The Manitoba Junior Hockey League season is still a few weeks away, but the Niverville Nighthawks are not waiting, they've started their camp today, which will run through the weekend, and players, as well as staff, are excited to be back.
For now and the future
"I can't believe we're heading back into a rink," Nighthawks general manager Mike McAulay says with a laugh, "but we're excited to be back. With our returning players, there's a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement about the upcoming season."
"We have a vast array of age groups that are going to be here in Niverville," McAulay explains. "We have 2005's and 2010's. It'll be a mix of skill sessions and small area games, and game play. We think it'll be a real thorough process."
Why now?
McAulay says the thought process on why start camp earlier than most is a simple one. "We wanted to try something a little different. It seems there are a lot of camps that get rolled out just after the long weekend. As fans know, there's a lot of competition for players and a lot of competition for prospects, especially the younger ones. So, we thought why don't we try something a little bit different and move our camp up a couple of weeks. Everybody will come into camp, and from there, we'll bring back approximately 35-40 players to kick off our exhibition season on September first. It's something a little different, but we'll see how it goes."
Full buy-in
When the team started reaching out to the veterans, letting them know camp is a few weeks earlier, McAulay says everyone was excited and can't wait to be back in Niverville. "I honestly think they can't wait to get back with the boys. There was no push back, and when I talked a lot of them about the plans for camp, they thought it was a great idea. They want to get back into town and start the process a little earlier."
Veterans set the standard
Another part of why this camp is so important, according to McAulay, is setting the tone for what's a big season for the Nighthawks. "I think there has been a been a little bit of a cultural shift within the organization," the GM details. "There's always a real good foundation to start, and our job is to come in and evolve that. Really be an organization that our players want to come back to and play, and prospects want to be a part of. It takes a lot of heavy lifting, we have a lot of really good people within our organization, from the coaching staff, our training staff, to our scouts. Our board of directors are a really, really supportive group, too. We have people that are aligned with the values of the organization, and our job is to continue to evolve that."
Veterans coming in early and being mixed in with the rookies and prospects is by design, as McAulay believes they too can help set the identity for not just this year, but the future. "We think that it's important that they come here and they set the pace, they set the standard for what we're all about, and the direction the team is going to take this year. Everybody has bought in, everyone is excited, and we're looking at the older guys to come in and take a mentorship role. We want them to help these young players along, and we want them to set the bar."
Community connection
Having many of the players already in also gives the players a chance to engage with the community, something McAulay says is important for both the town and the team. "It's something that's really important to us, important to our board, and to our staff. We want the players to be out in the community, and they put their arms around the community. We know the community is going to put their arms around them. We always say that the volunteer hours, the time spent out engaging the community, you're building fans, you're building friendships, and you get those life long connections. Don't take for granted in junior hockey, get out there, get involved, because there are a lot of really good people for the kids to meet."
Fans welcomed with open arms
Fans are not just welcome to come and see all that the Nighthawks camp has to offer, they're encouraged and appreciated. "We'd love to have everyone come out and see the players they know, and meet some maybe new Nighthawks," McAulay says with a welcoming smile. "Camp opened officially this morning, and it goes through to the afternoon on Sunday. There's a lot of different things to look at, there will be programs, so people will know who's who in the zoo, and please, everyone come on down, we'd love to see you."