MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- As the Moose Jaw Warriors prepared for their 2024 Western Hockey League training camp, there was a bit of a question with regards to how the first event of the pre-season would go.
Heading into a normal season, returning players would have had the better part of four months or so to work on their strength and conditioning, with the goal of putting up some good numbers during fitness testing to open camp.
That wasn’t the case this time around -- thanks to their WHL Championship and appearance in the Memorial Cup, the Warriors veterans had only had a couple of months away from the Moose Jaw Events Centre before it was time to do it all over again.
As it turns out, winning that title apparently lit a fire under both veterans and rookies alike, with the team seeing impressive improvement and solid scores from players despite the relatively short time away.
“Especially some of the guys who came back, even though it was a quick summer turnaround a lot of the guys have put on good healthy weight and are moving quicker, jumping higher and scoring better,” said Warriors athletic therapist Layne Richardson. “So even though it was such a short off-season, only a couple of months, there’s definitely a lot of improvement… It shows that they took their two weeks or so off and then got right back to work.”
The testing regimen is much the same as it has been for years -- pull-ups, straight-line sprints, standing vertical jump, long jump, shuttle runs and the dreaded beep test all put the players through their paces.
The main goal is to see how they improve from year to year, beginning with a base set of numbers for first-year rookies and going season by season from there. The testing also gives Richardson an idea of where their strength and conditioning is in case of an injury, which can be valuable when it comes to a player’s potential return.
“We can see where their strength was at the start of the season and make sure they’re at that stage when they come back,” Richardson explained. “And it shows us how guys compare to their peers and how much they’re improving season to season, which can be valuable.”
Players are also under the watchful eyes of Warriors front office and on-ice staff throughout the testing, and a solid showing can have benefits beyond just numbers on a chart for future comparison.
“It’s not the end all, be all by any means, but it shows the work and the time they’ve put in and their dedication to becoming a better player,” Richardson said. “You won’t get cut because of fitness testing, but if it goes really well you might get a few more eyes when you’re on the ice.”
Fitness testing also marks the beginning of an incredibly busy weekend for both Richardson and equipment manager Tanner Arnold -- Richardson will be wrangling any injuries that come up during the weekend, and Arnold will have tons of gear to deal with seeing as there are 91 players on the ice beginning with the first rookie sessions on Thursday morning.
“It’s just managing the time and making sure guys know that there’s 90 of them and one of me and if someone is hurt my attention will go to him,” Richardson said. “Then I have to keep an eye on the ice all the time, so it’s busy and I just give and take my time.
“It’s a whirlwind, it’s the busiest time of the year, but it’s the most fun time of the year because everyone is excited to be playing and everyone is looking forward to the new season.”
Here’s a quick look at the training camp schedule for the weekend, with all on-ice sessions free for the public to attend.
Thursday, Aug. 29
9 a.m. -- Rookie Camp Team 1 Practice
9:45 a.m. -- Rookie Camp Team 2 Practice
10:30 a.m. -- Rookie Camp Team 3 Pracice
11:30 a.m. -- Rooke Camp scrimmage 1 vs. 2
1:15 p.m. -- Main Camp practice
3 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 1 vs. 3
4:45 p.m. -- Goalie session
6 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 3 vs. 2
Friday, Aug. 30
9 a.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 2 vs. 1
10:45 a.m. -- Goalie session
12 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 2 vs. 3
2:30 p.m. -- Rookie Camp scrimmage 3 vs. 1
6:30 p.m. -- Main Camp scrimmage
Saturday, Aug. 31
9 a.m. -- Main camp scrimmage
12:30 p.m. -- Main Camp scrimmage
4 p.m. -- Main Camp scrimmage
Sunday, Sept 1
12 p.m. -- Black / White Intrasquad Game
