But not in a bad way.
No, the oddness comes from, well, getting back to normal. A normal training camp with a normal roster, normal schedule and normal plans. A preseason schedule with normal games, a regular-season schedule with a normal start time.
All of it is just as it should be, and after so, so many months dealing with on-again and off-again pandemic restrictions and everything COVID-19 threw at teams in the province, it’s most definitely good to be back.
“We’re really looking forward to it,” said Warriors head coach Trevor Weisgerber. “It’s been tough, obviously, with not having a season last year and not getting to recruit during the season last year, to watch other kids play. Then not having a spring camp and things like that, just recently we’ve been able to see quite a bit more hockey and that’s helped out, but it’s been different and a lot tougher.
“But it’s getting back to normal, which is nice, and hopefully we have no hitches here and everything can get back to the way it was.”
It all starts this week with their annual training camp, which begins Monday in Lumsden. The plan is to have four teams with eight forwards, four or five defenceman and two goaltenders playing through a series of exhibition games, after which cuts will be made and the players will return home. They’ll be back in Moose Jaw on Aug. 31, start school on Sept. 1 and prepare for their first exhibition game on Sept. 17 when they host the Swift Current Legionnaires at Mosaic Place.
“We have all the guys we have signed coming in and we need to fill a few spots, so we’ll do that and get going in a few weeks when everything starts up,” Weisgerber said, adding that the team has a pair of openings in their forward core, as well as one on defence and goaltending.
“I think it’ll be competitive, there are some young 06s out there that are pretty good, then we’re still going to have some 05s and 04s who are going to be coming in to compete and looking for job,” Weisgerber said. “So we’re expecting there will be some good battles.”
Of course, it’s hard to say where things stack up when it comes to the league itself. With only six games played last season and all of those only against teams from the South, it’ll be a matter of putting together the best possible team based on current knowledge and once again aiming for a fast start.
“The first thing is to qualify for the Mac’s tournament, it’s such a prestigious tournament and they only take the top teams and I think it’s great,” said Weisgerber, who saw his charges reach the final the last time the event was held in 2019. “You just can’t take nights off because early on you have to have a good record to get into that tournament, then later on you have to position yourself for the playoffs, so it’s a great opportunity for the players and us as coaches to make sure we’re playing hard.”
The Warriors naturally wish they were doing that all at home right from the start. But with no ice installed in any rink in Moose Jaw and Barkman Arena in Caronport booked solid, the Lumsden Sports Centre was happy to help.
“It’s obviously disappointing we can’t be in Moose Jaw,” Weisgerber said. “It was tough to find ice, and we were very fortunate that Lumsden was able to move a couple groups they had booked in order to accommodate us in their rink. It’s disappointing that everyone else is open and we’re searching for ice… but it is what it is.”
The Warriors home opener is set for Wednesday, Sept. 29 when they host the Estevan Bears at Mosaic Place.
You can check out the full schedule for the AAA Warriors and all the latest league news by visiting www.smaaahl.com.
