The Moose Jaw Warriors opened their 2025 main training camp on Wednesday as they prepare to put together their roster for the upcoming Western Hockey League season.
With roughly 110 players vying for a spot, it's one of the largest camps the team has ever held.
“It’s going to be giving them more games this year so that we can evaluate them more and it’s probably too big of a camp, but with the NCAA opening up, things will probably change next year," said Warriors general manager Jason Ripplinger. "But, we’re looking forward to watching all the players play."
The training camp opened with registration and fitness training on Wednesday, with players hitting the ice on Thursday for practices and scrimmages.
Workouts, scrimmages, and practices continue Friday and Saturday. All on-ice sessions are open to the public, and a full schedule can be found here.
In total, eight rookie scrimmages and up to six main camp scrimmages are planned to give players a chance to show their skills in game situations.
“We didn’t want to watch them in practice because obviously there are players who are practice players and we want to watch these players in games, so they are going to get enough games to prove themselves,” Ripplinger said.
The general manager added that after a season with a 15-45-6-2 record, he wants to see a very competitive camp.
“Well, it has to be hard. There are not going to be any days off," he said. "We need to change how things were from last year, and it’s a new year and we've got to look forward, can’t look in the past."
Camp wraps up on Sunday with a main camp scrimmage from 9 to 11 a.m. The annual Red and White Intrasquad Game takes place at 5 p.m. at the Temple Gardens Centre. Admission is a donation to the Canadian Mental Health Association, Moose Jaw.