Lucas Punkari
As the Fort Frances Lakers wrapped up their annual three-day prospects’ camp at the new Couchiching arena Sunday morning, head coach and general manager Wayne Strachan was very pleased with the overall level of play during the four scrimmages.
“I thought that this was one of the better summer prospect camps that we have had in the last couple of years,” he enthused.
“All four of the scrimmages were pretty exciting,” Strachan noted. “And although ‘Team Black’ took it to ‘Team White’ a bit on Saturday night, it was still impressive to see what those guys were able to do.
“Overall, we were very pleased with how things went, and I think we will have about 20-22 kids that will get invited to the main camp out of the 34 that were here,” he added.
Heading into the camp, one of the key positional battles was between the pipes, as all four goalies in attendance were looking to impress the team’s brass to fill one of the two open slots on this year’s roster.
But Strachan and the rest of his staff will have to have some long chats to decide who will return to the Lakers’ main camp in August as all four netminders had strong showings over the weekend.
“Ryan Mork had a couple of tough games in the last two scrimmages, but he was very solid in both of the scrimmages that he started,” Strachan noted.
“Wes Gunnerson was pretty consistent for ‘Team White’ and the two younger guys [Brandon Bodnar and Ryan Ferguson] played well in the start of the game on Sunday,” he added.
On the blueline, local player Brandon Sinclair showcased the skills that made him a top player for the Muskie boys’ hockey team last winter by turning in a strong showing at the camp, and was later signed by the club for the upcoming season.
“I’ve never seen him play as aggressively or as physical as he did this weekend, which was good to see,” Strachan enthused.
“Evan Anderson, Kenton Peters, and Ben Smaha all earned themselves an invite back to the main camp, and they probably will be in a battle for a lineup spot when that takes place in August.
“A couple of other defencemen who stood out were Dylan Husak, who moves the puck well for a bigger guy, and Tarran Romyn, who will also get some looks at our main camp,” said Strachan.
Up front, Michigan native Connor Encisco showcased his speed and skill level all weekend, leading “Team Black” in scoring with eight goals.
“He’s pretty fast and he’s pretty skilled, and he is someone that we definitely be talking with going forward,” Strachan said of Encisco, who suited up for the Dallas Ice Jets last season.
“Brady Peterson played with him during the last couple of games and they seemed to gel well, and returnee Hunter Leishman came to this camp in good shape and looked good out there,” noted Strachan.
“As for ‘Team White,’ [signee] Lucas Debenedet was fast and showed off his skill, and he worked very well with his returnee Mason Meyer, who was teammate a couple of years ago in the Falls,” he continued.
“Derrick Howard, who played with the Duluth Clydesdales last year, was also fast and skilled, and Chris Varrin really stepped up his game on Sunday and had a hat trick in his last game.
“As for the local kids, Dylan Curtis was good in spurts, but we are not sure of his plans at this point as he may have a main camp tryout with the [MJHL’s] Winkler Flyers.”
Following the prospect camp, the Lakers re-signed both Leishman and Meyer as the forwards will return to the SIJHL for a second season.
Leishman, a 16-year-old from Fort Frances, had three goals and seven assists in 42 games last season while Meyer, a 19-year-old from International Falls, had eight goals and 19 assists in 42 games.
Next up for Strachan and the rest of the Lakers’ staff is to get things set up for the team’s main training camp, which will run Aug. 29-31.
“We are going to try and secure some veterans before Aug. 1, and we will also be inviting some other players to the main camp that couldn’t be here this weekend,” Strachan said.
“We are really looking forward to getting things ready for this season, and we will be announcing some exhibition games right away, along with our regular-season schedule.
“It’s going to be a very busy couple of weeks,” he stressed.
