The Estevan Bruins spring camp was a glimpse of a team that is going to be very different from years past.
The makeup of the Bruins in the 2011-12 season is not only going to be younger, but also a fast, highly skilled group of hockey players. Because the organization is moving from the Civic Auditorium to Spectra Place, with a much bigger ice surface, the team is worried less about developing a tight-checking team and is more interested in speed.
Rick Oakes, Bruins director of player personnel, said home ice has a big impact on the type of team they want because half of their games are there.
"In past years, building a team to play in the Civic, you definitely had to have a team that could compete physically and grind it out," he said. "Just with the limited space our games were always tight-checking in the Civic. I think now, it's going to be a huge opportunity for fans to see a little more exciting product on the ice. We're going to be a skating hockey club that can put the puck in the net."
Building a team for your rink is an important consideration because the term home-ice advantage needs to mean something.
"You have to have a team that can play in your home rink, and if you don't, it makes for a long season."
As the Bruins make the shift to a younger and faster team, Oakes said their goals are still the same and the change doesn't mean relegating the season to one of rebuilding.
"We're not writing this season off just because we're a younger team. I think you've seen in this year's playoffs what happened when younger guys had an opportunity to play. Guys like (Josh) Jelinski and (Ryan) Ostertag, Cole Olsen and Eric Baldwin. They played hard and they brought a lot to the table."
He said they sometimes forget about the youth of Dylan Smith, who has two years in the league, but is still only 19 years old.
"We've got a good returning base, and if we can add some high-end skill, young guys, I think things bode well for next season."
He said their expectation is to compete in the Sherwood Conference all year.
They are very comfortable with their forward group and after some conversations at spring camp with some of the prospects, they are confident up front. On the defensive side, Oakes said with only two veteran defenders returning next year, they are going to be expecting some of the young guys to step in and play some significant roles.
"We've got some high-end young guys who are ready to step in and play and be go-to guys right away. But if we could add one more experienced defenceman, it would definitely help our cause."
The young players will be groomed into the lineup at the very start of training camp, and they will see a lot of minutes in the exhibition games before the season. In that time, he said expects many of the players will get their confidence up.
Oakes has a lot of faith in the Bruins prospects and liked what he saw out of the players last weekend.
"I think we have some good young guys who are really going to surprise some fans, and guys the fans are really going to enjoy watching."
He said the Bruins have a good amount of depth and skill. Most importantly, he said, they have players who want to wear the Bruins jersey. Having a group that wants to play together, and get along is just as important as having skills. With the next crop of players coming up, Oakes said the team looks to be in good hands.
On Saturday night, the organization invited the top-end prospects to get together as a group in a casual atmosphere so they could start building relationships.
"(We gave them) an idea of what the Bruins organization is doing moving forward and where they're currently at. We wanted to get guys out, make them feel that they are wanted, and let them know there are opportunities for them in Estevan next season."
