The Estevan Bruins held their annual spring camp at Spectra Place on the weekend, allowing the team to evaluate their on-ice future, both in the near- and long-term.
Roughly 65 players took part in the weekend festivities, being divided into four teams for games running from Friday night to Sunday morning.
Bruins scout and former assistant coach Cole Zahn, who largely ran the camp, said the level of intensity grew as the weekend went on.
"I thought for the most part, it was pretty good. Obviously Friday, it wasn't exactly what we wanted, but Friday was more of a travel day for the guys, so that's understandable. Come Saturday and Sunday, the guys got some rest and got accustomed to the pace," said Zahn.
The decision to level the playing field for Sunday's games, with one featuring older players and the other comprised of younger prospects, resulted in better hockey, Zahn said.
"I thought it worked out very well. Getting some feedback from some of the players, they thought it was a much more competitive session than Saturday," he said. "The compete level really bumped up another notch and it was good to see."
There were expectations for certain players to come in and stand out during the camp, and Zahn said they did just that, by and large.
"Most of the guys we had high hopes for came in and showed why they were the high prospects for us. They were skating well. You could tell they hadn't been on the ice the last couple of weeks. (But) they were training hard and didn't get tired too quickly; that's a good sign. You can tell they've been taking their training seriously."
Those players included the likes of 1995-born forwards Keegan Allison and Chris Thorimbert, and 1996-born forwards Lynnden Pastachak and Chase McKersie.
"They came in and blew everyone else out of the water. They were playing physical and showed off their skill," said Zahn.
Among the other players Zahn was impressed with were 1995-born goalie Brett Lewchuk of the Saskatoon Blazers, 1996-born Regina Pat Canadians defenceman Joshua Rieger, 1997-born forward Chase Tippett, also of the Pat C's, and Manitoba netminder Luke Penner.
Penner, who is from The Pas and is entering his final season of midget AAA with the Norman Northstars, was one of the biggest surprises in camp, inheriting that title from Brett Dumaine last year.
"He was a relative unknown for us, but he came in and stole the show for us in net. He played very well for a '96. He's a big, strong kid, a taller kid, and he's so square to the shooter all the time; a very good technical goaltender," said Zahn.
He added that the defencemen at camp were particularly impressive, and that will "make for some tough decisions for us down the stretch" in the fall.
"I thought for the most part, the D was very solid. A lot of guys came in battling for their spot. That was a position that was very strong.
"Up front, we kinda knew exactly what we had coming into camp. I'd say there were six to eight very good forwards."
Zahn said the quality on display at spring camp makes him optimistic about the future.
"I think the future is going to be very bright for the organization. You look at the spring camp, it was very competitive and that's just spring camp with a lot of '97s and '98s.
He added that roughly 15-20 players from the spring camp will get invites to training camp in the fall.
