In the world of sports, the off-season is either an oxymoron or a sliver of what it used to be.
For the Grandview Steelers, the period between the end of the playoffs and training camp is already too long.
The Pacific Junior B Hockey League club held its spring camp last week and rolled through nearly 80 players looking to make the jump up to junior B.
General manager Aldo Bruno was pleased to find a number of kids who he feels are ready for that challenge.
“(The tryout camp) went really well. We had a lot of good recruits and had balance at all areas. It was fairly competitive,” said Bruno.
With a base of approximately nine returnees to build around, the goal was to sift through the pack and identify players for the holes in the lineup.
Going 28-9-2-5 in the regular season – the third-best record in the circuit – but getting bounced in the semifinals in five games by division rival Delta tainted what had been a very promising season in head coach Stevan Matic’s first season behind the bench.
But Bruno said, disappointment aside, the youthful lineup gained valuable experience which should pay dividends this year.
“The year was a little bit disappointing,” remarked the Steelers GM. “We can’t use any excuses but when you lose five kids to strep throat, that didn’t help. ... We’re going to be young again, and I think there’s lots of potential here.”
While players are still trying out for junior A teams, Bruno fully expects to be hunting for another No. 1 goalie, with both Matteo Paler-Chow and Cale Dolan having put up league-leading numbers and now hot commodities.
While veterans Adam Rota, Liam Cumberbirch and Lucas Mercer join late-season acquisition Keito Lee in the group graduating out of junior, 17-year-old Jacob Siebenga is expected to get a good look at the next tier up after scoring 18 goals as a rookie.
The Steelers boss said another challenge is piecing together a roster that will function well together and improve on last year’s result.
“Our leadership group is very solid, and I think with the newcomers coming in we’ll have a good mix.”
Among the four players signed to cards were three from Burnaby. Another handful were offered deals but were still weighing their options.
The club will regroup mid-
August for main camp, with the regular season expected to start the first week of September.
