More than 50 young hockey players displayed their game over the weekend at the Estevan Bruins spring camp.
They skated at the Civic Auditorium, but for those players who are back in the fall, they will be part of the first Bruins team to take to the ice at Spectra Place.
The camp started Friday afternoon as the prospects and family members registered before being assigned to the team they would spend the weekend playing with.
Kyle Oleniuk is a 1993-born player who has been attending Bruin camps since he was a bantam. Leading his Moose Jaw Generals midget AAA team in scoring this year with 64 points in 44 games, he said Spectra Place is the rink he wants to call home at the end of the summer.
Oleniuk was listed by the Bruins when he was 15, so he came into camp knowing full well what to expect and stayed loose for most of the weekend.
"I'm kind of used to it by now," he said. "(The players) are a little younger this year, I think. Seems like they've got lots of skill out there. It's a littler quicker (than previous years)."
Oleniuk said he was comfortable on the ice. Having played midget AAA, like most of the other players, the skill was what he was used to, and there were plenty of familiar faces including a couple of his Moose Jaw teammates. That familiarity helped most players stay relaxed on the ice, he said.
"It was a little tight to start, but everyone loosens up as the practice goes on."
He said he'd been hearing a lot about the new rink since arriving. The players were able to tour Spectra Place along with their parents on Saturday afternoon.
"There's a lot of hype around here for the new rink," he said. "It's kind of a fresh start for everyone here. I'm looking forward to it."
Because he's had an inside look at the Bruins for a couple years now, the camp is just one more opportunity to get on the ice in front of the scouts.
"I'm pretty familiar with the coaches. I'm trying to play my game, score a few goals and play well defensively," Oleniuk said.
Another highly touted Bruins prospect is Jesse Bernard, the leading scorer in the Manitoba AAA league with 72 points in 44 games playing for the Â鶹´«Ã½AVwest Cougars.
For Bernard, this was his first experience at the Bruins camp. Bernard liked the atmosphere.
"It's good. The practice had a good tempo," he said. "Everybody's going hard out there, and you have to show your stuff."Like Oleniuk, Bernard said he just wanted to play his game and do what he knew how. He added that he didn't have a lot of expectations coming into the camp.
Rick Oakes, Bruins director of personnel, said during interviews with each player at the end of the camp, he and the other Bruin staff wanted all the players to know where they stood in the organization.
"Moving forward, we wanted to let (the players) know what we thought of their camp, and how they fit into our plans for the upcoming season."
He said they also wanted to get the thoughts of the players, and what their thoughts were in terms of their futures with the Bruins.
Oleniuk said he thinks he's ready to play junior hockey now.
"Right now, this is where I want to be," said Oleniuk.
