It’s going to be another competitive conference season, predicts the Grandview Steelers junior B hockey coach.
“I think it’s going to be a competitive league, for sure,” said Grandview head coach and general manager Aldo Bruno, whose Burnaby Winter Club-based Steelers play in the tight Tom Shaw conference. “It’s going to be hard to make a playoff spot. It’s going to be tough.”
The Steelers ended the exhibition season with a 9-5 win in Abbotsford last Thursday and a 5-3 loss to the Pilots at home on Sunday.
Like the start to every regular season, waiting for players to return from major junior and junior A trial camps makes a general manager’s job challenging, Bruno said.
“Our defence is going to be our strength. We’re really big in the back end, but we’re a faster team, for sure,” he said.
Bruno is counting on winter club products Austin Campeau, Cameron Ginnetti and Alexander Rasovic, currently trying out with the Coquitlam Express of the B.C. Hockey League, to step in on defence, while rookies Braedan Gurney, Nico Bruno and Ian Prevost of Burnaby will be expected to add pace up front.
The Steelers also signed D-man Jordan Henderson, who is presently trying out with the Spokane Chiefs of the Western Hockey League.
Cole MacInnes returns in goal this season for the Steelers.
“You want to be healthy and get a good start,” Bruno said, adding finding consistency with more than a dozen new faces is always a challenge.
The Steelers open this Thursday in Richmond. Faceoff is at 7 p.m.
Grandview hosts the Port Moody Panthers in its home opener at the Burnaby Winter Club on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 4 p.m.
