Benny Walchuk:
It's time once again for the Yorkton Terriers Coaches Show on GX94, the first one of the new season. We're joined by Head Coach and GM Emery Olauson. Coach, training camp is almost here for you guys. Maybe first off, how was the offseason for you?
Emery Olauson:
Oh, it was great. It was exactly what I needed — a little R&R. I went to my wife's hometown and out to the shores of North Carolina and spent some time at the beach. Then I finally got to go back to my hometown and spent some time in Canmore and Vermilion with my family and my brothers. So it was a great summer.
It was a short summer. It felt like a couple of weeks ago we were in the final there with Flin Flon, and now we're right back at it. But yeah, I feel well-rested, recuperated and refocused. It was a great summer.
How was yours, Benny?
Benny Walchuk:
It was pretty good for sure. You talked about last year, and I know it came all the way to the SJHL final.
It's going to be a new crop of guys with some players not returning and some new faces in the lineup. What do you want to build on from last year going into this season?
Emery Olauson:
Just a great experience for our players and coaches and, honestly, the organization as a whole. Getting back to that level, you realize games don't happen just with the players and coaches. They happen with our volunteers, our game-day people and our board, which is so active.
Making those long playoff runs isn't necessarily just about the hockey players. It's about the whole organization continuing to push forward and do all that work.
I think just as an organization, learning what it's like to be there at the end and figuring out what we can do to be better prepared for those last couple of weeks of hockey, if we're fortunate enough and everything goes according to plan.
We've played five rounds of playoffs in two years, and I think we're getting better at that time of year. Growing from it, learning from it and being able to draw on that experience is going to be huge.
Benny Walchuk:
I know going into this season, you've got a lot of good veterans coming back, but also some guys not returning. Especially up front, there are some holes to fill. You'll be looking for some of your newcomers and recruits to step in, as well as some of those returning players who were rookies last year to take that next step. I'm sure you're going to rely on those guys heading into the season.
Emery Olauson:
Yeah. Last year was a funny year where, for the most part, our top-nine group of forwards remained fairly healthy for most of the year.
Did we know if our affiliate depth could step right into prominent roles and do a job? Well, they did last year when called upon. So we're really excited that guys are going to have opportunities to move up the lineup.
Making deep playoff runs and having a team that's been near the top of the SJHL in goals scored gives us a good foundation when we're recruiting players that we expect the same out of.
We're very excited about the players we're bringing into the fold in Yorkton. I think they'll fit our culture and the way we play really well. They're also going to have great teammates who have been here before and know exactly the way we want to play, the style we want to play and what's expected of a Yorkton Terrier.
Benny Walchuk:
Going into camp this week, I know some teams went on the weekend, while you guys are going during the week. Just talk about the camp details and what people can expect this week.
Emery Olauson:
It's going to be super competitive. We moved it a little bit later this year to try and have as little conflict as possible with WHL, QMJHL and North American Hockey League camps.
Players are still filtering back to us over the next couple of days. I'm actually on my way to Regina to pick up a couple of players who are flying in today.
The competition at camp is going to be fierce. We know there are going to be hard decisions to be made before our top-40 game and then as we take a roster into the exhibition season. Some good hockey is going to be played this week in Yorkton.
We've got four full teams of players that are going to have to be filtered down into one. While some of those guys are draft picks and part of the plans for future years, more than 23 to 25 of them are junior-aged and here to earn a spot on this year's team.
I think that makes for some really interesting hockey, and we're excited to see the guys compete for it and earn it every day.
It's also exciting to finally see the people in person that we've been recruiting. Recruiting can be anywhere from a full year or two process with some of our draft picks, right down to getting a call last night from a late cut who's flying in today.
Those surprises at camp, we know they're going to be there. We've put ourselves in a position where maybe, as coaches, we can't make mistakes because multiple options are going to be good ones.
Benny Walchuk:
On behalf of Yorkton Terriers Head Coach and GM Emery Olauson, I'm Benny Walchuk, and that's this week's edition of the Yorkton Terriers Coaches Show on GX94, a presentation of Hometown Source for Sports in Yorkton.
