Storm home players find their ‘next level’ at pro training camps
By Eric Balnar, Guelphstorm.com
Guelph Storm head coach Scott Walker sees nothing but positives from the unique situation his team is in.
With less than two weeks to go before the season, 11 Storm players are off at NHL training camps.
As a result, they were forced to cancel a tune-up game with Mississauga and Walker has been running practices with only two goalies and six skaters.
Even though the team loses valuable preseason time together, Walker says this opportunity for the players will bring a big edge for the Storm in the regular season.
“Anytime you send players to pro camp they are going to see there’s a completely different level,” he says. “If the guys have the right attitude, they’ll come back and say, ‘Oh man! I’m not ways from where I want to be and I want to work hard every night.’ ”
It’s this “next level” Storm players say they hope to find.
Forward Brock McGinn played four games for the Charlotte Checkers last season – the Carolina Hurricanes’ affiliate. He says playing in a level up was a fantastic learning opportunity to judge himself as a player.
“You go to the camp and you can see how big of a step it is. They’re bigger stronger and faster up there. It really opens your eyes and shows you how hard you have to work,” says McGinn, who is at Hurricanes’ camp. “You come back here and you do that.”
Defenseman Matt Finn agrees. He says his experience at last year’s Toronto Maple Leafs training camp helped elevate his game.
“The intensity level there is way different,” says Matt Finn. “You come back here and you know how hard you have to work and how intense you have to be every single night.”
Walker even sees benefits for the younger players who aren’t off at training camp.
He says the pro ethic should rub off on the younger guys.
“They’ll see what kind of work the older players are putting in and what it takes to get their own invite to a camp,” he says.
Walker adds it’s also nice to have focused practice time with the few players that remain behind.
“The guys that are gone have been here a while so they know how things work around here,” he says. “This week is a good time to show the young guys our system and when the older guys come back they’ll fit right in.”
The Storm players and coaches alike also put to rest any idea that losing time together in the preseason is critical for team bonding.
“We’re a very tight knit group,” says Zac Leslie. “We’ve been together for basically three years.”
Leslie adds they’ll be able to pick up right where they left off after their time apart.
While glaring positives come from this experience for the players, Walker says the biggest negative is for the fans that had their September 6th preseason home game cancelled.
But ultimately, Walker says this will make the Storm more exciting.
“To me, the fans should love this. They get to watch elite pro players before they even turn pro,” he says.
