The off-season is over and the Nanaimo Clippers have started skating toward a new B.C. Hockey League campaign.
The city junior A hockey club held its training camp over the Labour Day long weekend, Aug. 30-Sept. 1, at Frank Crane Arena.
There were 40 players brought into camp and the coaching staff was expecting to whittle that number down to 27 or 28 after the Rhodesie Cup intrasquad game Sunday, Sept. 1. After that, the intention was for players to get a chance to play in one of both of the pre-season games Friday, Sept. 6, and Sunday, Sept. 8.
Joel Plante, Clippers veteran forward, said it was a competitive camp and he was seeing positive things at all areas of the ice.
"A lot of good goaltending, it makes it hard to score," he said. "We have a lot of speed and skill, a lot more size this year from what I notice, that will be super beneficial, that physicality. Overall we're looking really good."
Colin Birkas, Clippers coach and general manager, said the addition this off-season of assistant coach Evan Richardson has brought a fresh perspective to player assessment.
"We're really trying to focus on having an open mind and selecting the best player, maybe not based on reputation or pedigree, but who's actually performing the best and who's going to fit what we're trying to do the best," Birkas said.
Last year, the Clippers had a comparatively younger team and leaned on the young players to play big minutes in key situations all season long. They didn't achieve the playoff success they'd hoped for, but they do think they'll be rewarded for their patience in 2024-25, the GM said.
"We return a lot up front, so there's going to be a lot of chemistry and I would think a lot of goals being scored for us early," Birkas said. "A lot of newcomers on the back end, so we've got our work cut out for us getting them used to the league, getting used to the structure that we're going to play with."
The coach said the Clippers would start implementing systems zone by zone this week to try to create a foundation that they can then work to solidify.
The other goal of camp and pre-season is team building, and Plante said that's starting already. It's a fun time of year, he said, to come to the rink in flip-flops, bond with new teammates and re-connect with teammates from last season.
"The vets have a lot of experience, we've been here before, so we're just making guys comfortable, showing them the ropes and what the BCHL's all about and the work it takes to be a good player," he said.
Birkas said the B.C. Hockey League is doing a great job marketing itself as the place to be for hockey players to develop and achieve their on- and off-ice goals.
"If you were to look at my phone, whether it's a text, an e-mail or a phone call, kids from all over the world are trying to get into this league right now," he said. "This is the best camp I've had in terms of calibre, there's no question, but if you were to talk to all teams in the BCHL, they would say the same thing."
GAME ON … The Clippers open their pre-season with a game against the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Friday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m. at Frank Crane Arena. For season ticket information, visit www.nanaimoclippers.com.
