Training camp is over and the team has begun to move into a more regular schedule, even holding their first official practice of the season on Sunday. Around 40 players attended camp, with 27 of those now heading to Trail on Wednesday for the annual tournament. 10 returning players highlight the group for this season, which at the moment is made up of 3 goaltenders, 9 defencemen and 15 forwards.
“There are going to be some tough decisions”, mentioned Kings assistant coach Geoff Grimwood. “I think this camp was the best one we’ve had in several years. The quality of players this year made cuts extremely difficult.”
The final chance to make the 2011/2012 Kings will come this week, as the team opens up their pre-season with a 4-team tournament in Trail. The team opens the tournament on Thursday against the NAHL’s Wenatchee Wild at 3:00pm. On Friday, the Trail Smoke Eaters and Kings will play at 7pm, then the team wraps up the tournament against the AJHL’s Brooks Bandits on Saturday morning at 10:30.
“We use this trip as a bonding experience for the players”, Grimwood added. “We like to get on the bus early in the season, it’s a lot of fun.”
For tournament updates this weekend, I encourage you to follow the voice of the Smokies, Chris Wahl on Twitter (@wahlsy), or keep an eye out here for blog posts each day.
