There are only 10 players elligible to return from last season's Melfort Mustangs team that made it to the SJHL Finals. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

By Mat Barrett

Mustangs Training Camp

Plenty of new faces as Mustangs open 2019 training camp

Aug 30, 2019 | 9:00 AM

A sure sign that hockey season is upon us.

Training camp opens for the Melfort Mustangs, and plenty of other Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) teams on Friday, Aug 30. Mustangs Head Coach Trevor Blevins said it’s a fun time of year.

“Lot of new faces,” he said. “And going through the process of getting the roster to 25 guys is always exciting.”

For the Mustangs, they are coming off their third SJHL finals appearance in five seasons. This year, they are looking to get back to the finals, but the roster will look much different than it did last year. With trades, and graduating players, the Mustangs have only 10 players from last year’s roster eligible to return.

In goal, things are pretty simple as it stands heading into camp. With Shawn Parkinson returning for his final season of junior, he is likely to lock down the starter’s job in Melfort. Blevins said they’ll let the attendees at camp battle it out for the back-up role.

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Meanwhile, it should be very competitive on the blue line at camp and through the pre-season. With Jake Hobson, Nolan Kadachuk, and Gabe Odowichuk all set to return, the Mustangs have only a few spots to fill.

“We pride ourselves as having our D being very involved 200 feet,” Blevins told northeastNOW. “Not just in our zone, but we like them to be offensive minded too.”

He said he likes their defence core right now with some size and strength coming to camp to surround the core.

Up front is where things could look the most different this coming season. Zach Anderson, Tyson Meyers, Kenzie Arnold, Colton Schell, Kyle Schneider, and Zack Smith are all eligible to return, leaving plenty of spots up for grabs. Blevins said when it comes to his forwards, every player has a skill set that allows them to play a role. He said they hope to find the right players for those roles as camp moves on.

“Typically, the players usually let it play out and they determine where they fit in,” Blevins said. “We’re just coaches giving them the opportunity and let them shine, and hopefully they can play at their best.”

When it came to how young the team could be this season, Blevins wasn’t giving away his cards. He said they’ll let the camp play out and see where they are and what they need as the season rolls on.

“The team’s not picked in the first two weeks,” Blevins said. “It’s going to be a process to the trade deadlines and cutdown days. We’re just excited to get going and we’re happy with the core guys coming back so that we can be competitive.”

Players attending camp will be a wide range of ages with players born as recently as 2004 and as far back as 1999. Things get underway at 4:30 p.m. on Friday at the Northern Lights Palace with the first ice time. The annual inter-squad game takes place on Sunday night before the Mustangs open their pre-season schedule on Monday, Sept. 2 when the Nipawin Hawks come to town.

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mat.barrett@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @matbarrett6