Hurricanes wrap up competitive training camp

By Lethbridge Herald on September 5, 2022.

Herald photo by JUSTIN SEWARD Lethbridge Hurricanes Team White player Hayden Smith chases the puck after slipping by Team Red player Tristen Doyle during the instraquad game on Monday at the Enmax Centre.

By Justin Seward

Lethbridge Hurricanes

The Lethbridge Hurricanes wrapped up their training camp with the Team Red versus Team White intrasquad game on Monday at the Enmax Centre.

Team Red won 6-4 and now the focus shifts  to forming the team this week at practice and into the exhibition season before its start for real on Sept. 24 in Medicine Hat.

“It was a great camp,” said head coach Brent Kisio.

“It was real competitive. We were  real proud of the way  our older guys played, how hard they worked and competed against each other. And credit the young guys, they came in and did a great job. They made some real hard decisions.”Returning player Ty Nash thought the camp was more intense than he initially thought.

“I think the young prospects came in and they did a great job and they were  working hard and letting us teach them some things,” said Nash.

“Yeah, it was awesome overall.”

Nash’s focus was to keep the intensity up.

“In main camp, being a returning guy, you can tend to get lazy,” said Nash.

“So I think coming into camp, it was kind of just stay focused and stay working hard and keep the physicality up.”

Nash thought it was physical camp.

“There was lots of big hits, more than I was thinking,” he said.

“ I think the guys were fighting for a spot and like I said it was a pretty physical camp and I love to see that,” said Nash.

Rookie rearguard Tristen Doyle got his first full camp under his belt as 16-year-old after being drafted last December.

“It was fast— way faster than midget — but it was good, all the boys were good,” said Doyle.

Doyle agreed the few games he got in last season made him more comfortable heading into this season.

“It’s way easier to make plays because you know what to expect,” said Doyle.

When asked about the battle level on the ice, Doyle said it was tough.

“Every time you get out of the corner, somebody would give you a whack, but that’s how it goes,” he said.

This was Cole Carrier’s first training camp with the Hurricanes after being acquired in the off season from Regina Pats and he really enjoyed the last four days.

“I think the camp’s pretty  intense, high pace, all the guys are pretty good,” he said.

“So, yeah, no complaints. I really enjoyed it.”

Carrier hopes to the fill the role of a guy that goes into the corner and hard areas and is willing to a beating in front of the net.

The Hurricanes will shift their attention to the exhibition  game season beginning Friday night at home against Medicine Hat and will focus on structure this week at practice.

“The first weekend, a lot of the younger guys will be playing, so just getting their first games under them,” said Kisio.

Puck drop for the first exhibition game is 7 p.m. on Sept. 9 at the Enmax Centre