Yaks host Top 40 Prospects Camp

Forty young men laced up to show off their talents at the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs’ Top Prospect Camp over the weekend. Head Coach, of the Pontiacs, Rick Swan, said the weekend went over very well, with some exciting talent in the house.

The coach said the camp attracted the very best veteran (19-20 year olds) prospects from as far away as Ontario and Boston, Massachusetts, “and what we had here, in Alberta, including some phenomenal local kids.”

Some of the local kids included, AJ Macaulay, Anson Smith and Ethan Strang, “they were all involved to showcase their abilities.”

“The team is going to be pretty special next year,” Coach Swan said part of the weekend is to allow the scouting staff could make sure the team was moving ahead as an organization.

“You get a sense of excitement when the young prospects go head-to-head with our best veterans. If this is any indication of what’s moving forward into our identification camp, in May, this could be a sign of the upswing in our plan that we had from last year.”

The plan Coach is alluding to refers to the organizations decision to build from youth. Fans watched as the team traded key veterans for future prospects in the 2017-18 season. The Pontiacs were a 500 team with a hard end to the season after losing out to Fort McMurray in the first round of the playoffs.

Swan says fans can expect to see the plans come to fruition this season, “we had a purpose to our plan, to elevate the growth of our players and bring in the right pieces. The future of the Bonnyville Pontiacs, looks great and we showcased that this weekend.”

The coach anticipates 120 players from all over North America to attend the camp in May. From there 40 players will be invited back for the main camp in August. The main camp then cuts down to around 30 players to make the regular season roster. The roster will be cut further as the season develops.