Wild opens training camp Sunday
On-ice sessions at Credit Union Place
It may not be hockey weather outside, but training camp is less than a week away for the Kensington Monaghan Farms Wild.
The New Brunswick/P.E.I. Major Midget Hockey League franchise will begin its team selection process this weekend.
“It’s very exciting,” said Wild head coach Kyle Dunn. “(Assistant coach) Duane (Richards) and I are on the phone all the time talking about players and getting excited.”
The cost of the training camp, which is open to bantam- and midget-aged players born from 2000 to 2003, is $150, and players can register by emailing pei. wildhockey@hotmail.com.
“You recruit, talk to kids and let them know what your program is about,” said Dunn. “Kensington is as good of an organization as any, and it’s great hockey as well.”
Registration will take place at Community Gardens on Sunday, Aug. 27, at 3:30 p.m., and off-ice fitness testing will immediately follow in the sports fields behind Kensington’s arena.
The first five on-ice sessions will take place at Credit Union Place in Summerside beginning on Monday, Aug. 28.
The first cuts will be made following the fifth on-ice session on Thursday, Sept. 7. The remaining players will play in the league’s pre-season jamboree in Moncton, N.B., on Sept. 9 and 10.
“It’s one of those things it’s tough to say who will be there and who won’t be,” acknowledged Dunn, who added some potential returnees will be attending training camps at the junior levels. “Obviously, you hope those guys you had on your team last year make the jump,” continued Dunn. “It’s all about getting guys to the next level.” Dunn, who is entering his fourth season as Wild head
coach, liked what he saw at the team’s spring camp in Pownal, which attracted around 45 players.
With the Wild graduating four players – goaltender Luke Oliver, defenceman Jack DesRoches and forwards Taylor Read and Zach Thususka – and a couple of potential returnees opting to pursue other options, Dunn is expecting intense competition. “It’s going to be competitive to make this team this year, which is exciting and makes our job hard,” said Dunn. “You hope you get it right and take the right 20 guys.”