The Yorkton Terriers held their annual fall camp in preparation for the upcoming Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.
Terrier head coach Trent Cassan said camp went well, but he was not rushing to suggest who will stick with the team heading into the regular season.
"It was a good turnout of guys, around 80," he said, adding that was near ideal as it gave them four full teams for practice sessions and scrimmages.
"We had some good sessions and good full-length games."
As much as the camp went well, Cassan said it will take some more time to complete evaluations.
"I think we need to get into the exhibition season and practices to see what our strengths are going to be," he said.
That said, Cassan said he was happy with the way his veterans came to camp ready to compete, adding that he expects a lot from his returning players.
He said when you consider "the amount of playoff games they have played the last two years, it's almost an extra half year. The experience gained on those long playoff runs we've had have helped their development."
While Cassan is happy with his veterans, he still has many decisions to make regarding the make-up of the team.
He said Sunday night after the black and orange scrimmage he expected to carry 30-plus players through the week of exhibition games, they play four in six days, including hosting Waywayseecappo of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League Friday, and SJHL opponent Estevan Sunday for an afternoon affair.
There is also a high likelihood Cassan will be evaluating some additional talent in the coming days.
"Certainly there are guys at other WHL (Western Hockey League) and (other) Junior camps," he said, adding some may well filter to Yorkton.
It is certain the Terriers will have new faces in the line-up after graduating a number of 20-year-olds at the end of last season.
One spot in need of a new face is in goal with three-year starter Devin Peters graduating.
The team does return Warren Shymko, and Cassan said he was steady through camp.
"Warren played pretty good. He came in and showed he's ready to play," he said, adding who will be the other Terrier netminder is yet to be determined.
One face Terrier fans may know that did garner praise for his camp performance from Cassan was Jeremy Johnson.
"He had a really good camp and showed he's ready to play Junior 'A'," said the Terrier coach, adding he may not be as familiar as a local player as some others because he never played AAA Midget, and was in Ochapowace playing Junior 'B' most of last season.
Johnson did play eight regular season games with the Terriers as an Affiliated Player, as well as some playoff action, so "he has an idea about the Junior 'A' game too," noted Cassan.
The Terriers saw their first exhibition action Monday hosting Melville at the Farrell Agencies Arena in the annual rookie game, which the hosts won 9-8.
Terrier Assistant Coach Casey O'Brien, said he liked what he saw.
"I was really impressed with our young guys," he said after Monday's afternoon action. " Some guys stepped up in the third blocking shots to preserve the win."
O'Brien said he was also pleased with the way the young Terrier hopefuls adjusted to the situation.
"At this level you have to be able to adjust to different coaching," he said, adding they threw a few new wrinkles at the rookies Monday, such as a different powerplay break-out. "They did that really well."
The Mills did manage eight goals, but O'Brien said that was a team issue.
"The goals against were kind of breakdowns by the defence and forwards," he said. "Our goalies I thought played really well."
While the young Terriers played well, O'Brien said, "most of the guys are going back to play AAA (Midget)" since most were only 16 that dressed for the game.
