There’s always excitement in the air when a new hockey season starts, and this year is no exception as 58 players hit the Sleeman Centre ice Monday for the beginning of the Guelph Storm training camp.
But the team, and fans, have plenty to be excited about.
The Storm is a team on the rise, built on a couple of excellent drafts and a strong overage group, they will be looking to finish higher than the fifth-place finish in the Western Conference last season.
Somewhere in the top four should be the realistic goal.
But new coach Scott Walker wants to pull the reins a bit on the expectations.
“You want to be in that upper tier at this stage, and get better every year until you are one of the elite teams. But I don’t think we’re there by any means yet,” said Walker, back for a second stint as head coach of the team.
“I’m never satisfied … but if you start thinking you’re good then you’re going to be disappointed.
“We just better come to compete, because if you say ‘we’re a top four team, you’re putting undue pressure on the players. I don’t know what London, Kitchener and Owen Sound are going to do … all I can do is control what the Guelph Storm does and all I know is we’ve got some pretty good hockey players.”
It’s not going to be a year where a good effort and trying hard, but losing, is the norm.
“This year’s expectations are going to be to compete, play hard, and win those games,” Walker said as players arrived for camp Monday.
Three invitees can’t attend due to injury and returning import Valentin Zhugin will be a week late arriving from Russia.
Camp will feature 34 forwards, 18 defencemen and six goalies.
There are 11 returning forwards, plus the signed Gavin Grunder who played three games with the team.
On defence, there are four returnees, plus Payton Robinson who was acquired from Sudbury and Zack Sandhu, who got in 10 games a year ago, and Finnish import pick Niko Minkkinen, who is already in town.
Starting goaltender Jacob Oster will see five vying to be his backup.
The Storm has already signed four players from this year’s draft, although not all of those are expected to spend the entire season in Guelph. Two are likely headed for the Ayr Centennials junior B squad.
“There’s not a tonne of openings, because a lot of guys are returning, But that being said, if guys come in who warrant being on the team, we’ll find spots for them on the team, whether that’s moving other people, making trades or whatever.”
“If a kid comes in that’s good enough, we’re going to find a spot for him. If you deserve to play on the Guelph Storm, you will make the team.”
Walker points to the fact the team signed its eighth round pick from the recent draft, Hunter McKnight.
The team could lose up to 10 players to NHL camps if free agents also accept invites. But that will only affect one exhibition game in all likelihood.
The main battle is likely to be for the backup goalie position.
There’s two ‘05 birth years in camp, a pair of ‘06 birth years along with 19-year-old Jake Grimes.
“Somebody’s taking that job that we don’t know today,” Walker said, of the wide-open competition between the pipes.
“It’s that transition year. I’m not going to say we’re going to be the best in the league, but we shouldn’t be the youngest and they’re learning their way. A lot of our guys are going to be second and third year players for the most part.”
Guelph opens the exhibition season Friday in Mississauga, one of three pre-season games this long weekend.
Regular season opens Sept. 30 at home against Hamilton.
