Fighting for a spot
Peterborough minor hockey players Matt McNamara, Blake Curran among those looking for full-time spots on Petes roster as training camp opens
Two Peterborough minor hockey grads are taking nothing for granted as Petes training camp kicked off on Monday.
While Matt McNamara and Blake Curran are already signed by the Petes both feel they have plenty to prove when they hit the ice for start of scrimmages Tuesday morning at the Memorial Centre. They were among 50 Petes players, draft picks and free agents who reported for fitness testing Monday at Hybrid Fitness.
McNamara played most of last season with the Lindsay Muskies but signed with the Petes and got into some games late in the season. That experience helps as he heads into his second training camp.
“The nerves are down a bit. I know the coaches. I know the guys more and feel more involved, I guess you could say, having been with the team and played games. Knowing everyone here and knowing what it’s all about makes you more comfortable and puts you in a better state to perform.”
He is one of eight signed defencemen in camp and knows he still has to prove where he belongs on the depth chart.
“Yeah, I played a couple of games at the end of the year but that means nothing starting this year. Guys are fighting for their jobs and everyone wants a spot on this team. I’ll give 110 per cent to make sure I’m on the team and playing,” he said.
Curran, selected in the OHL’s inaugural U18 draft in April, signed with the Petes last week.
“It was a great feeling getting drafted to your hometown and then signing was a whole other thing,” Curran said. “I’m happy and it was another step forward. I guess we’ll see what happens.”
On the surface, it would appear Curran will be the Petes third string goalie as Dylan Wells is the returning and accomplished first-string goalie while Hunter Jones has Hockey Canada experience and was signed last year to be Wells’s successor. Curran isn’t about to concede anything.
“I’m trying out with the Lindsay Muskies and that’s an option, too, but, hopefully, I’m here with Peterborough,” Curran said.
While the Petes already have 24 players signed before the puck hits the ice, head coach Jody Hull said he expects fierce competition.
“Because we have some depth in our organization now what makes it intriguing is there is nothing necessarily etched in stone as to where you are on the depth chart,” Hull said.
“I think that’s always going to be evolving. There are going to be a lot of inter-changeable pieces and it might be all about how you are performing that week or that day. What that does is help you push each other to be better and get better and be better on a consistent basis. I think that’s where the competitiveness in camp is going to come from. You don’t want to have the coaches put you in a spot, you want to put yourself in a spot.”
The first session of scrimmages kicks off at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday with a second session at 5:30 p.m. On Wednesday, a third session is at 8:30 a.m. before some decisions are made and remaining players are divided into two teams for the 7:05 p.m. Maroon and White game.