Vacant leadership spots heading into Raiders camp

“Certainly I like the mentality because that’s real businesslike, and I’m excited about that, to see those veteran guys, because we were a young team last year and we’ll see how they come back and how they grab this group and drag it across the line,” Hunt said.

The Raiders will also be looking for someone to fill the leadership void left by last year’s captain Justice Christensen, who Hunt said often provided the emotional spark for the team.

“Obviously that’s a vacancy, and Juice grabbed our team many a night with a big hit or a big play or a goal, and that raw emotion took us into the fight. So that’ll be something we’ll be watching very closely as a group,” Hunt said.

There are already indications that some of the Raiders’ returning players have taken a step forward over the summer.

Brock Cripps and Ben Harvey are coming off a gold-medal performance with Team Canada at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup, while Hunt will also be watching players such as Jonah Sivertson and Connor Howe to see how they have progressed since last season.

Sivertson was returned to AAA hockey during his 16-year-old season before coming back to the Raiders and putting together a season that earned him a fourth-round selection by the Vegas Golden Knights.

Hunt said Sivertson’s development is an example of what can happen when a young player takes a significant step forward.

“Great year getting drafted,” Hunt said. “It’s fun, when you think about Vegas and you think about their captain, is that where Sivvy goes in four or five years? That same type of player, Mark Stone, right? Intelligent, smart.”

Howe was another player who caught the Raiders’ attention at training camp last year after returning from an injury-plagued draft year.

He quickly established himself as an important player early in the season, and Hunt is now looking forward to seeing him return as an everyday player.

“He came off an injury year in his draft year, was really good. You’re thinking, when you miss a year, ‘is it better to go back to stay?’, and then he was tremendous in camp. He was tremendous throughout the early part of the year, and I think I’m looking forward to seeing him as an everyday guy,” Hunt said.

The Raiders will also have both goaltenders from last season back in the crease, with Steele Bass and Detroit Red Wings draft pick Michal Orsulak returning to Prince Albert.

With seven roster spots still to fill, the next step will be determining which rookies can push their way onto the team and which returning players are ready to take on bigger roles.

The Raiders’ training camp opens this week.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com

by Nick Nielsen

Vacant leadership spots heading into Raiders camp

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