Photo credit - Winnipeg ICE

Training camp is only days away for ICE

The Winnipeg ICE have officially announced their training camp schedule and roster and here’s a look at how it goes down.

WHERE: RINK Training Centre.

WHEN: August 28-September 1.

Eight goaltenders, 22 defencemen and 39 forwards will be split into four teams.

One goaltender that won’t take part in camp is 18-year-old Jesse Makaj. Also on the sideline will be Peyton Krebs. He led the team with 68 points last year.

We’ll now take a look at some players to watch for on each team.

Team 1:

Fresh off a silver medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Connor McClennon will be asked to lead the team. Connor had 29 points last year in his first full season in the WHL. After putting up two points at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, McClennon is poised for an all-star type of campaign.

Joining McClennon will be Chase Hartje on the back end. He was picked up in a trade from Winnipeg’s newest Manitoba rival, the Brandon Wheat Kings. In 25 games last year with Kootenay, Hartje had 14 points (1G).

Another player to watch on Team 1 will be Logan Danis. After signing his first WHL Standard Player Agreement with the organization on August 1, Danis will take part in his first training camp with the organization.

Nathan Airey, Gage Alexander, Owen Boucher, Benjamin Zloty, and Skyler Bruce are the remaining ICE draft picks that will be on Team 1. The remaining players are either invited or they were acquired through trades.

Team 2:

Features some Canadian and International talent. On the Canadian side is Carson Lambos, Winnipeg’s 2nd overall pick in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft. He’s already played five games with the ICE (last season) and he had one goal. The 16-year-old is expected to do big things for the club over the next few years and many expect him to have a breakout camp.

Another player that’s expected to make a bang is Mike Ladyman.

Acquired through a trade earlier this summer, he played 22 games last season with Spokane. Prior to that, he played 86 games with the Winnipeg Blues, where he had 51 points. Known as a defensive defenceman, Ladyman could be exactly what Winnipeg needs this year to lock down other teams.

The one international player on the team is a guy Winnipeg is very excited about and it’s Nino Kinder. From Berlin, Germany, he was taken 64th overall at this past summer’s CHL Import Draft.

In an earlier conversation with Jake Heisinger who is the Director of Scouting and Hockey Operations for the ICE, he had great things to say about Nino.

“When it comes to Nino, he’s a guy who has produced everywhere he’s played and we expect he will do the same thing here,” he said.

Team 3:

There’s no secret to who leads this team. It’s Winnipeg’s 2019 first overall pick, Matthew Savoie. From St. Albert, Savoie is extremely dynamic offensively.

Although he’s only eligible for five games this season after not being granted exceptional status, this is a player that could suit up in more and should be a force to be reckoned with for many years going forward.

Michal Teply will join Savoie. Michal was taken 4th overall at the CHL Import Draft. The native of the Czech Republic had 35 points in his home country last season. When it comes to Teply, Heisinger can’t wait for him to report.

“Michal, obviously, being a drafted player, he’s a big body that can shoot the puck, and we feel he’s a guy that’s going to come in and make an impact right away,”

A veteran of 178 regular-season WHL games and 33 playoff games will join the likes of Savoie and Teply. 20-year-old Reece Harsch played 37 games with Saskatoon last year, including eight in the playoffs.

Back in the 2017-18 season, he had a career-high 25 points and if he can get back to that form, Harsch will certainly be a player to watch for the ICE.

Team 4:

Photo credit – Winnipeg ICE

If Conor Geekie can do anything close to what he did last year with Yellowhead, the 2019 second-overall pick will start off his WHL career in a special way.

After an 86-point season last year, Winnipeg traded up to make sure they could draft a player that is expected to fill some big roles at big times.

Being just 15-years-old, Conor will likely ask Isaac Johnson a lot of questions as he looks to get used to the WHL lifestyle. Johnson has played the past two seasons with Tri-City. In just 31 games last year, he had 32 points (12G). In his first year with the Americans, he had 48 regular-season points and 13 playoff points.

Lines for camp haven’t been set as of yet, but if you combine the young sniper in Geekie and the very talented and experienced Johnson, this would be a tough line to stop.

Duncan McGovern is one of two goalies on the team. The former Dauphin King has had less than stellar numbers during his time with the ICE organization. With seven other goalies at camp, certainly, a good camp is needed from the Winnipeg native to lock up a number one job.

More:

Of course, above is just 12 players that you should keep an eye out for. You can find the full list of players and goaltenders here.

Camp will finish on Sunday. On Saturday, the first-ever Jarret Stoll Cup will take place. The trophy will go to the best team during the entire camp. That game will be from 4:45 p.m.-5:45 p.m.

On Sunday, there will be a showcase game from 5:00 p.m.-7:30 p.m. More details on that game will be provided closer to the date.

From Wednesday to Saturday, all on-ice sessions will be free of charge. The showcase game on Sunday will be $5 for adults and children under 12 will get in for free.

You can check out a full on-ice schedule here.