Results 1 to 10 of 52

Thread: 2007 Training Camp Thread

Hybrid View

  1. #1
    Bran Guest

    Default 2007 Training Camp Thread

    Probably not too much in here that everyone didn't already know, but I'm bored, so...

    From reginapats.ca
    PATS ROOKIES TAKE TO THE ICE

    Regina, Saskatchewan – Preparations are being made for the Pats upcoming season, as rookie camp kicks off with registration on Wednesday August 22nd at the Brandt Centre. The players will then hit the ice Thursday, August 23rd at the White City Arena, with the first team practicing at 9:00am.

    The Pats will start rookie camp with 68 hopefuls in camp, with 41 of those players being from the province of Saskatchewan. The group which consists of players born in 1991 and 1992, feature 22 listed Pats players, including first round bantam draft picks Brett Miller (2006) and Dominick Favreau (2007). Rookie camp will run until Saturday, August 25th when the White City Arena will place host to the Pats rookie prospects game.

    The veterans will take to the ice with main camp opening up on Saturday, August 25th. The main camp will conclude with the annual Blue and White game on August 29th in White City. The Pats will then board the bus and travel to Edmonton, to take part in a pre season tournament which runs from September 1-3. The Pats will face Kamloops, Prince George and Kelowna during the tune-up tournament.

    …………………


    2007-08 Regina Pats season tickets are currently on sale at the Pats Office, located at the west end of the Brandt Centre. Call 522-PATS to reserve your seat for the 90th season of Regina Pats hockey.

    Regina Pats season ticket holders will be able to pick up their tickets starting Tuesday, September 4th at the Pats Office, located at the west end of the Brandt Centre.

    The Regina Pats also want to remind fans to pick up their tickets for the CKRM Regina Pats “Face Off” Breakfast. Tickets can be purchased at the Pats office or by calling 522-PATS.
    Rod's got a couple of pictures on his blog, too...not a whole lot of info about anything (not that there's much to tell at this point, anyway).

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Regina
    Posts
    4,552

    Default

    http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpo...e-8ca6b8129623

    Coach, players look forward to playing hard, winning

    Greg Harder, Leader-Post
    Published: Wednesday, August 22, 2007

    Training camp is still a day away, but Curtis Hunt is already in midseason form.

    The head coach of the Regina Pats set the tone for the upcoming WHL season on Tuesday when he threw an eclipse in front of the waning days of summer, quickly halting any notion that the offseason seemed too short.

    "Are you kidding?" Hunt said emphatically. "It was too long!"

    Hunt clearly has a bitter taste left in his mouth over the manner in which his team ended the 2006-07 campaign -- a four-game sweep at the hands of the eventual WHL-champion Medicine Hat Tigers.

    That said, the Pats' head coach likely won't have much more to say on the topic. With rookie workouts set to begin Thursday in White City, followed by main camp on Sunday, Hunt is ready to put all of his energy into the upcoming season.

    In his mind, the bar has been raised from last year.

    "I think it goes beyond a feeling; there's definitely an expectation," Hunt said during an informal media gathering at the Brandt Centre. "We've built and built and built. This is probably the most exciting year (of his four at the helm). The biggest thing that I think changes is the players' expectations are going to be higher than they've ever been.

    "Everyone is looking forward at what we have and what we believe we're capable of. It's going to be a long process but we're excited. It's just a great time of year."

    Even the players seem eager to toss aside their flip-flops and strap on a pair of blades.

    "I think we have a lot to prove since last year's playoffs," offered veteran winger Brett Leffler.

    "(Being swept) is not what we wanted. (The Tigers) are a great team, all the credit to them, but I think we can get better and we have more to show this year. There is a positive vibe around the room. This is the year to make a run for it, that's for sure."

    Hope springs eternal for every team in the WHL -- and the Pats are no different. The WHL club hasn't captured an East Division title in 10 years, a streak the players are determined to break.

    "We should be chasing that pennant for sure," said No. 1 goalie Linden Rowat. "Every year we always have high expectations and we have decent seasons and then all of a sudden it comes down to when it all matters and things don't go our way.

