Joey Payeur
Anyone looking for Wayne Strachan to be running around town doing his “Chicken Little” impression will be sorely disappointed.
Heading into training camp, which runs tomorrow through Saturday at the Ice For Kids Arena, the Fort Frances Lakers’ head coach and general manager was adamant the sizable roster turnover from last season’s SIJHL title-winning squad does not mean the sky is falling.
“If you look at the overall picture before last year started, I believe we lost six of our top eight scorers and actually only returned five of our top 15,” recalled Strachan, whose squad will go into the 2015-16 campaign without its top six scorers from a season ago, as well as all but one of its defencemen and its No. 1 goalie.
“I am not going to deny we have an uphill battle,” he stressed. “But we also feel from within [our holdovers] and players we have recruited that we can remain strong in the league.”
Those holdovers are the battle-tested quartet of goalie Pierce Dushenko, defenceman Robbie Bonthron, and forwards Dylan Robertson and Colton Spicer.
That group, along with all the newcomers, will be chasing a third-straight SIJHL crown for the franchise this season, its first Dudley Hewitt Cup championship, and its initial trip to the RBC Cup—something the Lakers fell one game short of last season in losing 3-2 to the Soo Thunderbirds (NOJHL) in the Dudley Hewitt final here.
“We will take it day by day,” Strachan maintained.
“Our ultimate goal will be to give ourselves a chance to have success in April, but we will need to build again throughout the year to get to that point,” he noted.
“Last year’s team never really hit full stride until November,” Strachan added.
“We will be patient putting together the pieces and then be ready for when we need to be.”
Strachan expected 36-40 players will be in attendance at training camp this weekend, with roughly 20 forwards, a dozen defencemen, and four goalies vying for roster spots.
“We have had a few locals drop out of camp and a few players sign in outlaw leagues on both sides of the border, but we are hoping for a strong group to add to our 12 players already signed,” said Strachan.
“We are still waiting on a few offered players to make decisions, and have some veterans and new recruits trying to stick in other leagues,” he added.
At first glance, restocking the offensive cupboard of a team that had a league-high 254 goals last season would seem to be the main priority.
Not so fast, claimed Strachan.
“We are a team that is defence first and we want reliable bodies on our back end,” he stressed.
“However, we are also a team that likes our defence to be a part of our attack and solid in transition,” he added.
“We want mobile players who can move the puck and read when to jump into the attack.”
The Lakers fortified their blueline corps on Sunday by acquiring defenceman Dustin Deugau from the Cochrane Crunch (NOJHL) for a player development fee.
The 19-year-old netted one goal and seven assists in 49 regular-season games with the Crunch last season, along with 16 penalty minutes.
The Calgary native had no points in 14 playoff games.
“We are happy to get Dustin as he brings a veteran presence onto the team,” said Strachan.
“And with only Robbie Bonthron returning on our back end, he will be relied on for leadership and guidance to our younger players.
“Dustin will add a player that can play valuable minutes for our hockey team; someone who can shut the other teams’ big lines down and moves the puck well,” he noted.
But getting another blueliner doesn’t mean Strachan is dismissive of the importance of stockpiling talent up front.
“We will not stray from our philosophy,” he vowed.
“We will look for the best available players and our main focus is on speed; players that will compete, play a 200-foot game, and play a puck control game.”
Dushenko will be getting his first kick at being the No. 1 goalie after caddying much of last season for SIJHL top goalie winner Nathan Park.
But Dushenko’s play in relief of an injured Park at the Dudley Hewitt Cup has Strachan brimming with confidence about his new regular starter.
“In net, we have all the confidence that Pierce can be the No. 1 we need,” he lauded.
“He has proven his level of play.”
That leaves the question of who will serve as Dushenko’s back-up—a tricky role to fill being that the No. 2 guy will have to deal with his playing time likely dwindling as the season goes along.
“Usually at the beginning of the season, we will give both goaltenders a pretty fair amount of playing time,” Strachan explained.
“We will definitely have to keep both goalies focused and on the top of their game.
“[But] as the season gets deeper and we start to roll our No. 1, more mental preparation will be key for the back-up,” he added.
“It’s never easy to make those decisions as most goalies want the net as much as possible,” admitted Strachan.
“But as a staff, we need to make the proper decisions and work with the guy in the position of the back-up role to make him aware he will get his chances and the team needs him to be focused and sharp.”
For the Lakers to retain their place atop the SIJHL mountain, and take that next step to advance to the RBC Cup (set for Lloydminster, Alta. in April), Strachan was clear the team can’t be looking for the easy way to get the job done.
“No. 1, we can’t be complacent and expect it to happen,” he stressed.
“We need our Laker veterans to be focused and lead by example with hard work and energy in everything we do.
“If they are going to be lazy, it will only make it harder for us to accomplish,” he warned.
“We will need some of the veteran junior players we have brought in to buy into the game plan quickly and help our four vets bring along the younger guys and gel as a team,” Strachan added.
The Lakers will begin their preseason schedule next Wednesday (Sept. 2) in Hoyt Lakes against the Minnesota Iron Rangers.
Then they’ll play a home-and-home series against the Steinbach Pistons (MJHL), with the first game here Sept. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and the rematch in Steinbach on Sept. 11.
The Lakers will conclude the exhibition menu against the Iron Rangers on Sept. 14 at 7:30 p.m. at “The Duke” (Couchiching Arena).
The squad will open regular-season action Sept. 22 in Ear Falls against the English River Miners.
