Greyhounds main camp opens Wednesday

It’s business as usual for the Soo Greyhounds as training camp continued on Tuesday with a pair of scrimmages to end the rookie camp portion of the event.

The team now heads into the start of main camp, which opens with player registration in the morning before players take the ice for practice after lunch.

With just a pair of regulars – forward Tim Gettinger and goaltender Joseph Raaymakers – on the ice for the opening two days, new Greyhounds Coach Drew Bannister said after Tuesday’s second scrimmage that he was pleased with what he saw from the newcomers.

“We kind of expected what we saw over the last two days,” Bannister said. “We saw some nerves early on and we saw the nerves dissipate as we went on, especially (Tuesday). (Tuesday morning) I thought a lot of the guys felt more comfortable and the pace of the play showed it compared to what it was (Monday night).”

General Manager Kyle Raftis said main camp is going to be a chance for the newcomers to separate themselves even further to make the team.

“The guys that were expected to stand out have done so,” Raftis said following day two. “There are some other guys that have showed flashes of it and, deservedly so, are going to get a good look when we bring back the returning players. That’s going to tell the tale. We continue to tell (the rookies) that it wasn’t about coming out and fitting in here with this group because only a select few are going to play in the league this year. It’s about separating yourself from them and showing what you can do.”

“You have to show you belong and not only belong but stand out for the right reasons,” Raftis also said. “It’s going to be important for these guys to continue to do what they’re going. It’s going to get that much faster (on Wednesday) and that much quicker for the decision-making and puck-movement.”

As camp continues, the decision on how many 16-year-olds could find their way into the Greyhounds lineup when the season opens in late-September.

“We’re looking at two and see how it progresses,” Raftis said when asked how many-16-year-olds the team would carry this season.

Raftis cited the seasons had by Jack Kopacka and Boris Katchouk in 2014-15 after being sent down by the Greyhounds following training camp.

“It benefitted them playing down last year,” Raftis said. “(The OHL) is not an easy league to play in at 16. It doesn’t mean you’re not going to be a good player down the road.”

For Bannister, the main camp is an opportunity to give players an idea of what they can expect this season.

“As we go on the next few days, they’re going to learn more about the style of play and how we want to play,” said Bannister. “They’ll have a good base and understanding of how we want to play here in the Sault.”

The first scrimmage of main camp is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday evening.

Monday’s morning scrimmage saw Team Red score a 5-3 win over Team White thanks to three-point performance from Hayden Broomhead (free agent), who had a goal and two assists. Alex Daigle (15th round, 2015) added a goal and an assist in the win while goaltender Tyler Wall (7th round, 2014) stopped 42 shots for Team Red.

Jack Kopacka had a goal and an assist for Team White while Dougie Newhouse stopped 29 shots.

In the second scrimmage, Morgan Frost had a goal and two assists to lead Team White to a 5-2 win over Team Red.

Newhouse made 24 saves for Team White while Wall stopped 35 shots for Team Red.