CANMORE – After making it to the second round in the playoffs last season, where the team fell to eventual Jr. A champions Brooks Bandits, the Canmore Eagles are ready to get back to the ice and begin a new season and quest for the playoffs.
It all begins with training camp, which began Aug. 29. Getting back on the ice is all about building a team that can go far in the playoffs for head coach and general manager Andrew Milne.
“Every hockey club talks about it, you want to win a championship,” Milne said. “You want to be in the running when it comes to the playoffs.”
Through the off-season, Milne and his staff were busy building the team around the core group that will be returning this year. Training camp will be the first look at all the players together.
“It is a small camp, won’t be very large,” Milne said. “I think for us it is exciting with the recruiting class we have, and the returning players we have, to make a chemistry on our hockey club.”
One player who is expected to make his mark is Canmore's Finn McLaughlin, who is fresh off winning silver with Team USA at the 2022 Five Nations Cup in August.
“The fact that he is an exceptional player is huge for the program, and huge for the community having a local kid like Finn having the success he has had,” Milne said. “We are really excited about him and his career and his path.”
There will be players from the United States, Saskatchewan and Alberta coming out to training camp. They will be joining the 14 returning players to the team. Having a large group of players who were together last season presents an advantage for the team.
“We want players to move on and be better players. Anytime you get core returning players, that is a big advantage point,” Milne said. “We want our players to move on, but we love having returning players.”
Those returning players already have established chemistry that the new recruits will begin to become a part of.
“There is a chemistry there between them all and I think it is getting the new players in, and gelling with the other players and that is how we build the organization,” Milne said.
Building the hockey team goes beyond just finding players for Milne, who also wants to develop productive members of the community.
“Developing hockey players is what we are in the business to do,” Milne said. “We want to maintain that we are developing players and grooming, not only hockey players, but quality people off the ice and giving the community back as much as we can.”
The team will play four exhibition games – two against the Calgary Canucks on Sept. 2 and 3, and two against the Olds Grizzlys on Sept. 7 and 8.
The first game of the season, and home opener for the team, will be on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. against the Drumheller Dragons.