    "This year we have to stay focused throughout the whole year and make sure that, when it comes to playoff time, everyone is going to be scared to play us in the first round."

    Chemistry shouldn't be an issue for the Pats, whose coaching staff is back for the second straight year.

    Hunt and assistant Terry Perkins will be charged with moulding a group that includes 21 players from last year's postseason roster.

    "It's kind of like a family reunion," Rowat said after gathering in the dressing room with his teammates.

    "You haven't seen the guys for three months and now they're all in the same room, doing the same things you did for nine months the previous year. You always have good times with them. We're close friends."

    The Pats also have a solid on-ice foundation upon which to build. The club has tailored a winning record over the past two seasons (76-55-3-10) while also advancing past the first round of the playoffs last season for the first time since 1997-98.

    "The biggest thing you have to guard against is complacency," added Hunt.

    "We've had some success. The reality is, it wasn't good enough.

    "In the end, we want to put a product on the ice that's entertaining but, let's face it, it's all about winning. That's our objective, to be in that top group and to hopefully get ourselves in a position to hang something from the rafters."


    © The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Regina
    Posts
    4,552

    Default

    http://www.canada.com/reginaleaderpo...b-476deb701a48

    Camp means competing for spots
    Greg Harder, Leader-Post
    Published: Wednesday, August 22, 2007

    There will be a noticeable lack of job openings in Regina Pats training camp, but that doesn't mean a shortage of competition.

    At least, it better not.

    "The interesting thing is we have what we feel is a tremendous amount of depth on our team," noted head coach Curtis Hunt. "If guys don't understand that coming in and make sure they're at the level they need to be -- plus, plus -- we might have some disappointed people."

    The Pats, who begin a three-day rookie camp Thursday in White City, are expected to open main camp on the weekend with as many as 21 players -- including three rookie callups -- who were part of last year's postseason roster.

    Although a handful of those players will be pushed for their spots, the number of returnees should provide a level of comfort to the Pats' brass. In fact, this year's training camp may be more about fighting for roles than fighting for jobs.

    The most obvious example is up the middle, where the Pats' roster includes a wealth of possibilities but no obvious replacements for graduating centres Kyle Ross and Garrett Festerling, the WHL team's top two scorers from last season.

    Although GM Brent Parker is still on the lookout for a proven scorer up the middle, Hunt believes the team can fill that void from within.

    "You look for more out of different players as years go by," said the head coach. "We had a huge blow a year ago with Petr Kalus not coming back. Two years ago, same thing. We had holes all over. Brent had to go out and get (Denis) Tolpeko and (Matt) Robinson. The great thing is, we come into this year where we don't have to look for anything."

    The competition at centre has a host of possibilities, including returnees Levi Lind and Kirt Hill, plus veteran wingers like Mike Reich, Kaspars Saulietis and Jordan Eberle, all of whom can play centre. Another unknown element is Czech centre Rudolf Cerveny, the team's top pick (37th overall) in this summer's CHL import draft.

    In the end, the cream will have to rise to the top.

    "I think we're very comfortable with our position on defence and we're very comfortable with our position in goal," noted Hunt. "The biggest thing is in the centre position. There is going to be lots of jostling and lots of opportunities for players. It's important they understand that."

    Another question facing the Pats involves the losses of Ross and Festerling, as well as captain Kyle Deck. With Craig Schira the lone returning letter-wearer, the team's leadership group will undergo a wholesale change.

    "Ross and Festerling are great players, Deck too," noted veteran winger Brett Leffler. "We're going to have to fill their shoes somehow, somewhere. But I don't think it's going to be a big deal. They'll fill themselves."

    Leffler is an obvious heir apparent, along with Schira, Michael MacAngus, Logan Pyett and Colten Teubert. Leffler and Teubert are both being groomed as possible future captains.

    "With the group we have, I think we have some tremendous leaders," said Hunt. "We ran the same captain for three years and I think Kyle did an admirable job. The timing is good that they graduate and we pass the torch. We're going to be watching that closely. We'll see if one of those players steps up and makes himself a captain."




