Prince Albert Raiders goaltending coach Kelly Guard supervises drills for young goalies at the Art Hauser Centre. (Rob Mahon/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Raiders Kids Camp

Raiders coaches, players, take to the ice early for NorSask camp

Aug 12, 2022 | 9:00 AM

The opening of training camp may still be weeks away, but there were some members of the Prince Albert Raiders and their coaching staff who have already started hitting the ice at the Art Hauser Centre.

Their linemates, however, were a little younger than they were used to.

The Raiders kicked off their NorSask development camp at the Hauser yesterday as hundreds of kids will come over the next week to learn from the Raiders coaches and players. Goaltenders Tikhon Chaika and Max Hildebrand were both on the ice, along with coaches Kelly Guard and Ryan McDonald.

“It was great to get back in the rink and to see all the kids walk through the doors with smiles on their faces,” McDonald said. “Everybody is excited to be here.”

McDonald understands that excitement well. A Prince Albert native, he was once one of the wide-smiling youngsters stepping onto the ice to learn from his hockey heroes at the time when he cheered for the Raiders as a young fan.

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“I remember attending it as a young guy,” said McDonald. “To get back involved after being away for a couple of years and to get back in the week after the long weekend in August, it’s a great thing.”

McDonald has gained something of a new appreciation for the job his instructors did when he was a young skater, but he hasn’t had to do the work alone. Other members of the hockey scene in Prince Albert, including members of the Mintos and Vulcans, have been helping out as well.

“The guys and girls, they do a great job with these young campers and these young athletes,” said McDonald. “The big thing is to have fun, that’s first and foremost. I can tell you one thing, we’re going to have a ton of fun this week.”

“It’s amazing,” McDonald said. “I know as a young player, when I came out on the ice and there were Raider players on the ice, it was always a magical moment. Our guys do a great job of getting in the community and do a great job with the young athletes.”

McDonald added that any concern about people being slow to come back to the rink after two previous summers of restrictions was quickly erased, as over 270 kids have signed up. He also said the more kids they can get on the ice, the better they feel about the experience.

The camp runs until Aug. 19.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP