The Prince Albert Mintos held their fall camp over the weekend and now await word on whether some of their players will be available to them for the season. (File Photo/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Mintos Camp

Camp concludes, waiting game begins for Prince Albert Mintos

Aug 24, 2021 | 10:21 AM

The atmosphere at the Art Hauser Centre over the weekend was something like normal. Players were on the ice, parents and fans were in the stands, and the Prince Albert Mintos U18 AAA hockey team was holding their fall camp free of restrictions.

Battle drills, scrimmages, and penalty shots were all on the agenda during the weekend as the team tried to trim the roster down to a manageable level before the next phase of their preparations.

After last year’s COVID-hobbled season, even being in the rink under those conditions felt like a win.

“I just think people were excited to be back in the rink,” said head coach Tim Leonard. “Everybody in the rink, the kids having fun, it was good to see everybody’s smiles. That was probably the best part.”

Leonard praised the pace of play at camp and the intensity the players brought. Although none of the players had been involved in league games since November, there wasn’t as much rust as that layoff might’ve suggested.

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“Maybe a little rust in battles and that sort of thing with body contact and stuff,” Leonard said. “As far as the skill aspects, I think it’s probably improved immensely because that’s all we worked on for a winter. They were pretty excited and you could tell the energy level was good.”

That skill level was on display throughout camp with players attempting end-to-end rushes and toe drags, and they didn’t shy away from the body contact either. The weekend saw several big hits and even some chirping back and forth between the benches.

Now, however, the Mintos must play a bit of a waiting game. While they have a good group of players to chose from, not all will be available to them when the season begins. Some will be with WHL teams, while others will make the jump to the Junior A ranks in the SJHL.

“We’ll see what they decide with kids trying to make those squads or not,” Leonard said. “We just keep extra kids around and wait and see if they’re coming back to us or not.”

Leonard also said that he hasn’t received any official word from the league about what masking protocols and other COVID-19 procedures will look like, but he’s confident whatever those procedures are people will follow them, as kids and parents alike are eager to have a full, uninterrupted season.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP