A total of 50 Osoyoos Coyotes prospects participated in the team’s main camp over the weekend. Twelve players were released on Monday. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)
By Dale Boyd
Osoyoos Times
As young hockey players are fighting for spots on the Osoyoos Coyotes roster, head coach Dean Maynard presented them with three choices.
“One is be a quitter, the second is be average and the third is be a winner,” Maynard said. “I said you guys choose. Those are the three things you have to think of when it comes to sports.”
A round of releases Monday following the Coyote’s main camp over the long weekend saw 12 players removed from contention for the regular season roster, making for some tough choices ahead for Maynard and his team.
A total of 50 prospects, including eight goalies, came out to camp with about 12 prospects released on Monday.
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“A lot of the kids were well-conditioned, you could tell, and a lot of kids were there fighting for a spot. Having said that, when it came down to selections for the coaches there were some tough, tough decisions to make,” Maynard said. “But I think we’ve got a good grasp on who we’re looking for and who we’re going to pick for the season.”
Playing the first pre-season game at home on Labour Day, racking up a 5-4 win in the high-scoring affair against the Princeton Posse, Maynard took the opportunity to showcase local and young talent to get an extra look at some players before picking a final roster for the season.
“I’d say 80 per cent of my roster was still in the stands. These kids out on the ice are fighting for their spot to stay on the team,” Maynard said. “I wanted to look at these kids a little further to see if they can make a roster spot and as well how they communicate on the bench, in the room.”
A total of 50 Osoyoos Coyotes prospects participated in the team’s main camp over the weekend. Twelve players were released on Monday. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)
Foundations of respect, structure and teamwork have been often-repeated pillars for Maynard’s team in his first season as head coach.
Taking careful note of performance on and off the ice, the pre-season opener was a good chance to see how prospects worked with coaching staff, with Maynard gauging reactions to instruction as well.
“I have to make sure these kids are coachable throughout the season,” Maynard said.
The Coyotes head to Summerland Friday in their second KIJHL pre-season outing against the Steam at Summerland Arena.
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Friday’s match-up is going to have the Coyotes looking a little more like their eventual regular season roster, Maynard said, with about six goalies and around 30 skaters still fighting for a spot.
“I’m going to see two new goalies against Summerland and see how they battle through. They know they are fighting for spots,” Maynard said.
The Coyotes roster should be finalized on Sept. 9, with the regular season kicking off Friday, Sept. 13 in Invermere against the Columbia Valley Rockies. After another away game on Sept. 14 against the Kimberley Dynamiters, the Coyotes home opener takes place Sept. 20 against Grand Forks at Sun Bowl Arena.
A total of 50 Osoyoos Coyotes prospects participated in the team’s main camp over the weekend. Twelve players were released on Monday. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)
A total of 50 Osoyoos Coyotes prospects participated in the team’s main camp over the weekend. Twelve players were released on Monday. (Vanessa Broadbent / Osoyoos Times)
