With the first training camp at Spectra Place in the books, the Estevan Bruins enter a slate of pre-season games with tough choices to make up front, on the blueline and in goal.
With two rounds of cuts made, the Bruins are down to fewer than 30 players on the roster. They play their third exhibition tilt in Weyburn tonight after visiting Notre Dame for the rookie game Monday and hosting Weyburn last night.
"I think for the most part (training camp) was good," said head coach Keith Cassidy. "We saw what we needed to see. Some guys made decisions hard, some guys made decisions easy."
Team Black defeated Team Gold 3-1 in Sunday's intra-squad game, earning the first annual Gerry Aspen Cup, named in honour of the team's long-time trainer.
"Gerry pours his heart and soul into the team and does whatever it is for the boys, so it was nice to get it for him," said forward Calder Neufeld, who potted two goals for the Black side.
Wyatt Garagan added an insurance marker for Black late in the third, while Ben Johnstone netted the only goal for Gold.
Shea Cooper and Travis Pelletier combined for the win in goal. Derek Tendler and Steven Glass manned the crease for Gold.
One of the most intriguing battles continues to be between the pipes, where Cooper, Tendler and Glass are fighting for two spots.
Cassidy said the starter's job is normally the incumbent's to lose and that Cooper has "done a decent job of making a case for himself."
"Personally, I like it. It's a challenge for all three of us," said Cooper. "I think Glass has improved an unbelievable amount, he's looking phenomenal, and Tendler, it's the first time I've seen him but he's just as good as all of us. I think it's a good competition for us and may the best one win."
Glass, the youngest of the three at 18, was one of the most impressive players in camp.
"I think Glass certainly has a tremendous future playing goal. We'll enjoy the battle that goes on in the crease," said Cassidy.
He stressed that the personalities of the two goalies who stick around is crucial.
On the back end, Tyler Kauk and Austin Yano had strong camps and are locks to crack the roster alongside veterans Dominic Perrault, Eric Baldwin and Dallas Jorgensen.
"The first one that stands out to me was Tyler Kauk. He's going to log a lot of minutes for this team. He's out there, he's playing like a veteran already. We don't want to put too much pressure on him, but I think he's going to be a key piece to the puzzle back there," Cassidy said.
He described Yano as "a dynamic young player. He might be a little undersized at the moment, but he's a good puck mover and he thinks the game real well."
Other defencemen in the mix for spots include Denin Boesch, Jeff Bartel, Lyndon Soper and Kade Halabuza. Tyler Bell, 17, will also have a shot if he returns from camp with the Kamloops Blazers.
Up front, rookie standouts included Taylor Reich, Tanner Froese and Matt Brykaliuk.
"I don't even mention (Reich) in the '93s because he looks and skates and handles himself like a veteran," Cassidy said.
The coach also noted that he was pleasantly surprised by the performance of 20-year-old forward Matt Dochylo.
Neufeld was one of the best players in camp, scoring several goals and showing a physical presence.
"Everyone wants to play the big minutes when they come into camp. You gotta earn your ice time so I just laid it all out there and I guess the rest is in the coach's hands," he said.
Forwards Michael Hengen and Josh Jelinski sat out the intra-squad game with minor bumps and bruises.
Ryan Ostertag, who is recovering from a concussion suffered with the Northern Connecticut Wings, said he felt "woozy" after Friday's scrimmage and sat out the rest of the weekend.
Recent acquisition Derek Whitehill, a 20-year-old centre, suffered a shoulder injury on Friday and could miss the start of the season.
Cassidy said he was satisfied with the pace of camp and feels he has a good handle on what each prospective Bruin brings to the table.
"I was hoping for a little more intensity (on Friday), but it sort of picked up as we went on," he said.
"I don't know that anybody blew anybody away this weekend, but that's due in part to the fact that (director of player personnel) Rick Oakes has done a tremendous job of keeping us up to speed on who does what."
