THE WEDNESDAY THRILLER … WITH PHIL ANDREWS

The Regina Pats open 2015 Spring Training Camp on Saturday at the Co-operators Centre. The 2014 and 2015 draft classes will be attendance as well as a number of list players and even some 17-year-olds including Sam Steel.

Senior VP of Hockey Operations and Head Coach John Paddock says he is looking forward to getting a look at all the young talent in the organization. “Very much so. There are a couple here that we didn’t even see last year and other ones that were here last year that, to some extent, was really quick for. I’m really excited to see our players from the draft a month ago especially (Dawson) Barteaux and (Bryan) Lockner, two players we are really excited about.”

Paddock says they are inviting some of the 1998 born 17-year-old’s for the camp. “Some of them that we don’t know, or haven’t seen before. Sean Richards is coming in, Trygve Many Guns is coming in, guys that we haven’t seen play as coaches. Some other guys like Jared Freadrich that we just didn’t get any sort of look at last year. It just didn’t work to look because the rookie camp was three days and they were gone. It’s unusual, it won’t happen again for kids that don’t make it as 16-year-olds but still this is really important to get a good read on them.”

The camp is a primer for training camp and allows the coaching staff to give some direction for the two months of training ahead of training camp in August. “That will be part of it. I think everybody from top to bottom in hockey emphasizes training and workouts but if we can give them a little bit more direction we will certainly do that. Whether it in playing the game or diet or whatever. We will have a little bit of testing. We will be able to tell when they come back if they put some time into it if there is a weakness in a certain area.”

At the end of the day the weekend is a chance for players to see what the team and organization is all about. “It’s certainly a big part of it on the recruitment side for them to see what we are about. We will give them lots of information on all the important stuff and that’s not really the hockey, it’s the school, it’s how the organization is run from the ownership down, it’s the city. We will have some former players there and a current player in Sam (Steel) getting a skate in just to get the ok (after his injury). It’s really an information session more than anything.”

Former captain Braden Christoffer will be in Regina helping out with the camp. He has signed an AHL contract with the Oklahoma City Barons who are headed to Bakersfield next year. Colby Williams and Carter Hansen will also be at the rink this weekend.

The on ice sessions will be at 10 AM both Saturday and Sunday.

—

The Regina Red Sox open their 2015 WMBL season on Friday night at Currie Field against the Weyburn Beavers. Manager Scott Douglas says it’s going to be good to have baseball back in Regina. “Well it’s going to be good to get going. With camp stuff, even though it’s just like a mini-abbreviated camp, everybody wants to play. It’s no different than any other sport, lets get out there and get this going so we can see what we’ve got. We know what we have to do, what kind of team we have so I am really excited.”

The Red Sox won 30 games under Douglas in his first year in 2014 and went to the second round of the playoffs.

Douglas says he’s not sure what to expect this year. “I’m a little more familiar with the league again. It had changed a little bit since my time in 06/07. I know what this team looks like on paper but until you meet the guys face to face and see how they go about their stuff every day, I really don’t know either but we will find out soon enough.”

Douglas says he likes what he has seen so far from the guys that are already in Regina. “What’s really neat is you see the maturity of the returning guys. The area guys that have come back and it’s totally different because they have played for me before. It changes everything and they are, I don’t want to say comfortable but they know what to expect and that changes a lot. That’s a good thing and can only mean positive things for all of us.”

There are about 15 players who have yet to arrive for the season as of Tuesday night. General Manager Bernie Eiswirth says it was a good recruiting year for the club. “It went well, we have coach Douglas and Rob Cherepuschak doing all the recruiting and then they clear everything through me. It’s a process, we start basically last September and then right through the season until as recently as this week. Guys back out at the last minute and then the next guy you get doesn’t have a passport and those are the kinds of problems you have to deal with. We get through that, it’s the same thing every year. It all works out in the end, we have our lineup and it’s an ever evolving thing and things will change in the next few weeks too. We will probably get our roster set finally by July.”

Come on out to Currie Field on Friday night for the home opener at 7 o’clock against Weyburn.

SLAP SHOTS

– I think we saw the best two teams at the Memorial Cup last night. The Kelowna Rockets lost 2-1 to the OHL champion Oshawa Generals. It was a heck of a hockey game and from what I’ve seen of the two QMJHL teams I think they are a little behind. Anything can happen of course in the single game playoffs. The Rockets are guaranteed at least a tie-breaker against Rimouski. But it the Oceanic lose to Quebec tonight then the Rockets would play the Ramparts in the semi-final. All that is decided is that Oshawa is into Sunday’s final.

– I can’t wait for game 6 tonight in Chicago with the Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks. What an incredible series. I hope it goes seven games. Would be a shame if we didn’t get to see two more games between those two great teams. I will say it again, the winner of this one will win the Cup.

– The other series is going seven games as well after the New York Rangers won on the road in Tampa Bay last night. The Lightning I thought were the better team for two periods but Henrik Lundquist was so good and then the third period the Lightning fell apart. It’s been a fun one to watch as well but not at the same level as Chicago and Anaheim.

– Apparently I have been missing out on the NBA Playoffs. I would like to watch but there just isn’t enough time in the evenings to get the hockey in and watch basketball.

That’s it from me today, have a good week!

Phil
@PhilTheThrill18