for two spots. Coach Mike Vandekamp admitted to me that there will be some experienced netminders in camp, who the club decided to keep their acquisitions "close to the chest" until camp starts. I for one am anxious to see who they are bringing in.
Also, 19 year old Tanner Fritz has decided to hold off going to Ohio State for a year, and will be back for a fourth season with the Storm. He and fellow veteran Dan Correale showed some good chemistry for most of last season, and it will be interesting to see if Vandekamp keeps them together this season, or decides to split them up with hopes of spreading out the offence.
News and views on the AJHL's Grande Prairie Storm, and other hockey activities in Grande Prairie, through the eyes of Storm Play-by-Play broadcaster Jeff Henson. The opinions expressed are Jeff's own and not necessarily those of the Grande Prairie Storm hockey club or FREE-FM Radio.
Hey Jeff,
ReplyDeleteNice looking blog, hopefully you enjoy and continue to do it.
Any news on whether or not Rodger Craig will return? There are some varying reports of his scholly situation.
Thanks and keep it up!
Last I heard, Rodger will not be in camp. Word over the summer was that he was ready to hold off his scholarship for a year (much like Fritzy did with Ohio State), and come back to the Storm this season. But reportedly, Cornell has had some players that they were expecting to come back move on to other levels of hockey, so they needed Rodger to come this season.
ReplyDeleteIt`s too bad, because I could honestly have seen Craiger playing in the top 6 forwards this year, and being a key contributor to the club.
Thank you very much for the positive comments. It`s good to get feedback on this site. I`m going to do my best to keep it updated all season.
Too bad. I agree that Rodger would have been a very key component on the Storm. He certainly responded well to Mike's coaching and the Storm style of game.
ReplyDeleteI suppose this will just open doors for other kids to step up. Should be an interesting season.