By Robb Fenton
It is the first step in preparing for next season and if it’s any indication, the Lloydminster Bobcats are on the right path.
The ‘Cats held their spring camp this past weekend at the Common Wealth Centre, skating all three days of the weekend and concluding with a top 40 prospects game Sunday afternoon.
From the first skate to the prospects game, the Bobcats’ brass was impressed with what they saw.
“I thought it was a very good camp, I thought it was very successful. We had a lot of young ‘93 and ‘94s that were in our final 40 game, so we have a lot of potential out on the ice,” head coach and general manager Brian Curran said. “It’s my first one here, I don’t know a lot of people in the North so far, I’m starting to learn as we go along. To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect, but it turned out to be a very good camp.”
The Bobcats had enough players at camp for fives teams who all took to the ice in practice sessions as well as scrimmages.
As Curran begins his first full season with the Bobcats, he knows he has work to do to become familiar with the North Division and the top players in the area, which he felt he did this past weekend and will continue to do over the summer.
“It’s big, that’s what I need to do, get associated with as many people as I can and as many good players as I can. When you get a lot of ‘93s and ‘94s that produce, especially the ‘94s, there is a good future if I can close the deal with some of them,” Curran said. “I’ve got another hour or so with parents and when it is over, I’ve got a great look at the future of the Bobcats.”
With the addition of the midget AAA program, which began three years ago, and the success it had this past season, there is a lot more opportunity for Curran to keep players in town and watch them progress over the course of a year.
“It did really well and I thought some kids played really well from the Tanroc Bobcats team. They had a great season. It was quite evident they played very well and we didn’t put them all on the same team either, that’s not what we’re about, we wanted them to play against each other,” Curran said. “It was well played by both teams and the Tanroc players performed very well for themselves.”
Now the real work begins for the coaching staff as they will hit the road and begin scouting for next year’s roster.
With 15 potential returning players, plus the recruits that attended this past weekend’s camp, Curran has some tough decisions, but also a good group to choose from.
“Hopefully we have some very good, worthwhile conversations with parents and we can get some players signed up with us. There are a couple that I saw I wouldn’t mind doing something with,” Curran explained. “There is some very good potential out there and definitely some potential for the future.”