Raiders welcome newest members ahead of camp

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Niall Crocker is the Raiders’ first-round selection from the most recent bantam draft, chosen 22^nd overall. Hailing from Delta, BC, a suburb of Vancouver, Crocker is used to life in the city and large class sizes. Coming to Saskatchewan, he expected things to run on a lesser scale.

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“I thought it would be a lot smaller than it is, it’s huge,” Crocker said. “It’s a really nice school, so I love that too.”

Hunt emphasized the team’s relationship with Carlton as a key partnership for all involved. On Friday morning, the newest Raiders were led on a tour of the school by Vice Principal Kent Arpin. With such a significant enrolment, Carlton can offer options that many other facilities can’t match.

“He came over and took the parents through the arts, the sciences, the trades, showing them how much the school offers no matter what your proficiency or passion is,” Hunt said.

For Graydon Gotaas, the Raiders’ second-round pick this spring, balancing education and hockey has always been important for him, so he and his family appreciated what the Raiders were able to display this week.

“[The orientation] is all about the academics, not only hockey,” Gotaas said. “Everything my parents are always on about with school, [the Raiders] are on that too. It’s not just about hockey, you need good grades too.”

While Gotaas will take part in his first Raider training camp this weekend, he has a couple previous ties to the organization including his uncle Steve Gotaas, a key member of the team’s run to the 1985 Memorial Cup. He also shares the hometown of Camrose, AB with 20-year-old Parker Kelly.

When asked what he has learned most from Parker, Gotaas said he has been an example of where hard work can lead.

“I went to a hockey camp with [Kelly] this summer, where he lost a battle and was supposed to do a hard lap, but then he chased the guy down on the backcheck, lifted his stick, and won the battle. He’s always going and always trying to win those puck races,” Gotaas said.

Training camp kicks off at 5 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre, with rookies and veterans alike taking the ice throughout the weekend. Sessions will be held at 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, with the annual Green and White intra-squad game wrapping things up Monday at 1 p.m.

All weekend sessions are free to the public, while Monday’s Green and White game will have an admission of a non-perishable donation to the food bank, or two dollars.

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trevor.redden@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @Trevor_Redden