Training camp day 2 recap
Prince Albert Raiders training camp continued on Saturday, as four teams kicked off round robin scrimmages at the Art Hauser Centre. Here are the results from all four games today:
Team Pachal 1, Team Guhle 0 (Shootout)
Team Morrissey 3, Team Draisaitl 1
Team Pachal 7, Team Draisaitl 2
Team Morrissey 4, Team Guhle 1
“I’ve seen a lot of energy and compete,” head coach Jeff Truitt said. “I think a lot of that has been driven by our older guys, they’ve done a tremendous job of showing the way. Tomas (Mrsic) and Lukas (Dragicevic) have fit right in and have been impact guys. It’s added to our offence and we’re looking forward to seeing what lies ahead.”
There has been a battle all camp for the backup goaltending spot on the team. The six goalies at camp have all come to play, and Truitt says it makes for a good battle.
“The goalies here know what’s at stake, and this is healthy competition. It’s great that they’re playing well, and they’re showing the compete and that they want to be here. That’s exactly what we want. That’s a great competition to have, and they’re all vying for that spot.”
For the 2009-born players at camp, their first time in Prince Albert is all about getting the experience of skating at a WHL camp. While they won’t be able to crack a spot on the roster full time until the 2025-26 season, Truitt wants to make sure they showcase the kinds of players they are. Those 2009-born players are Brock Cripps, Ben Harvey, Connor Howe, Liam Myhre, Kyle Obobaifo, Nathan Castonguay, Knox Burton, Declan Borthwick, Kade Corbet, Chase Kettles, and Zack House.
“They come in here and everything is new,” Truitt explained. “To see the style of how we play and spending time talking about the different things we do is huge for them. We’ve broken it down into groups and given them expectations of what it takes to be a Raider. We don’t want to take their skillset or their hockey IQ away from them, because they are here for a reason, and that goes for our invited kids too. They’ve proven that they should be at camp. For the 15 year olds, it’s sort of an eyes wide open scenario. It’s been great watching how excited they are, and how well they’ve been doing on the ice. There are a lot of quality young players out here, and we hope they learn what Prince Albert is all about, with the building and the fans. It’s an exciting thing for these kids to go through.”
Now for the 16 year olds, they do have a shot at making the team. Guys like 2023 first rounders Daxon Rudolph, Riley Boychuk, and Ty Meunier. But beyond them, like Benett Kelly, Steel Bass, Jonah Sivertson, Eric Grandberg, Aidan Mohan, Darius Hordal, Jonah Lemoine, and Ty Krooshoop, this is their chance to make a lasting impression on the scouting staff. While not all of them will be able to make the team, it’s an opportunity to really show what they’re made of on the ice.
“We just want them to play right now,” Truitt said of the 16 year old group. “We’re going to get deeper into our systems and our discipline within our systems here in a little while, but we want to see their natural talent come through. As we move along, the structure gets a little more tightened down, then they’re going to have to adapt. It’s a different league from where they’ve come from.
“We take a look at the coachability, the IQ, and the ability to adapt, because any player that’s played, not only in the Western Hockey League, but guys who are moving onto play pro, you’re going to get a lot of different systems thrown at you as you progress. You have to be able to adapt to that kind of stuff. It might be unnatural, but in order to make a team, you’re going to have to adapt to it, so that’ll be the next step that we’re looking for out of these guys. They’ve been tremendous so far, and it’s been great to watch them.”
