Position battles begin, as the Windsor Spitfires open training camp.
Head Coach Rocky Thompson says the team's looking deep, with many returning players, including six on the blue-line.
Still, he's interested to see what others, like rookie defenceman Connor Corcoran, can bring.
"He was at the U17 Hockey Canada [tournament] with Team Black. I was coaching Team Red," says Thompson. "I really liked what I saw with him there. So he's coming in battling hard to probably try to get into our top six."
Corcoran was the Spits first pick (21st overall) in the second round of this year's OHL draft.
Thompson also expects Julius Nattinen, who came over in a trade from Barrie, to compete for a spot as a top-six forward.
Other newcomers like Jeremiah Addison could add depth to the roster.
"We have a lot of positions down on our fourth line that are not veteran players right now, that are coming in that have the opportunity to be on a Memorial Cup hosting team," explains the head coach. "I'm sure that's very exciting for a lot of these players coming in, who didn't play with us last year."
This year feels much different than last year for Thompson, as he's now got a full season as an OHL head coach under his belt. He says he comes into camp knowing his team's strengths and where he'd like to see improvement.
The Spitfires hit the ice Monday, in two groups, between 3pm and 5:45pm.
Tuesday morning features a 3-on-3 round robin, followed by a scrimmage at 3pm.
The Blue-White game goes Wednesday night at the WFCU Centre. Puck drop's at 7pm.
