HUMBOLDT — Cody Hough is just one of the Humboldt Broncos excited about the junior hockey team opening its fall camp on Friday.
“I’m looking forward to finally meeting all the new players we have signed as well as seeing how well we can all play together,” said the just turned 20-year-old defenceman from Vancouver who played the last two seasons with the Broncos.
Last season the Broncos posted the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League’s best record at 5-1-0-0. The season was paused in November and eventually cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Humboldt head coach and general manager Scott Barney expects about 70 players to be at the team’s fall camp. The event wraps up on Sunday with the annual Green and Gold game at the Elgar Petersen Arena.
“It is going to be a competitive camp here,” Barney said. “I think myself, the organization and all the players are looking forward to going back. And, obviously, the fans. Hopefully they can get out on Aug. 27 and see the players for the coming season.”
The Green and Gold contest is an annual highlight for camp.
“I enjoy the Green and Gold game because it shows the top 40 players at camp playing high level hockey because both rookies and veterans will be competing their hardest to earn the spots on the roster,” said Braiden Koran, a third-year forward from Kimberley, B.C. who turns 20 next week.
“It’s also enjoyable because it gives a little preview of how talented the team is going to be going into opening night. I’m especially excited for this year’s games because it has been so long for all of us to play hockey at the top of our games because of COVID.”
There are definitely spots up for grabs at this year’s camp. Eight 20-year-olds from last season’s squad have aged out while there also have been a couple trades.
Up front, the team’s two top scorers – Logan Kurki and Tristan Shewchuk – are back. Maple Ridge, B.C.’s Kurki was tied for the league lead in points last season after posting 12, including five goals, in six games. Saskatoon’s Shewchuk put up 10 points in six contests. Several new faces will be looking to make an impact. Recently acquired LeRoy product Connor McGrath hopes to be one of them.
On the backend, the Broncos only saw captain Doug Scott, who had 10 points in six games last season, age out. The team has five defencemen entering their 20-year-old seasons who are eligible to return: Jackson Bohan, Nicksha Eric, Hough, Reilly McKinnon, and Kade Olsen. As teams are allowed to only dress eight 20-year-olds per game, Barney said:
“Obviously, we can’t carry them all. It’ll be interesting to see where they’re at. We have a new influx of younger guys coming in and obviously our returning guys who are younger (including Humboldt’s own Noah Barlage).”
The Broncos will not have a goaltender back from last season. Tanner Marshall and Dean McNabb were 20-year-olds and Michael Harroch was traded. However, Rayce Ramsay, who played for the Broncos in 2018-19, is back after time in the Western Hockey League. Other netminders will be looking to earn a spot in the Humboldt crease.
Players have spent the summer trying to prepare for their chance to battle for a Broncos jersey. For example, Hough said: “This summer I have been working on fine tuning more areas of my game, especially in deception with and without the puck but also understanding when to use deception and when to move pucks quickly and efficiently.”
