The Eagle Sky Estevan Bruins are getting ready for a whole new hockey season, with their first matches beginning this September. The team is preparing to hit the ice with a couple of new faces following trades over the offseason.
Marty Martinson, the Bruins' play-by-play commentator and marketing director, talks about how the club is preparing for the preseason.
"It really is coming up quick. We're now three weeks and one day from the 9th of September, there to get the preseason going. This is just going to be a great group of guys. You know, that's one thing that was apparent right off the bat."
"We had, I think, over a dozen guys for that first week of hockey school coming back by their own accord. You know, they want to be around. They want to meet the new faces, meet the new guys. We talk about it all the time. I know I do on the broadcast, but if you have good synergy off the ice and you get along well and you play hard for your teammates, you're going to find success."
Martinson has also been chatting with some of the new players and feels like they're good fits for the organization.
"I was talking with a couple of the new faces there about, you know, just coming in and what it's been like there. They were really enjoying their time there, working the holes and everything like that."
"But this could be a young group, but they're going to be a fast group, and they're going to be a pretty physical group there as well. A lot of guys who really play that scrappy, tenacious Bruins style of game. You know, yes, there's some skill, there's some real speed in this group, but they're also, you know, they're going to be a tough team to play against."
Between returning players like Rorey Elson and Carter Onrait, along with new acquisitions such as Rylan Williams, Martinson is very optimistic about the season in front of them.
The coaching staff is also just as important heading into the season, and Martinson says he's glad to see Drew Kocur in the leading role.
"For Drew, he's one of those guys, he lives and breathes it. He's really been working hard this summer, recruiting different players, setting things up, and making some big trades there."
"He wants them to play that aggressive round of hockey, you know, Drew and (Assistant Coach Tucker Neuberger), they know each other really well, even from growing up and that sort of thing. They both want to really push the pace there. They want the guys to play an aggressive, in-your-face style of game. That's what so much of the personnel, that's where they really thrive as well. So it's going to be a great, entertaining team to watch this year."
Martinson encourages people to head to their website and grab a season pass, as he says there's a lot of community excitement for the season ahead.
"I'll tell you what, I'm trying to think of a time there's been more optimism heading into a season. I'll tell you what, this could be a fun team to watch. This could be a fun atmosphere here at Affinity this year. A lot of building blocks were laid in place last year. Now this year, I think this is a team that's really ready to take that next step there and be an exciting team as they look to get back into the playoff hunt."
The Estevan Bruins begin their preseason on September 9th with a game against the Red Wings in Weyburn, before returning to Estevan to face their Highway 39 rivals again on Wednesday, September 10th. The preseason rounds out with an out-of-province matchup, with back-to-back matches against the Virden Oil Capitals on September 12th and 13th.
You can also call into Martinson's office at 634-7730.