BY SCOT
HADDOW
Sudbury Wolves head coach and GM Mike Foligno wanted a
competitive 2006 training camp. His wish came true in
spades.
The Wolves opened their camp on Monday and it continued through
to today (Friday).
A total of 39 players made their way into the Sudbury Arena,
with many prospects hoping to catch the eyes of the Wolves
coaching staff and make the grade.
Training camp scrimmages were intense, showing the staff the
players were there to compete hard for jobs.
"I wanted the camp to be more competitive and more
spirited," said Foligno. "We've accomplished that. Guys who are
close to making the team had the opportunity to show their
skills. It allowed us to see them in a better light. No one
went unnoticed without some kind of feedback on why they were
kept or why they were released. For some of the young players,
they were brought in just so they could get a small taste of
what the OHL is all about. They can then go back to their other
teams and keep working on their game. It's all about one step
at a time for these younger players. We were forced into some
tough decisions and hopefully we made the right decisions."
Some of the Wolves top picks from this year's Priority Draft
made a big impression on the coaches.
First-round pick Jared Staal, second-round selection Justin Larson and other top picks J.K. Gill and local product, Kyle Tarini, had solid camps.
"They all bring special qualities," said Foligno. "Staal really
controls the puck well. Larson really opened up some eyes with
incredible moves and his powerful skating ability. Tarini was
strong, especially along the wall and on the boards in his own
zone...he took hits to make plays too. Gill showed a lot of
work ethic and skated hard."
It wasn't just the new kids on the block making good
impressions. Veterans such as Kevin Baker, Akim Aliu and Devin
DiDiomete showed they're primed for huge seasons.
"Kevin really lit it up and showed his tremendous speed,"
said the bench boss. "Akim had good jump, speed and strength.
Devin came back from a Calgary Flames camp in the best shape
ever. Being exposed to that really motivated him and showed him
what he has to do to be a better player. The vets really showed
a lot of maturity."
The players enjoyed the hectic pace of camp.
"Mike brought in a really good group of players for camp," said DiDiomete. "It felt really good to be on the ice here.
A lot of our draft picks really have a lot of skill, so I
think we're going to have a good team this season. Everyone
came into camp in good shape and it made a difference. With the
higher skill set overall in camp, everyone has to push
themselves harder to get noticed. That's exactly what we
needed."
Top scout Oscar Clouthier watched the talent on the ice with
eagle eyes and came away pleased with the progress.
"We have good size and speed," said Clouthier. "Some of the
guys surprised us. The young prospects have good size and are
in good shape. They will come along just fine. The puck moving
was also good."
The Wolves will depart Sudbury on Sunday for Poland where
they spend the next week playing exhibition games against
junior Polish, Russian and Czech squads. They will also dive
into the rich, but at times, horrific history of Europe and
tour the concentration camps in Auschwitz. The franchise will
bring 20 players to Poland with their two import draft picks,
Slovakian centre Patrik Lusnak and Czech Republic defender
Jakub Korinek, joining the squad in Europe.
The team will return to the Nickel City on Sept. 4.
