The Canmore Eagles held their annual “Spring Camp” at the Canmore Recreation Centre over the April 11-13th weekend and club management was extremely impressed with the talent that came out to Canmore for the opportunity to earn a spot on next year’s Eagle roster.
The prospective players were divided into 10 different teams and each team played four one-hour games over the weekend. While the players were performing on the ice, a team of eight coaches/scouts evaluated the talent from the rafters as the 20-game weekend played out.
“We would like to thank the players, and their parents, who came out this weekend to attend our spring camp,” said Eagle’s General Manager and Head Coach Andrew Milne, who indicated that approximately 40 players earned invites to return to the Eagle’s main training camp next August. “We have at least seven open spots on our roster for next season and we saw a lot of exceptional talent over the weekend. Many of the players who came out this weekend are still a year or two away from playing in the AJHL, but at least they got a taste of what they need to do to compete at this level. It’s a real eye-opener for a lot of the players, but now they know what it takes to make the jump from their midget clubs.”
Players who had exceptional spring camps and came in for special praise from Milne included forwards Logan Ferguson (Calgary Royals), Sean Montgomery (Calgary Royals), Mark Rassell (Calgary Flames), Austin Hrehoruk (Grande Prairie) and Adam Tisdale (AC Avalanche), while defencemen Kyle Craddock (Peace River), Brayden Biccum (Strathmore UFA Bisons) and Adamu Tanaka (Calgary Buffalos) also stood out.
“We’ve been making steady progress over the past few years and Canmore is quickly becoming a “go-to” place for hockey players looking to play at the Junior A level,” said Milne. “We have a very strong group of returning veterans coming back for next season and I think we’ve identified several new players who can come in and help us significantly in 2014-15. Although our season just ended a couple of weeks ago, there is a strong feeling of optimism surrounding the club. I think everyone is excited to start next season already.”
NOTEBOOK: Milne and Jeremy Reich are now heading off for a two-week working trip to Japan where they will be running several international hockey camps. . .2014-15 Eagle season tickets are now on sale with special early-bird rates available until April 30. Contact marketing@canmoreeagles.com to select the best seats available.