By Jeff D’Andrea

Gardiner suiting up for his last Raiders camp

Aug 29, 2016 | 12:00 PM

It wasn’t too long ago that a brace-faced Reid Gardiner was drafted out of his hometown of Humboldt, eighth overall by the Prince Albert Raiders in the 2011 WHL Bantam Draft.

But now as he walks into the Art Hauser Centre for his sixth and final Raiders training camp, he’s the big man on campus.

Now that he’s coming back to camp sharing the ice with anxious 15-year-olds, Gardiner is taken back to when he was in their shoes.

“It feels weird, actually,” Gardiner said. “I was talking to my billets last night that I’m coming into my sixth camp. I wouldn’t say I feel old but to a certain extent I kind of do.”

Gardiner is the longest serving current Raider, having logged 262 games since he made his WHL debut Sept. 21, 2012 against the Saskatoon Blades. If Gardiner plays 68 regular season games this year, he will tie the Raiders franchise record with Brett Novak at 330.

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Gardiner ranked 10th all-time in Raider goals with 106 (along with former Raider captain Brendon Herrod) and is coming off of a 43-goal season. That’s the most a Raider has scored in a single year since Jonathan Parker scored 45 during the 2010-11 season.

If there are two things that Gardiner wants this year, its to finish his WHL career as a Raider and to take them deep into the WHL postseason.

That hasn’t happened, as of yet. Since Gardiner’s rookie season, he’s played under three different head coaches and has been on Raider clubs who have combined for one playoff victory in three appearances. That came last year against the Moose Jaw Warriors, to whom the Raiders lost the opening round series in five games.

“I think we learned a lot from the last postseason against Moose Jaw. We don’t like to lose. It sucks, especially in the playoffs—it stings. I think we learned a lot and we’re here for another big year,” he said.

But the encouraging sign is they are coming off one of their better seasons in recent memory. They won 38 games in the regular season and earned home ice advantage for the playoffs, both of which were the first they’ve done since the 2003-04 season.

“Just bringing the winning culture back to P.A. and changing how things are done around here, and not accepting losing,” Gardiner said. “Winning’s the only thing that matters so we’ll do whatever it takes to win. We just have to build on that and keep getting better and better.”

Gardiner is one of five overagers vying for three spots. But if Gardiner had it his way, Tim Vanstone would make the team alongside him.

Gardiner and Vanstone have played together on the Raiders since their 2012 rookie season. It would only be fitting if it ended that way as well.

“I think it would be pretty special,” Gardiner said. “P.A. has been very, very nice to us and we’ve been here since we were 16. We’ve had nothing but good experiences here and hopefully we can be here for our last year.”

After camp, Gardiner will report to the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp, leaving on Sept. 14.

jdandrea@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea