Close to 50 players hit the ice at the Sun Bowl Arena last Thursday as the Osoyoos Coyotes officially kicked off their training camp for the 2015-16 KIJHL season. Head coach and general manager Ken Law cut loose more than 20 players following Sunday’s exhibition game against Grand Forks. (Keith Lacey photo)
With just over a week to go until the 2015-16 Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL) regular season gets underway, Ken Law says he won’t know if he’s going to have a veteran squad or one filled with rookies.
That’s because seven players who played for the Coyotes last season are attempting to try out for Junior A teams in B.C., Alberta and Saskatchewan.
“We have seven guys who are still away at Junior A camps and we’re probably not going to know how many we’re getting back, if any, for another week or so,” said Law, who is heading into his sixth-consecutive season as coach and general manager of the Coyotes.
Because the KIJHL is a developmental league, Law said he’s thrilled and happy every time one of his players graduates to a higher level of hockey.
But if any of the seven don’t make the grade and want to return to Osoyoos to play another season with the Coyotes, he will welcome them with open arms, said Law.
“It’s always the goal to develop these players so they can move up to the next level,” he said. “That’s what this league is all about.
“But if they aren’t ready to make the jump, they know they will be welcome to come back here and have a place to play at a high level.”
This past weekend’s training camp saw close to 50 players try out for a spot on the opening day roster.
After several days of scrimmages, practices and Sunday’s exhibition game on home ice against Grand Forks – which the Coyotes won 6-2 – Law cut his roster almost in half.
“We’re down to about 26 guys right now,” said Law Monday afternoon. “We’ll be keeping this group until we find out what’s happening with the seven guys who are still away at junior camps.”
As has become tradition, Law spent another summer travelling to various hockey camps trying to recruit players for the Coyotes.
He’s very pleased with the talent and skill level of the players who remain in camp and he’s confident the Coyotes are going to ice another contending team.
“We’ve got a really good mix of size, skill and talent,” he said. “All of the guys came into camp in really good shape and you could tell they were well conditioned because the pace was really high right away.”
There were only 10 defencemen in camp and they all played a lot as players were split into two teams, instead of the usual three, said Law.
“When you only have five D on each team, they got a chance to play a lot and show the coaching staff what they have and I was very impressed,” he said. “Our core group of defencemen that will make our club have good size and they are very mobile and know how to move the puck.
“They were also very vocal as a group, which isn’t always the case, and they had good communication amongst each other.”
The group of forwards will also be a nice mix of size, strength, speed and skill, he said.
“We have some very big and fast forwards and some of the guys who aren’t that big know how to protect the puck and stay out of trouble,” he said. “I always emphasize skating and skill whenever I’m looking to bring in a player and I really like the talent level of the new kids we’ve brought in.”
The Coyotes continue their exhibition schedule with a game in Grand Forks Friday evening. They return home to host the Summerland Steam Saturday evening at the Sun Bowl Arena. Game time is 7:35 p.m.
They return to Summerland next Tuesday for their final exhibition game.
The regular season opens on Saturday, Sept. 12 when the Coyotes visit the Princeton Posse.
They don’t play again until Sept. 18 in Summerland. They remain on the road the next night in Fruitvale, where they will take on the Beaver Valley Nighthawks.
They will play their home opener on Saturday, Sept. 26 against the Nelson Leafs.
Season tickets can be purchased by visiting the Osoyoos Coyotes website or visiting the box office at the Sun Bowl Arena.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
