It was back to work for Yorkton Harvest Head Coach Graham Garrett this past weekend.
The Harvest opened up their training camp for the 2010 season - a season that promises to be full of intrigue and promise.
"The guys have come back in great shape and looked good on and off the ice," Garrett observes, after an on-ice session.
However, the challenges of this year's training camp will be consistent with years past.
Tough decisions will have to be made.
As is typical of midget-aged players, there is the potential for some of the Harvest's veterans to move up a rank by the time that the SMAAAHL (Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League) season starts.
This means that the players currently in training camp may not be around in a month.
Garrett identifies veterans like Damon Severson, Andre Parker and Tayler Thompson as guys who are likely to stick at the next level.
In fact, the entire left side of the Harvest's offensive attack from last year may be missing by opening night.
Wingers Dustin Skilliter, John Odgers and Gage Rapitta all have been given opportunities to try out for a junior club.
Despite the roster fluidity that this confusion creates, Garrett says that he does not begrudge any players for looking to further their hockey dreams.
"Everyone of our veterans has an opportunity to go to the next level because they've worked hard and they've done what they've needed to do at this level," Garrett points out, "So, if they come back, it just makes our team that much stronger. If they don't, it just gives different guys an opportunity to come in."
The younger players will get a chance to shoulder the load should some of the veteran's find new homes, Garrett asserts. This includes the newly-signed Riley Stefanyshyn, who spent last season as the top scorer in the South Saskatchewan Minor Hockey League for the AA Midget Yorkton Terriers.
"If they make it to the next level, that's good for us and it's good for the guys that are rookies coming in that are trying to make the lineup," Garrett identifies.
For now, Garrett is encouraged by what he sees on the ice. The Harvest will head into the season with an experienced group of guys on defence, something that is critical to the make-up of any solid team.
"The depth that we have, especially on defence of rookie guys, returning guys, is very good. So I feel we'll be really strong on the back end," says?Garrett.
As for the forward ranks, Garrett qualifies his observations with the fact that he will need the entire exhibition season before he can make an accurate evaluation.
That said, Garrett is more than encouraged by the influx of younger guys.
"Some of the guys that we've signed already in the spring have looked good. It will take us through exhibition before we can make some of these final decisions."
Based on how they've acquitted themselves thus far, the Harvest Head Coach does expect some big things from the team's first-years.
Included in this group are guys like Tanner LeSann and Kailum Gervais, both solid scorers at the AA level. In fact, LeSann carried the way offensively for his AA Bantam club last season with 34 goals and 33 assists in 26 games. Gervais was no slouch either, recording 23 goals and 18 assists in 26 games.
The aforementioned Stefanyshyn will also seek to make an impact. Garrett says that he will bring the high-scorer along slowly.
"It'll take a bit of time to adjust to this level. He's done everything that he's needed to make the jump. And now it's just getting him comfortable and getting his confidence at this level so that he can provide offensively the way he did in AA," he points out.
Gone from last year is captain Riley Storzuk, who has moved on to the Flin Flon Bombers. Garrett says that there are guys on the Harvest roster who can take steps towards filling Storzuk's role, from an offensive and leadership standpoint.
If they do indeed return, forwards like Skilliter, Rapitta and Odgers are more than capable of putting the puck in the net.
Garrett mentions right-winger Levi Cable as another candidate for an expanded role. Cable had an encouraging first-year with the Harvest, notching 16 goals and 34 points.
As is with any successful team, the Harvest will look to build from their net out.
The goaltending competition is also setting up to be an intriguing one, Garrett explains why.
"We look at Kale Thomson as being our starting goaltender this year, he's been here for two years. He's had a great camp so far. But again, he's a goaltender that may find his way into an opportunity with the Terriers in junior. There's no guarantees that he's going to be here."
With Thomson a question mark, potential Harvest goalies who have been turning heads in camp will have a chance to show their stuff in the exhibition season.
Of this talented group (including Yorkton AA's Spencer Bomboir), there will be some very tough decisions made.
"It's probably going to be one of our toughest decisions to get down to four guys for exhibition," Garrett laments, knowing that someone with a lot of talent may be left out.
With every skill position in flux and plenty of decisions left to be made, Garrett says that it is impossible to determine what the 2010 edition of the Yorkton Harvest will look like.
"It's all going to depend on where our veteran guys end up (as) to what our team's going to look like come the start of the season."
The possibility of guys leaving means that Garrett is prepared to enter the season with very different looking group.
"Our team could look vastly different than it did last year."
While the important decisions await, the players will go a long way to determining their spots by how they play in the preseason.
However, Garrett will remain loyal to the Harvest veterans if they wish to return.
"We don't have a veteran here that won't have a spot if they get released from their junior team back to us."
The Harvest open up their exhibition season on Sept. 11 against the Tisdale Trojans at the Farrell Agencies Arena. The first regular season home game takes place on Saturday, October 2 versus the Battleford Stars.
