Boys of winter

Jacob Panetta is expected to anchor the Dukes’ defence this season. He is set to join the Colgate Raiders, a Division 1 NCAA school in central New York, in the 2016-17 season.

Schedule compresses Dukes’ training camp

They arrive each summer. Flip flops on their feet. Dreams of skating in the storied Dukedome stirring in their heads. Sixteen or so years of hockey development has led them here. The weight of it all much more than the enormous equipment bags slung over their shoulders. It is time for them to stand apart. For success in Wellington opens doors. It puts them on a bigger stage. What they do with this moment will shape the trajectory of their hockey career. For some, it may well define the still-forming young men who arrive in Wellington over the next few days.

HARD AND FAST
It will be a short and brutal few days for most. They will have to impress quickly. The Wellington Dukes have just three scrimmages before their first exhibition game on Sunday. Fifty or so players have been invited to training camp—far fewer than past years. That number will be cut to about 30 on Saturday, and cut again on Sunday morning.

On Sunday afternoon, the Dukes will introduce their slimmed down lineup as they welcome the Cobourg Cougars to Wellington in the first of just four exhibition games.

Strangely, it will be the last opportunity for Wellington fans to see their team play at home until September 18. By then, they will have played five games in the regular season.

MADE IN QUINTE
Coach and general manager Marty Abrams says Dukes fans can expect another fast and tenacious team in the 2015-16 season. But unlike past seasons, Abrams predicts a strong complement of local talent in this season’s squad. There are two main reasons for this.

“A lot of guys playing in the Quinte AAA system— seem to be ready to make the jump to Junior A,” said Abrams.

He believes the Quinte minor midget team is likely among the very best in North America. The major midget squad, coached by former Dukes assistant Todd Reid, also boasts a strong pool of talent.

Two recent Red Devil graduates, Austin Labelle and Colin Doyle, had breakout seasons with Junior C clubs last season as 16-year-olds. Abrams believe they are ready to make an impact in the OJHL.

Drawing players from the Quinte region has the side benefit of reducing the strain of finding and maintaining billet homes for the out-oftown players. He hopes it will also prove to be a winning strategy at the box office. But on-ice success comes first.

“But none of this means anything unless the talent is available here—and it is,” said Abrams. “We are very happy with our young local prospects coming to camp this weekend.”

WHAT TO EXPECT
One of the toughest battles likely to shake out in this exhibition season is in net. Twenty-yearold Daniel Potter is returning to challenge for the number one spot. In the off-season, the Dukes traded forward Marco Azzano for 20- year-old netminder Austin Washkurak. He had respectable statistics with a bad Mississauga team before being traded to Cobourg a year ago. He was the odd man out when the Cougars gave Stefano Durante the starting job. Washkurak is looking for a fresh start in Wellington. It is not entirely clear that Olivier Lafreniere will stick with the OHL’s 67s, who have two returning netminders coming to Ottawa’s camp. Further complicating the goaltending picture is the fact that the Dukes have attracted a couple of strong free agents the Dukes camp. On the radar too is 16-year-old Anthony Popovich who was a standout with the Quinte Red Devils minor midget’s squad last season.

THREE JAKES
The Dukes are looking to build on the blueline from a sturdy foundation of three Jakes and a Brody. Jacob Panetta, Jacob Hethrington and Jake Falcao are all back this season. “If Brody Morris comes back from his OHL camp, that will be four really strong defencemen to build a core around,” said Abrams.

Up front the Dukes are expecting a breakout season from veterans including Luc Brown, Nick DeVito, Griffin McCarty and Wes St. Amand.

“We are also pleased with the progress of guys like Ben Sokay, Greg Smith and Chase St. Aubin,” said Abrams.

WELCOME BACK
The Wellington Dukes are offering three opportunities for fans to scout this year’s team—Friday at 7 p.m., Saturday at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Admission to these scrimmages is free. Then the action begins as the Dukes face Cobourg at 2 p.m. on Sunday in the first exhibition game.