The Eclipse Downhole Solutions Estevan U18 AAA Bears continue to make preparations for their inaugural season that will begin this fall.
The club will host their fall camp from Aug. 21-23 at Affinity Place. Times have not been finalized, but head coach and general manager Jeff Smith said they will likely have about 60 kids this year, including those who have committed to the team, walk-on hopefuls and prospects who could be part of the team’s future.
“Anything more than 60 players is a win in our books for our first year,” said head coach and general manager Jeff Smith.
First-year midget players and bantam-aged kids who could be called up to serve as affiliate players during the season.
The camp will be run in a similar fashion to an Estevan Bruins camp and other fall camps, with registration and fitness testing on the first day, scrimmages on the second and an intrasquad game to wrap it up.
A Western Hockey League (WHL) representative is expected to be at the camp to discuss education opportunities that exist through the league, and if the Canada-U.S. border is open to non-essential travel, then Smith said a couple of coaches from the National Collegiate Athletics Association are also scheduled to appear.
“That’s the one thing I want to stress to my players, is there are many different options for playing hockey for education,” said Smith. “I’m trying to give both the parents and the kids as much information as possible during these camps.”
The club has been working on its dressing room, and Smith hopes it can be ready by the end of July, and certainly for fall camp. They are moving into dressing room No. 4 at Affinity Place.
City of Estevan staff members have helped the Bears prepare the room by completing plumbing, wiring and other tasks.
Dressing room stalls arrived last week and the installation process is to begin this week.
“The room is slowly turning into an actual team dressing room, not just a generic rink dressing room,” said Smith.
Season tickets for the inaugural season are now on sale.
The biggest need for the team is billet parents. Smith believes they have five now, and could use about a dozen more. The local players will be able to stay with their families, and there are a few players with extended family members in Estevan to stay with.
Smith said the club is placing an emphasis on character with its recruits.
“A lot of these kids are young kids moving away from home for the first time, so they really need a good home to move into,” said Smith.
The Bears are confident they will be able to play this season. They have been told by the Saskatchewan Hockey Association that they will start in the middle of October, which is about two to four weeks later than normal.
The U18 AAA league isn’t gate-driven like the WHL or the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, so if absolutely necessary, they could play in front of an empty arena.
Between fall camp and the start of the regular season, the Bears will keep players occupied, Smith said. They’ll be attending classes, since all members of the Bears are still in high school.
“I’m going to practise with them every morning before school, and run a six-week practice plan before the season starts. We should be in mid-season form by the time of the first puck drop,” said Smith.
He also plans to keep the players engaged while waiting for the first game of the season.
