Olds Grizzlys head coach Joe Murphy expects to know more about what his roster will look like after a home-and-home exhibition series against the Calgary Canucks this Friday and Saturday, but already, he thinks his team has improved from last year.
A total of 53 skaters and six goalies were invited to camp, which ran Friday through Sunday at the Sportsplex.
By Monday, the team was down to 29 players. However, three of those players have left for WHL camps and there's no guarantee they'll be back.
"For their sake, I hope they do a good job and we don't see them, but if they come back, they'll be pretty key pieces for us," Murphy said during an interview with the Albertan.
He said one goal entering camp was to increase the team's athleticism: the ability of its players to skate faster, react quickly to what's going on and make good decisions with the puck — know when to keep it and when to pass.
One player who impressed Murphy was D-man Syd Ashmead.
"He was probably the most pleasant surprise for me in camp. He was a good midget — don't get me wrong — but you're never sure how things translate when things get bigger and faster, and I thought he was terrific," Murphy said.
"I thought he was calm, I thought he was simple and he was a nice presence back there. And you know, a nice defender."
Forward A.J. Bellanger was also impressive.
Murphy described him as "real strong for a first-year guy, really poised and really confident, so he's going to be great."
Duncan Hughes, who carried the mail in goal for the Grizzlys last year had a strong camp, as did Ty Marcenkowski, signed earlier.
The annual white and gold game was held Sunday before 238 fans. It was a close, fast-paced game, with Josh White scoring the shootout winner for Team White.
Murphy liked what he saw in that game.
"I thought the goaltending shone at times — certainly for the first half of the game," he said, adding the goaltenders also benefited from a deeper defensive corps.
"I think what it told me is some of the guys last year that we had here are really ready to take a next step and they had really good camps.
"And then on the flip side, certainly some of the players recruited really, really proved us right in the sense that, man, they're going to be good players at this level.
"I think from an organization (standpoint) when we properly measure the recent past, I guess, the group is just so much tighter, the talent level is tighter, the drop-off for speed and hockey IQ and all the things that make a good hockey club a good hockey club, that's tightened up.
"It was a good measuring stick and a good result for our camp. I'm pretty happy."
