Bisons rookies look to impress

Times Editor

 

Eighty-two hopefuls were looking to impress as the UFA Bisons hosted their annual rookie camp Sept. 3-4 at the Strathmore Family Centre.

The 15 and 16-year-old players were put through various drills and scrimmages to see who would catch the eye of the new coaching staff for the upcoming 2011-2012 season.

“Some of the kids are obviously nervous coming in – so skill sessions are always a little uptight – guys are getting comfortable, playing with a whole bunch of new kids and things like that. So I think, going forward with the camp here, as we get into games, guys will get more comfortable and relax,” said Bisons new head coach Jeremy Friesen. “So far so good – I think it’s exactly what we expected. There is a lot of skill on the ice, a lot of size and some decent speed.”

After putting the players through the paces, the local triple-A midget team evaluated the athletes to see who would make the invite to the main camp, which started Sept. 6 and will run through the week.

“What we’ve done is we identified what we classified as our ideal player. In the dressing room during tryouts, there is a list of traits and qualities that we are looking for,” said Friesen. “(We want) guys that never quit, battle, they compete, they’re intelligent, obviously speed and puck possession. 

“Going off of last year, we want a team that is going to play an upbeat style, going to control the pace of the play and the puck. We want guys going to fit into that mould.

“Ideally, you get some kids back (from last year), but we’re not anticipating that, we’re not waiting for that. So whatever we have in camp, we’re going to start building those qualities and those things going forward. Hopefully we get what we’re looking for.”

Friesen said he was looking for players who can play at both ends of the ice and buy into the defensive aspect of the game. 

Despite the emphasis on defence, he is not worried about scoring.

“We’re going to have some firepower, there is no doubt about that,” he said. “The draw-zone and the organizations that feed into this program are always developing kids for that aspect of the game. So it’s just a matter of getting them to buy into the team game and playing defence first.”

The Bisons will play their Red & White game on Sept. 11 (2 p.m.) at the Strathmore Family Centre, before hosting their annual pre-season tournament Sept. 15-18.