The Golden Rockets main camp saw 80 prospective hockey players in Golden over the weekend.
Only 28 of those players were chosen to play at the Junior B level with the Rockets team this year, and that list could get smaller as the season approaches.
“It was a really exciting weekend. There was tons of talent, and lots of good character kids that worked hard throughout the weekend,” head coach Jeremy Blumes said. “I think our camp was unique in that we provided 2.5-hour games, a practice, a dry land session, and every player received an exit interview with some feedback on things they could work on, things we were looking for moving forward. I think the camp went really, really well.”
The age range of hockey players that attended the camp was varied, ranging from 16 years old to 20, and Blumes said that kind of mixture pushes all of the players to perform the best that they can.
“They played with a lot of courage and heart, and they weren’t even half a step behind,” Blumes said about the younger players. “They hung in there with the bigger faster older guys. For me, that bodes well for the Rockets’ future, that we’re going to have some prospects coming down the road.”
The number of players that made the cut after the main camp is expected to change as the season nears. At the opening of the season, there will be 25 Rockets on the team, which leaves room for some players who have advanced to the Junior A level that might not receive commitments from other teams this year.
One Rocket from last year, Jake Gudjonson, has advanced to the Junior A level to play with the La Ronge Ice Wolves in Saskatchewan.
“It’s a real good opportunity. It serves as a positive story about how a player can play here at the KIJHL Junior B level and the following year make the jump to play at the Junior A level. Jake is a success story, and moving forward we want a bunch of those success stories,” Blumes said. “There’s also a few that are trying out at the Junior A level, and if things don’t work out there, they will come back to us as well.”
In the end, Blumes doesn’t want any of the players to get too comfortable. Because the team is relatively new, players will vie for the positions they want to play, and competition within the team will decide who is best suited.
“The exciting thing about our team is that we’re so young. I don’t think there’s going to be clear cut roles for guys right off the start. It’s going to be up to them to claim their role,” Blumes said. This morning we were talking about the internal competition, and guys battling for jobs. At the end of the day, it’s up to them to battle it out and see where it falls into place.”
The coach has had conversations with all of the players that have been offered commitments to the Rockets for the upcoming season. After a stressful weekend, the players enjoyed some yoga in the sun on Monday afternoon to relax and unwind before returning home. For some, they will be packing their belongings and heading back to Golden to continue playing with the team.
Golden Rockets player Shawn Gobrowski was with the team last year, and attended the camp this year with 80 other hopeful players. This year was a much larger camp, and took on a slightly different format from last year.
“It should be a good season. There’s a lot more talent coming in, and we had a big camp this year,” he said. “The competitiveness was a lot higher, so it should be good.”
There are a few changes to the Golden Rockets this year, including teammates, scheduling, and the addition of yoga.
“That was awesome,” Gobrowski said about yoga after the camp finished.
For Bryce Trimmer, the experience was about getting out of Calgary and playing hockey with new people.
“I had a good time out there. It was cool meeting new guys and just getting out of town and playing somewhere else is nice,” he said.
Exhibition games began on August 28 in Golden against the Fernie Ghostriders, and August 29 against the Columbia Valley Rockies.
