Expect the defending B.C. major midget champion Northwest Giants to be smaller and quicker this season.
This year's Giants will be led by second-year Burnaby defenceman Domenic Masellis, while forwards Colton Kerfoot and Quinn Thompson will also be returning.
"We're not going to be the biggest team. But definitely a little quicker," said head coach Clint Thornton, who took the Giants to the regional championships last season.
The Giants dropped their first two games of a weekend mini-exhibition series with the Greater Vancouver Canadians, but came back to win the next two 5-0 and 3-0. The Burnaby Winter Clubbased club also showed a little feistiness in a recent 2-1 win over the Valley West Hawks.
"It's starting to come together," Thornton said.
The Giants will formalize their roster following a weekend of exhibition games in Abbotsford from Sept. 6 to 8. The team will then hold a training camp in Whistler, where they will play the Northeast Chiefs on Sept. 13 and the South Island Royals on the 15th.
