The Portage Terriers annual Rookie Camp was the main event at Stride Place this weekend. Over 100 young hockey players took to the ice in hopes of impressing the Terriers staff and trying to earn a shot at coming to training camp in the fall. Angus Moar, the Terriers' Head Scout, describes the process of finding these young players.
"It's a pretty extensive project. you're gone four nights a week in the winter. So, we get to see all these guys, and we pick out who we think will be Terriers. There are 110 of them here, and that's our job, and to figure out who makes the Terriers, that's the coach's job."
Several talented athletes from the Central Plains region took part in the camp, and a few of them shared their thoughts on getting the opportunity.
Three players, Deacon O'Ray, Carson Inman and Luca Tornato played on the same squad in Saturday's scrimmages, and they shared their feelings on the event.
O'Ray played last season with the Portage Collegiate Institute Trojans, and says the camp was a cool experience.
"It was good, it was fast-paced, physical; everything that I love about hockey. There are some really talented guys; lots of guys from all over the place. It was solid."
Carson Inman spent some time with the Portage Islanders this past year, and adds, that experience helped him adjust his game.
"Trojans is a little slower hockey, and then bumping up to the Islanders, it's more like this: bigger guys, faster-paced guys. The puck's moving a lot faster, so you've got to keep up. So, it's a little more similar to the Islanders, which helped me a little bit out here."
Luca Tornato played with the Central Plains Capitals of the Winnipeg AAA Hockey U17 league and shared his favourite part of the weekend.
"Fast-paced hockey, a lot of physicality; stuff I've been missing out on all year. It's good to get back into this. It's a really fun weekend."
All three players expressed their hope of getting to training camp which will roll around near the fall.