Bisons trim roster

Times Editor

 

After the UFA Bisons held their annual Red & White game Sept. 12 at the Strathmore Family Centre, there were plenty of difficult decisions to be made.

And at this time of year, the more difficult the choices, the better it is for the team.

Unfortunately for UFA Bisons head coach Parry Shockey, he has to be the bearer of bad news to the players who didn’t make the cut.

“It’s never easy,” commented Shockey on telling a player he never made the squad. “You’re dealing with elite athletes at this level – we had some guys who made some huge strides … so when you have to tell them that they’re still not good enough, it’s tough. But I mean it’s part of the business, we realize that.

“Most of the kids know if they played well enough to advance.”

With the eight eligible returning players on the sidelines, the game featured 20 players on each side looking to make a final impression.

After the white jerseys won the game 3-2, the coaching staff trimmed the roster to approximately 30 players. That number can be increased by a handful of players who are still at junior camps.

However, Shockey said he was impressed with the players who took part in the Bisons camp.

“I don’t think that there is any another association probably in Alberta that had the number of kids try out that we have,” said the coach. “That says a lot about (our) surrounding communities for their development. We’re in a pretty good position.

In saying that, there are guys that are probably going to get cut off of this hockey club that could be playing somewhere else (in this league). Unfortunately, that’s the dilemma.”

However, the team did its due diligence selecting the players thus far.

“We’ve had a very transparent camp – most of the evaluators didn’t even know who the players were – they only knew them as numbers,” said Shockey. “The coaching staff knew who some (of the players) were. In all honesty I didn’t ask who a returning player was until (Saturday). It didn’t matter to me – I said from the beginning I was going to take the best players. 

“There’s been a few guys that I’ve had to talk to and say ‘hey, listen, you’re not as secure as you think you are.’

“You expect your returning players to be returning, but when you have this talent base, there are going to be some guys pushing (the veterans).”

The Bisons will continue their evaluation process this weekend, when they host their annual pre-season tournament Sept. 16-19 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

The team will host Red Deer Sept. 16 (6:30 p.m.) before tangling with the Calgary Northstars Sept. 17 (5:30 p.m.) and Calgary Buffaloes on Sept 18 (11:45 a.m.).

The semifinals will take place Saturday afternoon with the third and first place games on Sunday morning.

“I would like to see the guys keep elevating their games,” said Shockey of the tournament.