    © The Leader-Post (Regina) 2007

  4. #4

    Default

    Can someone tell me how Curtis Kulchar is doing and if he has a shot at making the team.

  5. #5

    Default

    I'd say his chances are pretty good, even if there are only 2 spots open on D. He is probably our top prospect on D, and the few games he played, he looked good to me.

    I think it will be him and Pym that take the two remaining spots.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Regina
    Posts
    4,552

    Default

    http://www.reginapats.com/modules.ph...ticle&sid=1019

    Rookies get education on life with team

    Greg Harder, The Leader-Post
    Published: Thursday, August 23, 2007

    It's back-to-school time for the Regina Pats.

    The WHL club opens rookie camp today at White City arena, where 68 youngsters are expected to receive a crash course on life in the WHL.

    "That's what it's all about, giving them an opportunity to meet some of the older guys and getting experience in terms of how things are done," offered Pats GM Brent Parker.

    "Even watching the vets skate, those are all a big part of understanding. We always tell them, 'It's a starting point.' If you think you're in good shape and you get here and say, 'Wow, a lot of guys are in better shape,' there's your starting point. You understand where you have to be and where you have to go to have success at this level."

    The Pats' rookie roster -- 22 16-year-olds and 46 15-year-olds -- includes a mixture of players who have been drafted or listed by the Pats. The majority, however, are simply invited to take part on a tryout basis.

    No more than a small handful of the 16-year-olds from rookie camp will have a chance to crack Regina's lineup this season. Some of the early favourites include forwards Brett Miller of North Battleford and Garrett Mitchell of Regina, as well as defenceman Alex Pym of Winnipeg. Those players were Regina's first-, second- and third-round picks, respectively, in the 2006 WHL bantam draft.

    The 15-year-olds in camp won't be eligible for full-time WHL duty until next season.

    The Pats' coaches will guide the rookies through a series of practices and scrimmages, as well as off-ice orientation, over the next three days. Rookie camp concludes Saturday with a Prospects Game, after which approximately a dozen players will be invited to take part in main camp, beginning later that day in White City.

    "A big part of it is being with their peer group and to have that chance to compete at that age," noted Parker. "It gives you a better feel for where they're at (in their development). The second-year guys maybe not as much because you want to see them with the older guys too and see if they can handle that grind of playing with the older players."

    The Pats are pleased with the response they received after sending out letters of invitation to rookie camp earlier this summer. It can be a tough sell, since some players are invited to camps by multiple teams.

    Regina, however, has become a more appealing destination over the past two seasons due to the club's recent taste of success and reputation as a team on the rise.

    "I think we've seen over the last couple years that it has become a little easier in our recruiting," added Parker. "People want to be a part of things here now. We certainly haven't had the struggles we had for a few years. It was a real challenge for the better part of three or four years. It has reversed a little bit in terms of our fortunes. We really didn't have too many issues (this season)."

    - - -

    SCHEDULE

    Regina Pats

    Rookie Camp Schedule

    (At White City arena)

    Today

    9 a.m.-10:15 a.m. -- Red practice.

    10:30 a.m.-11:45a.m. -- Blue practice.

    Noon-1:15 p.m. -- White practice.

    1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. -- Vets ice.

    6 p.m.-6:45 p.m. -- Red vs. White scrimmage.

    7 p.m.-7:45p.m. -- Red vs. Blue scrimmage.

    8 p.m.-8:45 p.m. -- White vs. Blue scrimmage.

    Friday

    9 a.m.-9:45 p.m. -- White vs. Red scrimmage.

    10 a.m.-10:45 p.m. -- White vs. Blue scrimmage.

    11 a.m.-11:45 a.m. -- Red vs. Blue scrimmage.

    12:15 p.m.-1:15 p.m. -- Goalie session.

    1:30 p.m.-2:45 p.m. -- Vets ice.

    6 p.m.-6:45 p.m. -- Blue vs. White scrimmage.

    7 p.m.-7:45 p.m. -- Blue vs. Red scrimmage.

    8 p.m.-8:45 p.m. -- White vs. Red scrimmage.

    Saturday

    10 a.m. to noon -- Rookie Prospects Game.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •