EVERETT – The first day of the preseason, in any sport, is wrought with excitement and anticipation. A pervading sense of optimism always prevails as everyone from coaches to players to fans believe all things are possible.
Such was the mood Thursday at the Everett Events Center as the Everett Silvertips opened their training camp for the 2005-06 Western Hockey League season.
But this year there was perhaps just a touch more anticipation than usual, given the new faces who were appearing in Silvertip jerseys for the first time.
“Did you watch the games?” last season’s leading scorer Torrie Wheat asked. “It’s going to be nasty. There’s a lot of guys here who can do damage. There’s so much more skill here this year, it’s going to be pretty fun. The fans are going to be in for a treat, that’s for sure.”
The players – from returning regulars to those fighting for a roster spot to prospects for the future – took the ice for the first time Thursday morning, participating in timed sprints followed by scrimmages. Many of the returning players arrived in excellent condition and appeared ready to tackle the season.
But the players who piqued the curiosity of the several hundred fans who attended the open workouts were newcomers Peter Mueller and John Lammers, who promise to elevate the team’s offensive skill to a level as yet unseen in Everett.
“Even though they’re not our focus right now, it’s impossible not to notice the things they do,” Everett coach and director of hockey operations Kevin Constantine said about Mueller and Lammers. “It was fun to see two guys we don’t know about. Seeing Lammers for the first time and the things he brings is exciting, and obviously watching Mueller and his ability with the puck is pretty exciting, too. That’s not where our attention is right now, but it gets your attention pretty quick when you see those guys do those things.”
Mueller, a 17-year-old center who the Silvertips signed away from the U.S. National Development Program, and Lammers, a 19-year-old left wing who arrived via trade with Lethbridge, were Everett’s two main acquisitions during the offseason. Both are highly skilled and both showed off those skills during the morning skate.
Mueller was particularly impressive when, on his last shift of his morning scrimmage, he took complete control of the ice to set up the tying goal.
“It was pretty exciting, just looking up and seeing all the stands,” Mueller said of his first playing experience in Everett. “It’s pretty cool to be here and there’s so much talent here. I’m very excited.”
Mueller wasn’t the only one anxious to get things underway. All the returning players were eagerly awaiting the start of camp and are looking forward to the start of the season.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a couple of weeks, for sure,” 20-year-old defenseman Shaun Heshka said. “I’ve been itching for it. It’s just a great relief to get back on the ice, see all the boys again, see the coaching staff and the scouts. It’s just a great feeling.”
The Silvertips have a number of roster decisions to make before the season starts. Everett has several holes to fill, particularly on defense where former captain Mitch Love (graduated) and standout Ivan Baranka (signed a professional contract with the New York Rangers) are gone.
The Silvertips also have decisions to make regarding their overagers. Everett has six in camp – forwards Wheat, Mark Kress and Kyle Annesley, defensemen Heshka and Ryan Blatchford, and goaltender Michael Wall. The Tips can keep just three.
But those decisions won’t be made during training camp, which continues today and Saturday and concludes with the Green vs. White Intra-Squad Game on Sunday. Instead, the coaches are using camp to pare down the roster to a manageable number so they can better evaluate the candidates during the remainder of preseason.
“It’s easy to pick out the 15 guys you’re obviously going to keep,” Constantine said. “We’re looking at players 15-25 on our team. Those are the ones we have to make important decisions on, so right now our focus is a little more on them because we have to make some decisions by this weekend.”
Slap shots: A total of 78 players were on hand for Thursday’s opening day of camp. Of the players on the pre-camp roster there was one notable no-show. Seventeen-year-old goaltender Leland Irving, who served as Everett’s No. 2 netminder last season and recently was a member of Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the U-18 Junior World Cup, is attending a goalie camp in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was excused. … The Silvertips are still in the dark regarding their newest European player Ondrej Fiala. Fiala, a 1987-born two-way center who Everett selected with the 30th overall pick in this year’s Import Draft, is trying out for a professional team in his native Czech Republic. “We think he’s still trying to wait through his decision and see what he wants to do,” Constantine said. “I think we’ll know definitively within a couple weeks.” … Two players, 1988-born defenseman Taylor Ellington (head) and 1989-born center Zack Dailey (hand), were held out of the scrimmages because of injuries. Both spent time on the ice between sessions in non-contact situations.
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