Ready to go
With preseason games underway and the regular season just a few short weeks away, the Oshawa Generals are gearing up for another year, having slimmed down their roster to 29 players. Kyle MacLean, clockwise from top left, Danil Antropov, Jeremy Brodeur and Mitch Vande Sompel are among those expected to hit the ice on opening night.
By Joel Wittnebel/The Oshawa Express
The group has been nearly sliced in half.
Following three days of gruelling testing and scrimmage games as part of the Oshawa Generals training camp, the list of 53 hopefuls looking to crack this season’s roster has been slimmed down to 29.
Due to the team’s youth last season, it was known that spaces on the team going into this year would come at a premium. And while Gens fans will recognize many names on the remaining roster, newcomers to start the season, as confirmed by general manager Roger Hunt, will include Danil Antropov, the sixth overall pick in the 2016 Priority Selection, as well as Serron Noel, Will Ennis and import draft pick Renars Krastenbergs.
“I think it’s been one of the most competitive camps we’ve had in a number of years,” Hunt says.
“You can see out there our skill level has gone up…and we’re getting back to size and the way we like our teams to be built.”
The same was said by head coach Bob Jones, who knows his squad is in much better shape than a year ago when the team just managed to accomplish its goal of making the playoffs. The depth in this season’s roster, along with the addition of some serious size, including the free-agent signing of Graydon Gottschalk, a six-foot-four, 205 pound right winger, will both be strengths moving forward, Jones says.
“I think you’ve got to be logical with what our goals are (this season). We haven’t set them in place yet, but certainly our depth is going to help us,” Jones says.
For team captain Anthony Cirelli, he believes the team is going to have high expectations going into this season.
“We matured as a team, we’ve been together for a whole year now, so I feel like we should succeed,” he said.
The team has already seen some pre-season success with a 6-4 victory over the Peterborough Petes for the Gens’ preseason debut on Sept. 4. However, they went on to stomped by the Owen Sound Attack 7-1 the next day.
“We actually want to push for something this year,” says Mitch Vande Sompel, who scored a pair of goals in the victory over Peteborough.
“This year, I think it’s going to be different. I think we have a lot better, deeper team this year.”
The Oshawa Generals preseason continues this weekend a matchup in Kingston against the Frontenacs on Sept. 9, followed by a pair of home games on Saturday and Sunday.
On Sept. 10, the Gens will take on Kingston again, this time at the Ajax Community Arena, followed by the final game of the preseason on Sept. 11 against the Petes at the Garnett B. Pickard arena in Bowmanville.