WEYBURN, Sask. — The Weyburn Red Wings wrapped up their training camp with the annual Red and White game Monday night at the Whitecap Resources Centre, shifting their focus to a younger roster ahead of the preseason.
The camp, which began Friday, featured a busy weekend of practices and scrimmages as the club looks to restock following several key offseason graduations.
Head scout Joel Moriarty was pleased with the tempo.
"We've seen lots of players give lots of good effort all weekend," Moriarty said. "Some guys impressed more than others. That happens in a short camp."
The Red Wings enter the year without the offensive punch of graduates Josh Sale, Will Munro, Lucas Schmid, and Rylan Pearce. The blue line will also look different following the departures of defencemen Josh Karman and Luke Schrader. Despite the turnover, Moriarty is confident the returning players can fill the void.
"We definitely lost some points and some guys that can score kind of when they want," he said. "But I think we've got lots of talent coming in. There's going to be guys that have bigger opportunity this year to score and be in those situations to put up some more points."
The team is notably younger this year, with fewer 2006-born players at camp. Moriarty downplayed any concerns regarding the lack of veteran age.
"All the guys that are here and that are going to continue to be at camp throughout the preseason, they're all capable of filling roles on this team," Moriarty said. "We don't stress too much about age and that sort of thing. You've got to be able to play and the guys that can play are going to stick around."
The roster picture remains somewhat fluid. Several potential impact players who could be part of the lineup, including Roan Burgess and Aidan Mohan, are currently away attending WHL camps. In the crease, goaltender Nate Stevens will return for his second year with the club to provide stability.
As the coaching staff transitions from evaluations to implementing systems in practice this week, Moriarty noted his scouting philosophy remains focused on foundational traits.
"Well, I always look for guys that are obviously good character guys," he said. "That's what we look for in Weyburn here. But you've got to be able to skate. You've got to be able to play in all areas of the ice."
The Red Wings open their exhibition schedule on Sept. 5 on the road against the Melville Millionaires. The two teams will meet again to kick off the 2026-27 regular season on Sept. 18 in Weyburn.
