Of the 42 players who suited up in the Black and Gold Game at Estevan Bruins training camp on Sunday, 34 of them were still in the picture to make the team on Monday.
Once the Bruins make another round of cuts around mid-week, the decisions will really get tough.
And this isn't including a handful of younger players who, normally, would get a shot to make it.
The best example of that is 16-year-old Lynnden Pastachak, who for the most part had a strong camp. And I do think he could play this year. The problem is he wouldn't get enough ice time to justify him playing at this level as a '96. It's better for his development to go back to midget and AP a few times with the Bruins.
A pair of 17-year-old forwards, Adam Osczevski and Keegan Allison, had good camps as well, and they should both fight for a spot next year. The Bruins are very high on Osczevski in particular.
The team brought in 19-year-old defenceman Nick Sova on a tryout. He split last year between Minot (NAHL) and a Tier III league in Montana. Sova has earned a longer look with the team. He apparently enjoys dropping the gloves.
Another player who came in to try out was 18-year-old forward Bryce Maggrah, who's already played two seasons in the SIJHL in Ontario. He has been cut, although Bruins head coach and GM Keith Cassidy said he didn't do anything wrong in camp.
But back to the dilemmas at hand.
There are still 18 forwards sticking around, including seven prospects and a couple of new '93-borns trying to catch on.
Hudson Morrison ('94) and Wyatt Garagan ('94) are virtual locks to make it, while '94s Ben Williams and Brandon Halbgewachs are good bets as well. Dayton Picard ('94), Dylan Johner ('94), Daniel Wanner ('95), Justin Nychuk ('93) and Tyson Valette ('93) are also in the mix.
Valette spent half of last season with the La Ronge Ice Wolves in an energy role.
Morrison, who played 36 games in the MJHL last year and is expected to make an immediate impact, spent some time on a line with Calder Neufeld and Cole Olson on the weekend. If that line carries over into the season, Morrison could put up big numbers.
On the back end, it's just as crowded with 12 defencemen still being considered for eight spots.
Aside from Sova, the newcomers battling for a spot are '94s Brett Dumaine, David Robertson and Wyatt Trumbley, and '95s Zach Douglas and Edwin Hookenson.
It's almost a slam dunk that Douglas and Hookenson will both be Bruins next year, and Douglas has a good chance to make it now, having shown off an impressive two-way game in camp.
In goal, three tenders are still in the mix to back up Steven Glass. They include Travis Pelletier ('94), the presumptive favourite going into camp, as well as '95s Ryland Pashovitz and Brett Lewchuk, both of whom had some terrific outings during camp.
The smart money is probably still on Pelletier, mainly due to age. If he doesn't crack the Bruins this year, he probably won't get another chance.
The Bruins will have three preseason games to make their decisions, although, as always, the permanent roster likely won't assert itself until a couple of months into the season, once the team gets down to 22 or 23 cards.
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Estevan's minor football program finally had some on-field success Saturday, with one win and a near-miss.
The peewee Chargers got an enormous performance from its defence in defeating Grenfell 12-0 for EMF's first win of the year from any team.
Quarterback Cameron Rioux and running back Colein Poole led the offensive effort.
Rioux was down on the field for a while in the fourth quarter after an injury, but is OK.
Meanwhile, the bantam Steelers were involved in a highly entertaining game with Balgonie.
They lost 30-22, but a lot of confidence-building things happened for the Steelers on Saturday.
They marched the ball downfield better than any EMF game I've seen in two years. And they had several moments where they were on the verge of tying the game or taking the lead, only for an untimely turnover or third-down failure to hold them back.
The Steelers need to work on finishing off drives and being calm in pressure situations, but their offence looks good from here.
They also made some big defensive plays on Saturday, including Riley Meshke's pick-six immediately after a fumble inside the 5, several sacks and a blocked punt.
I'll be shocked if the Steelers don't win at least one game out of their remaining four.
Josh Lewis can be reached by phone at 634-2654, by e-mail at [email protected], on Twitter at twitter.com/joshlewis306 or on his Bruins blog at estevanmercury.ca/bruinsbanter. Who didn't love seeing Peyton Manning back under centre?
