Drafted 261st overall in the 2012 WHL Bantam Draft, six foot plus defenceman Turner Ottenbreit was a player that the Blades organization projected to be a couple of years away from being a player who could be seriously considered to crack the club's WHL roster. A productive 42 game season as one of the key blueliners on a Harvest team that was one of the most improved Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League clubs last year saw Ottenbreit grow as a player, something that has translated into his play at the Blades 2013 WHL Camp.
At camp Ottenbreit has impressed those who follow the team as well as the coaching staff with how he has grown as a defenceman, getting good reviews from Blades writers for his maturity and physical blueline play at camp. That good performance has turned into reward for Ottenbreit as he survived the first round of cuts to earn some WHL preseason action before likely returning to the Yorkton Harvest for more top line ice time this fall.
Going into camp Ottenbreit said that he expected that he would likely return to the Harvest based on discussions with the Blades, but like most hockey players Ottenbreit was blunt about his inner ambitions. "My realistic expectations were to get some valuable WHL experience and to show what I could to at camp before continuing to work hard and improve, but I would be lying if I said that my number one goal isn't to make the team because that is what everyone wants to do when they head to camp," says Ottenbreit.
Ottenbreit worked hard over the summer after his successful season with the Harvest game to a close in the fifth and final game of their first round series with the Regina Pat Canadians (Ottenbreit scored a huge goal in the series), a tall defender the first thing Ottenbreit did this summer was work on continuing on improving his skating. The Yorkton product attended the Liane Davis Power Skating Camp, a camp that has been attended by players throughout the NHL and Europe's pro leagues, something that Ottenbreit feels has elevated his game. "I am not the fastest skater in the world and with my size the stronger you skate the more you can use that size to your advantage so it is something that I always continue to work on in getting faster," says Ottenbreit.
Playing for the Harvest is something that Ottenbreit feels has improved his odds of playing in the WHL significantly, citing the coaching of 2012-13 head coach Jeff Odgers and 2012-13 assistant and new head coach Dan Cross as instrumental in his development as a player over the past year.
"Jeff was huge in my development as a player last season and having such a great coach with NHL experience was bound to help and having Dan as an assistant with a great mind for the game only increased that development," says Ottenbreit. With Dan Cross at the helm this season and a potential for some returning players this season similar to the return of Dakota Odgers last season, Ottenbreit feels that the sky is the limit for the Yorkton Harvest after a second half to the 2012-13 season that had the Harvest as one of the winningest teams in the SMAAHL after December.
"I feel that we have a great group of guys and some excellent coaching in Dan and assistant coach Devin Rollick," says Ottenbreit. "If some guys come back once WHL camps end I feel that we will have a team that could win the SMAAHL title this year which is definitely something exciting to come back to if I don't make the Blades.
Ottenbreit will get at least a couple of opportunities to showcase his game during the WHL preseason, something that excites him but he is careful to not get too caught up in. "I am just going to go out there and play like it is any other game and do what I can to contribute and give a full effort whenever I am on the ice," says Ottenbreit of his expectations of himself for his WHL preseason.
If and when Ottenbreit returns to the fold for the Harvest, he will be transitioning right into the preseason schedule that starts in September across the SMAAAHL. The Harvest's Most Improved Player award winner for the 2012-13 season only seems to keep getting better, making him a player that Dan Cross hopes to get back into his lineup sheet each and every night this winter. For now he will have to wait his turn, as Ottenbreit makes his first impact on the Blades. A player that only seems to keep on improving every time he steps onto the ice, Ottenbreit is one of the Yorkton products to watch going into the 2013/14 season as an up and coming WHL prospect.
In other WHL camp news Yorkton's Matt Kustra and Brayden Miller attended the Prince George Cougars camp along with the Harvest's Jaden Kreklewich. Harvest 2012-13 standouts Lynnden Pastachak has been in Red Deer with the Rebels looking to make the team after leading Yorkton in scoring last season while top defenseman Ethan Bear is at Seattle Thunderbirds camp.
