After months and months of waiting, a brand new season for the Estevan Bruins will begin today with training camp. Players will take part in scrimmages tonight, tomorrow and Sunday before the Black and Gold game on Sunday at 5:00. Today I’ll take a look at the Bruins veterans that are returning from last season. At the end of camp I’ll spend more time talking about the rookies and new comers to the team. (Trust me there will be a lot of them)
Forwards:
I had a poll set up to see who do you think will be the Bruins MVP and the runaway winner was Dylan Smith. Smith was the Bruins top scorer two seasons ago and has all the makings to have a big year for the Bruins. I thought at the end of last season, Smith improved on the defence side of his game to become a solid two player. The sky is the limit for Smitty this year; I really expect to see his name among the top leaders in the SJHL.
If there’s one guy who I think should be skating on a line with Smith this season, its Michael Hengen. It seemed like Hengen was on the verge of a breakout season last year before suffering a season ending knee injury in October. The game before Hengen got injured, he had a great game with Smith in Yorkton, and Smith said himself that there’s plenty of chemistry between the two. Hengen is a solid two player and I’m sure he’ll be playing plenty of special teams for the Bruins.
Cole Olson had an up and down rookie year for the Bruins, and I think this could be the season he establish himself as a true number one centre. Olson has the playmaking abilities to set up his wingers for plenty of goal opportunities and a quick shot that will earn him plenty of goals on the score sheet.
Ryan Ostertag will be one of the Bruins who will be expected to take on a bigger role this year. Ostertag might have the best shot on the entire team. Ostertag should come into camp with a lot of confidence after spending the majority of the summer in Boston. I know Ostertag is hoping to become a point per game player this season.
Josh Jelinski was one of the most consistent Bruins last year, and he may be the hardest working player not only in Estevan but in the entire SJHL. Jelinski became an offensive threat at the end of the season when he became a member of the Bruins first line. This season expect Jelinski to become a more offensive threat along with his strong defensive play.
Chris Daniels will be looking to bounce back this season after an up and down year. It took some time for Daniels to establish himself in Estevan, but he did contribute late in the season including an overtime winner in Game 4 against Melville. Daniels will provide leadership as one of the few 20 year olds on the team.
Matt Docyhlo also returns as a 20 year old, and if Jelinski is the hardest working player on the team, than Dochylo is a probably a close second. Dochylo scored some clutch goals last year and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Dochylo and Jelinski back on the same line to give the Bruins an “energy” line.
Calder Neufeld displayed plenty of offensive talent for the Bruins after arriving mid way through the season. He has the potential to be one of the top scorers for the Bruins this season, and he has a shot of playing on one of the Bruins top 2 lines.
Defense
Dominic Perrault will see a lot of ice time this season as the lone 20 year old returning defenceman. He was solid defensively throughout last season, but I also think he became a big offensive threat late in the season as highlighted by his 2 goal performance in Game 5 of the Survivor Series against Melville. Perrault will be the quarterback on the powerplay and the top shut down d-man. I think right now Perrault is the favourite in the race to wear the C for the Bruins this year.
Eric Baldwin went from a solid healthy scratch to a solid regular in the lineup. Baldwin spent the summer in Boston and I’m sure he’s looking forward to taking the confidence from that experience over to the Bruins. I also think this season we’ll Baldwin’s name on the scoresheet this year after failing to score last year.
Goalies
Shea Cooper returns this year as a 20 year old, and if the playoffs from last year are any indication, Cooper has a shot of being one of the best goalies in the league. Cooper is one of the most athletic goalies in the league as there’s not too many goalies who move side to side better than Cooper in the SJHL. After splitting time with Joel Danyluk last year , Cooper will be looking to take a hold of the number 1 job this year.
After spending the last year and a half with the Vancouver Giants and Swift Current Broncos of the WHL over the last year and a half, Derek Tendler returns to Estevan. Tendler is a goalie who relies on his positioning between the pipes, and despite being released from the Broncos spent a lot time improving his fitness this summer. If Cooper and Tendler emerge as the one two combination in net for the Bruins, they may become the best 1-2 punch in the league.
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