Let the 'training camp' begin for the Nelson Leafs
By Bruce Fuhr
Following an off-season of turmoil, new coach and GM Dave McLellan hopes to bring a sense of calm to the Good Ship Leaf as the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League club kicks off the 2014-15 campaign with training camp Friday at the NDCC Arena.
McLellan has been thrust into the leadership role with the Green and White after first choice to succeed Frank Maida decided to dump the Murdoch Division franchise like a bag of old pucks during the summer.
“Outside it seems to be crazy but right now we’re working through process of finding and assessing player’s potential players,” said McLellan, who found time to talk to The Nelson Daily in between player calls and meetings with the board.
“But I’m confident, and if anything, we have a unique situation of too many players returning wanting to make team.”
In McLellan, Nelson gets a seasoned veteran of the game, well versed in building winning teams.
And McLellan will use that experience to find the right mix of players to roster the Heritage City franchise.
“My main focus has been getting in contact with BC Hockey, Western Hockey and Alberta Hockey teams looking for players who don’t make their rosters who would like to join us at some stage, whether it be (training) camp or after camp,” McLellan explained.
The former Delta Ice Hawks and Burnaby Express skipper expects roughly 45 players in camp when the Leafs take to the ice Friday afternoon.
The players will be divided into two teams.
On ice evaluations start the tryout session before the teams take to the pond for a scrimmage.
The teams practice separately before another scrimmage allows coaches and evaluators a chance to gauge the players.
Some of the players already on the bubble are the host of returning veterans to the Leafs — defencemen, and last year’s captain Darnel St. Pierrie, Patrick Croome, Kyle Clayton, Robson Cramer and forwards Adam Hodge and Matt MacDonald.
While experience is good, KIJHL allows only five 20-year-olds on the roster.
“We have numbers crunch of 20-year-olds coming to camp,” McLellan explained. “We’ll see how camp goes but we’ll probably try to acquire some other players through trades using the 20-year-olds.”
Others returning to training camp from a Leaf team that finished fourth at the Cyclone Taylor Cup are goalie Adam Maida, defence men Austin Seaman and forwards Alec Wilkinson, Quinn Klimchuk and Rayce Miller.
Sunday the players are presented with one last opportunity to impress the coaches before exit interviews conclude the camp during the afternoon.
McLellan gets to see the team in action on Wednesday when Nelson travels to Fruitvale to meet the defending KIJHL Champion, Beaver Valley Nitehawks.
Exhibition home games for Nelson at September 6 (Creston) and September 7 (Beaver Valley) before Nelson opens the season September 12 against the Nitehawks.
