Among the hundreds of curious spectators in the Civic Centre this past weekend, one man was more interested than any other when it came to accessing the future talent of the Moose Jaw Warriors.
After weeks of gathering opinions on the Warriors’ stable of players, new director of hockey operations Alan Millar finally got his first look at the hand he’s been dealt.
“All in all my expectations and what I heard going into camp about our players was quite accurate,” said Millar. “We had some young kids play extremely well.
“When you look at our returning team and when look at our player list and the job our scouts have done — particularly with the 94 and 95 draft (classes) — I think the organization is in good standing moving forward.”
Millar replaced Jeff Truitt in early August after Truitt left the post after one season to become the assistant coach for the AHL’s San Antonio Rampage.
Millar, who presided over 11 training camps in the OHL and four in the AHL, saw some unique features at his first WHL camp. For a start, the WHL is the only major junior league that drafts players at 15.
“What was a little bit different for me was the size of the camp,” said Millar who was the general manager/alternate governor of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting from 04-09 and Guelph Storm from 97-03.
“In my experience in the OHL, camp was in the 40-45 range player wise. Dealing with the size of the camp and also players being a year younger was certainly something to adjust to.”
OHL teams often have a rookie camp that precedes main camp and allows for smaller numbers at the main camp. Not only do the Warriors bring everyone in at once, they also had two days of intense scrimmaging with all of the players blended together on four teams.
“I thought that was a great learning experience for our young players to get a taste of what it takes to play in the Western Hockey League,” said Millar of having 15-year-old rookies on the ice with 19- and 20-year-old veterans.
“To be on the ice, on the bench and in the dressing room with our veteran guys and the seven guys going to NHL camps, I think that’s a great experience that’s going to benefit those kids down the road.”
For more please see Tuesday's Times-Herald.
