The AAA Sharks will be circling the frozen waters of the Don Ross Arena for their Spring Camp this Saturday and Sunday. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

A Fresh Start

AAA Sharks to hold Spring Camp this weekend

Apr 19, 2023 | 3:04 PM

The Battlefords U18 AAA Sharks will hold their Spring Camp this weekend in North Battleford, at the Don Ross Arena.

Taking place Saturday and Sunday (April 22-23), this year’s camp will feature 78 players attending, split into four teams for tournament-style evaluation.

The weekend serves as the first chance for recently-named head coach, Nolan Horbach to put his stamp on the team, as the veteran bench-boss brings a fresh outlook to the local female program, looking to rebuild from the ground-up after a challenging last couple of years that culminated with a 2-25-3-0 record last season.

Horbach, who has already been busy over the last month-plus scouting both the U15 AA playoffs, and U16 and U18 Sask First competitions, said this is a weekend they’ve been looking forward to as an organization.

“It’s going to be busy, but exciting at the same time,” the coach said. “We’ve got three full rosters ready to go Saturday, and then four Sunday. It’s going to be competitive, with an incredibly strong group of ‘08s, a mixture of some ’06 and ’07 girls, and it also gives us an opportunity to get a look at some 09s for the future of the program.”

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Horbach said even heading into the start of camp, it’s been refreshing to see the renewed optimism around the team, with players excited to come compete to be a part of what they are building here in the Battlefords.

“When you talk to players, parents, and coaches throughout the league, I think the changes we’ve made have really taken notice,” he said. “We’ve kind of let everyone know that things are going to be different, and I think that’s reflected in our camp numbers.”

“It’s going to be wide open which is exactly what we want. It’s going to be engaging and competitive, making for a busy but exciting couple of days.” – Coach Horbach on Spring Camp

As far as the style of play the team is looking to implement, Horbach said they’re looking to put an emphasis on speed, especially with the way the female game continues to trend to a quicker pace each year.

“It’s just incredible the growth the girls have taken over the last three, four, five years, just in the skillset they have, with the puck control, agility and speed,” he said. “So we’re going to look to be a quick team, but we also have to understand how to play the game. We’re looking at where they are now, but also take into consideration [after] two, three years of development from now where they could be.”

Director of scouting with the Sharks, Roger Blaquiere said having spent the better part of just over a decade and a half scouting for the team, this is likely the most talented group they’ve had come out for a spring camp in the community.

“I’ve been doing this on and off for 17 years, and this is the best shape we’ve been in to start, because I think with Nolan there it’s changed the whole mindset and it’s just going to get better,” he said. “The talent level’s much better than in past years, and I think that’s the key [in the program’s turnaround]. That’s due to Nolan being in place here.”

Blaquiere, who spends the majority of his time scouting at the U16 level, said for those first breaking into the U18 AAA ranks especially, there’s no shortage of game-breakers attending camp this weekend who will be looking to make their mark.

“My focus is scouting the U16 all year, and probably 10 of the top 20 players I’ve seen this year are going to be here at camp, so we have a real chance to get some commitments from some of those top players which is huge, and for them to come here is going to be great,” he said.

Spring camp at the Don Ross Arena will open this weekend, with three games Saturday at 9 a.m., 2 p.m., and 7 p.m. Action will then resume Sunday with games at 8 a.m., 10:15 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4:15 p.m. Camp will be open for fans to attend.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1