Nipawin goaltender Frank Chaboyer makes a sprawling save versus Flin Flon in SJHL exhibition action on Monday, Aug. 29. (Clark Stork/northeastNOW Staff)

By Clark Stork

Camp concludes

Hawks conclude camp, prepare for pre-season schedule

Sep 1, 2022 | 2:44 PM

The Nipawin Hawks training camp is over and now the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) club will turn its attention to the exhibition schedule.

Camp ran this past weekend with over 80 players attending. Some of those attendees were draft picks and listed players that are not yet eligible to play junior hockey yet, but the majority are veterans seeking to return to the team or make the final roster.

Assistant General Manager Dana Dirks said most of the returning players came ready to advance their roles this season.

“We obviously had quite a few of the guys put the work in,” he said after Nipawin hosted Flin Flon on Monday night for a camp closing exhibition game. “They are bigger, stronger, and faster. We saw that at camp. Some guys obviously like every year didn’t and that’s a concern.”

Second-year forward Mason Svarich was one player returning that didn’t make the team. He was traded to Hearst of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League for a player development fee. Several other veterans did impress in camp including Rylan Lefebvre, Joel Mabin, Braxton Buckberger, Bryden Kiesman, and Maguire Ratzlaff. Dirks said those players will lead a new-look Hawks team.

Riderville

Click Click Boom - Riders Make the Playoffs Interesting

16m ago

Ground the Wings

Hawks host Weyburn Wednesday

37m ago

Melfort fall cleanup week

Melfort fall cleanup week starts Monday

2h ago

“We’re going to play a fast game, we want to finish all our checks, we’re going to work hard. Especially in our home rink here with the smaller ice surface, we need to play fast, and we need to play physical,” Dirks said.

The defence group of the team will look different without three-year Hawk Evan Bortis who was traded to Niverville earlier this year. The team acquired Moose Jaw product Brady Grasdal in the summer to help fill the void, the team also traded for another 20-year-old defenseman, Reese Malkewich. Dirks said adding those experienced blueliners will assist returnees Eric Robbie, and Zander Stewart along with several recruited players.

“We got a little bit older back there and bridge the gap with our young guys. We feel we’ve made a real nice improvement to our backend this year,” Dirks said.

Harmon Laser-Hume will be the team’s top goaltender, the backup position is a battle now between Reid Lalonde and Nolan McDowell.

Nipawin will play four more exhibition games before the regular season gets underway on Sept. 16. The Hawks host Humboldt on Friday, Sept. 3 and will travel to Humboldt on Saturday. On Labour Day Monday the Hawks are in Melfort and the Mustangs will visit Nipawin on Sept. 9.

–

clark.stork@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @ClarkStork