The AAA midget Northern Northstars team had the chance to hone their skills and condition themselves from Aug. 17 to 21 as part of the team's summer training program held every summer at the C. A. Nesbitt Arena.
The players, who range in age from 15 to 17, used the chance to get ready for trying out for the team again this season or, for some, to perfect their techniques before joining other teams.
Craig Nychyporuk, who played for the Northstars for a couple of years back when he was in the midget AAA age bracket, was one of the people who helped train the players during the week-long summer camp. He says they got to take part in skating, puck handling, shooting and various drills.
Nychyporuk says that based on what he's seen, this hockey season will be a promising one for the Northstars.
"They're a lot different now from the last five years," he explains. "The players are bigger, faster and stronger now." He also adds that their level of commitment and attitude when it comes to the sport is phenomenal.
Three Northstars that took part in the summer training program will be leaving to play with other teams in the upcoming season. Calvin Cairns, of Snow Lake, is one of them.
Cairns, who played with the Northstars for two full seasons, says he's going to Melfort, Saskatchewan, to play hockey in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. He says he feels his time with the Northstars has prepared him for the future challenges ahead of him.
"It pretty much starts here with the Northstars, going up through minor hockey. You always want to play midget AAA, so you come to Thompson, and you get to play at a higher level against kids from the city and stuff. It really helps," he attests. "Coming to Thompson to play has been a big help moving on, with going away from home and starting your own thing."
Cairns, who graduated from Joseph K. Kerr School in Snow Lake this June, says he is planning on writing his SATs and hopes to get a scholarship so he can play college hockey down in the United States.
Rory McKie is another player who has been with the Northstars for two years. The native of Thompson plans on trying out for the Swan Valley Stampeders or Kindersley. He says he also plans on trying to get to school in the States via a scholarship, and says the training he's received at the Northstar summer camp has helped him tremendously.
"The skates help a lot with pre-conditioning. It's easier on us, so we're not quite as tired," he explains. "It's been great."Skyler Tait-Reaume, from Norway House, will be joining the Swan Valley Stampeders. He says he's happy to be able to continue his hockey career with the team.
Tait-Reaume, who wants to be a police officer later in life, says the training he's received as part of the Northstars team and the practice he's undertaken as part of the training camp has really helped him be the best athlete he can be.
"You learn all types of things here. You have to have commitment to play with the Northstars," he attests. "This helped me a lot on my skating and on my conditioning, and especially on my commitment."
Tait-Reaume played on the Northstars team along with his cousin, who is also from Norway House. He says his family and friends back home are very happy for him that he has been so successful so early in his career.
"It means a lot to them back home. They always ask us questions about hockey, and they always ask us where we're going. They're very friendly back home," he says.
Tryouts for the Norman Northstars team are taking place from Aug. 28-30.
