The Yorkton Harvest held its annual spring camp looking ahead to the next season. Harvest head coach Jeff Odgers says the camp went very well with over 120 midget hockey hopefuls showing up to strut their stuff for the Harvest coaching staff. "A lot of the guys we had targeted and wanted to come did end up showing up at camp so we ended up with three very competitive games on Sunday," Odgers reports.
The Harvest committed to three players this weekend and are in the process of committing to a fourth later on this week, Odgers says. "We were able to see some guys that we identified as guys that we wanted on our team here and made commitments to them," he explains. The coaching staff felt that the players in question were good and strong enough players to make a solid contribution to the team. "We felt if we didn't make a commitment to them they probably wouldn't be available in the fall," he elaborates.
Fourteen goalies showed up for camp, Odgers states. It's a tough call selecting goaltenders, he dmits. "You only have two goalies to a team and it's tough making decisions," he continues.
That said, Odgers and the Harvest coaching staff have made some decisions. "We have an idea where we're going next year. We have Spencer Bomboir coming back from last year which means we'll have one spot available and we'll probably have five or six guys coming to camp," he says.
While he has a number of possible veterans eligible to return, several of them will take their chances at junior camp. Currently there are three who will return with a possibility of another three forwards who may return. "We will have three to six that are coming back plus we have been able to commit to a couple of forwards this weekend. So there will be a minimum of four spots open which are still a lot of spots available," Odgers points out.
The date for the fall camp hasn't been set but will likely take place about the middle of August. The camp will pare down the prospects to a final roster which will head into some exhibition games, Odgers announces. "A lot of the guys we've been talking to sound like they want to come back to try out for the team. We're looking forward to that," he says.
"For me it's guys that play with energy and play with passion," Odgers describes what he looks for in a young player. You have to have players who absolutely love the game. That's what makes the difference. Whether at the AAA Midget level, the junior level of the next level, a lot of hockey becomes a grind. You absolutely have to love the game and want to succeed at it. "First off you have to identify a skill set that can help your team and you have to identify kids that love the game and want to play the game the right way, play with passion and energy and make a commitment to it," Odgers declares.
The Harvest have to fill a couple of defense positions. With a couple of veterans eligible to return, coaches feel they can take the best players available. "We're not looking for a specific type. We're looking of the best player available with the best attitude," Odgers comments.
The first spring camp in which he was involved as head coach went over very smoothly, Odgers suggests. It's a credit to the organization and the guys who helped out. It takes a commitment from a lot of people, the board members, the volunteers and assistant coaches to make it work, he says. "It went over rather seamlessly which shows the kind of support this team has and the people behind it. It's very encouraging," Odgers closes.
