The Melfort Mustangs enjoyed a terrific pre-season as they wrapped up their four-game schedule 3-1.
Heading into the pre-season, Trevor Blevins, the Mustangs’ head coach, was looking for his players to show their compete levels. That is exactly what he saw, he said.
“That was our whole focus was, getting a little bit tougher on the puck as far as battling and competing and I believe we accomplished that. We just want to keep that rolling into Friday, Saturday against Nipawin.”
The Mustangs opened their pre-season schedule with a 4-0 loss against the Nipawin Hawks at the Northern Lights Palace on Sept. 4 before rattling off three straight wins, beating the Hawks 4-2 in Nipawin on Sept. 5, the Humboldt Broncos 6-5 in Humboldt on Sept. 8, and the Broncos 6-3 in Melfort on Sept. 9.
With four games on the schedule, Blevins said he was able to see everything he needed from most players and said their play made the roster decisions relatively easy for Blevins and his staff.
“I think the attitude is positive this year and it seems like guys are willing to do what it takes to compete for a championship.”
Despite carrying a number of players through the pre-season and only having approximately ten days total with the group, Blevins noted the players were able to catch on to the systems quickly, which will bode well for the season.
“There’s some things to polish up actually but it’s definitely not where it was last year at this time of the year and that’s the benefit to starting the season with a veteran group.”
Heading into the regular season opener against the Nipawin Hawks Sept. 15 in Melfort and Sept. 16 in Nipawin, Blevins noted the biggest areas of focus will be on both special teams – which can be a difference maker some nights – and their defensive coverage without the puck.
“If you can compete in those two areas I think you can definitely get a good start.”
The Melfort Mustangs also made a move off the ice sending forward Dakota Boutin to the Penticton Vees for Garret Ewert, the rights to James Miller and a player development fee.
Ewert was then flipped to the Kelowna Warriors for a player development fee.
Miller is a 19-year-old defenseman who is currently expected to play for the University of New Hampshire.
The move was one that did not come easily for the Mustangs, but one they were forced to make, noted Blevins. Both the team and Boutin wanted to come together for another season but the University of North Michigan, where he is committed to play, wanted to see him in a change of environment.
“At the end of the day we tried to convince the school to leave him in our program and they chose not to.”
Originally, the school wanted to see Boutin move to Minot to play for the Minotauros of the North American Hockey League, but that would have seen the Mustangs receive a small player development fee, said Blevins.
So instead Blevins and the Mustangs organization made the decision to move him to the Vees to receive a larger return for the 20 year-old forward.
“Our hands were tied. It’s a situation and a trade that we did not want to be in nor did we want to trade Dakota.”
