The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer After hosting roughly 100 players at their spring camp, the Flin Flon Bombers continue to prepare for the upcoming season. The Bombers held their annual camp in Saskatoon late last month to scout out prospects and try to find some key players. In terms of goaltending, the team had their most successful spring camp to date, said head coach and GM Mike Reagan. "Two guys really stood out that we're very high on," he said. The coach gave nods to both goalies, whose names weren't mentioned, as he said "they're going to be very good Junior A goaltenders." Along with netminders, the Bomber camp had six teams of players competing for a place in the main camp, which takes place in August at the Whitney Forum. Reagan was happy with the spring camp turnout, the largest he has seen since taking over as coach in 2007. For the 2011-12 season, the Bombers are looking "to continue to build our youth," he said. 'Pretty strong' As well, the back end of the Bomber lineup is "going to be pretty strong," Reagan said. With five returning blueliners, Reagan said he was looking for a few more defencemen. Up front, the Bombers lost a few forwards. With youth the key word for the Bombers this season, Reagan says he is "pretty happy with the young recruits we have." From the spring camp, the coach says there are 11 to 12 players who "we think could play of us next year." The Bombers have a few list players, born in 1994 and 1995, who will be competing for a spot in the lineup. "The summer is going to be big for them," said the coach, "depending on how hard they train." Last year, Dillan (Pickle) McCombie made some noise as a 15-year-old player at the start of the season. This year, Reagan says there could be a few underage players. Impressed Reagan was impressed with what he saw at the recent camp, though there was one player who was unable to play, due to an injury, who interested the Bombers. "It's tough to see where he's at," said Reagan, adding that this player was "projected to play" for Flin Flon. The spring camp featured a number of Manitoba and Alberta players. The next step for the Bombers is to get commitments while continuing to scout other players. Signings will not be permitted until after the Hockey Canada meeting of May 30. However, Reagan says the team has a few verbal commitments from the camp. "So, we're excited about that," he said. Following a summer of recruitment, scouting and traveling, the Bomber organization will host their main camp, which offers a closer look at the players the club is more serious about. In total, Reagan says he wants to see about 60 players, including the roughly 16 veterans, return. "We don't like to have a big main camp," said the coach, "because you want to really focus in on the kids that are there, each individual." The Bombers will continue to search for top-notch players who will help them achieve a top-three finish, which Reagan expects to see.6/5/11
