CANMORE – During an off season of new things for the Canmore Eagles – a new logo, new star players, a modernized soon-to-be arena – the junior A hockey club aims for one more new experience in the 2019-20 season: AJHL champions.
The Eagles want to build on the momentum from last season’s memorable playoff run, where they were eliminated in the second round, but not after making serious noise around the league and province.
“I think we understand it’s not last year, but we understand now what it means to be successful and this year we can build on that,” said Andrew Milne, Eagles head coach and general manager.
Due to construction delays we are opening up the regular season in #BANFF against the @Calgary_Canucks!
— Canmore Eagles (@canmoreeagles) September 10, 2019
It’s always packed when we come to town, make sure to get your tickets early:https://t.co/6rZwI0OtVG pic.twitter.com/pFjR4hnbQO
Getting the nod in the crease is Logan Dyck, who spent most of last season battling Thomas Davis for the No. 1 spot.
Recent signee, Devin Chapman, will back Dyck between the pipes.
The Eagles add international experience to its ranks after two players (and staff) got an up close look at Europe’s finest young talent. In August, the team’s star forwards Alex Young and Max Giangualano won silver with Team AJHL at the Junior Club World Cup in Sochi, Russia.
Young was named best forward of the tournament, which featured NHL signees, for his skilled play, which included a hat trick in a comeback victory against the Swedish team, MODO.
The pair of Eagles said the biggest eye-opener from the tournament was “speed and skill.”
“The speed of the puck movement was incredible out there, a lot faster than here,” said Giangualano. “So getting used to that over there I think was a big help to both of us and we’re going to be bringing that knowledge over here and hopefully it helps out the team.”
While excited for the maturity level of the team’s returning core, Milne is looking forward to watching the young guns take on all comers. One being forward Tristan Zandee, a 15-year-old stand out from Airdrie.
“He’s a young kid already committed to playing in college hockey (Colorado Tigers),” said Milne. “We know he’s going to be an exciting, great skater to watch.”
On defence, the general manager might be thinking business, as he might look to add some pieces to the blueline for “a little bit of a boost.”
Though, one area Milne said the team needs immediate improvement on across the board is discipline. The Eagles’ bad habits earned top honours in the league with 1,525 penalty minutes during the regular season.
“Our discipline needs to be 100 per cent improved from last year,” said Milne. “We got to get away from [undisciplined behavior] this year … we don’t want to put our goaltender in a bad spot.”
In preseason action, the Eagles went 0-2-1 with notable players absent from the lineup.
The Eagles’ season opener is Wednesday (Sept. 18) at 7 p.m. against the Canucks at Calgary’s Max Bell Centre. The home opener is Friday (Sept. 20) at 7 p.m. at the Banff Fenlands Rec Centre. The Eagles are using the Banff arena while the Canmore Rec Centre is being renovated and is expected to make its Canmore debut sometime in October.
