Two of Terrace’s minor hockey players have made it past round one of the Cariboo Cougars selection camp Aug. 5-7.
Kenneth Nordstrom and Colten Braid will both return for another selection camp with the major midget team Sept. 2 in Prince George.
They made the first cut amongst 90-plus hopefuls from all over the north of the province, including 11 players from Terrace. Players were divided into teams of four and scrimmaged against each other.
Represented at the camp were players from Prince Rupert, McBride, 100 Mile House, Whitehorse and almost every major town in-between, says Alex Rawnsley, media relations for the team.
Head coach for the cougars, Trevor Sprague, said there are still two more rounds to go before the final roster for the team is solidified, which has to happen before Sept. 15. Sprague says he is impressed with the quality of players coming out of Terrace.
There is an abundance of skilled players coming from there at this point, he explained, calling the representation outstanding.
“Terrace minor hockey should be pretty proud of what their players did here, and also the community as well.”
Sprague said along with looking for new players, the tryout camps are about giving developmental pointers to younger players, so they know what to work on when they return the following year.
Sprague said both the remaining players from Terrace are performing very well, pointing out specifically that there are defensive positions available and Nordstrom had a good weekend at the camp.
“He is in the mix to be a Cariboo Cougar,” Sprague said.
Both players said they had a great time at the tryouts. Nordstrom said one reason was the number of friends they had playing there.
Most of the players from Terrace hailed from the midget and bantam rep teams.
Nordstrom added that a lot of the players were older and bigger than him as well.
Braid has been to the camp before and said he definitely felt more confident the second time around. He thinks it would be a great experience to play for the team and both players are hoping to make it through the next round of selections.