Greyhounds check out the prospects (11 photos)

(The following story was submitted to SooToday.com Sports by Pete Vere.)

This past weekend, the Soo Greyhounds held their 2006 Prospect Orientation Camp. Thirty-eight recent draft picks and free agents were invited to attend this camp.

"Some will move up to the main training camp," explained Gerry Liscumb, the Greyhounds' communications and public relations liason.

The camp began with meeting for players on parents on Saturday morning, and ended with a game dividing players into a Red Team and a Black Team. Coach Craig Hartsburg watched from the stands as prospective players used the game to showcase their skating and stick-handling.

"It's been a pretty good two days," Hartsburg told SooToday. "The weekend is to help the kids learn. We want them to see what Sault Ste. Marie is like. And we want them to show us what type of player they are."

Hartsburg stated that the Greyhounds are looking at a number of strong prospects. "James Livingston has been good," Hartsburg said, referring to the team's number one draft pick for 2006. "He's showing why he was selected high in the draft: good skills and a good skater."

When asked about his talent on the ice, Livingston remained modest. "There's a lot of good players out on the ice," he told SooToday. "I have got to play my best. All of these players deserve to be here. You saw how competitive the game was."

Livingston praised the Greyhounds' coaching staff for the way they organized the weekend. "They treated us well," he said. "The entire organization is helping us out." He noted that the hockey is more intense at the OHL level. "I have to worry about balancing hockey and my education. I take education seriously. Each year the course work gets heavier and so does the hockey. So I must rise to both challenges."

Second round pick Sean Jones also shared Livingston's praise for the weekend. "This is a great hockey town, a great city and a great hockey organization. So it was a great weekend. There was lots of hockey and it made me understand what it takes to make it in the OHL."

Local player Brett Perlini is this year's third round draft pick. He was visibly enthused as he left the weekend after playing a strong game. "The camp went well," Perlini told SooToday. "It was high tempo with two practices and a great game to finish it off. I think there's a lot of potential for this team. There's a lot of good players here."

Jacob Chiblow also enjoyed the weekend, which he found a learning experience. This was the Blind River native's first OHL prospect camp. "This camp showed me what it takes in this league [and] how hard the players work. I would love to play in the Sault. I've been coming up here since Peewee, but it will take more hard work. I will need to get bigger and quicker on my feet."

(PHOTO: Hounds head coach Craig Hartsburg)