Bantam hockey camp teaching elite players on- and off-ice lessons

Kendyn Faragher has his eyes on either the Ontario Hockey League or the NCAA ranks.

The Fort Frances native spent the weekend alongside 74 other teenaged hockey hopefuls, taking part in Hockey Northwestern Ontario’s OHL-sponsored under-15 program of excellence hockey camp at the Fort William First Nation Arena.

It’s all about taking that next step, said the 15-year-old, who played high school hockey this past season for the Fort Frances Muskies.

“I wanted ice time to get better, develop my skills and see the best players my own age,” Faragher said Saturday afternoon after his Team Red defeated Team White 5-1.

While he said he’s learned a lot playing under high school coach Jamie Davis, he wants to take his game to the next level.

With the likes of Kitchener Rangers coach Troy Smith on hand in Thunder Bay this weekend, the emphasis was more on attitude.

It’s nice to show your skills, Faragher said, but it’s also great to learn what’s expected of players who do move on to major junior or college hockey.

In fact, it’s almost more important, he said.

“You’ve got to work hard if you want to get better and you’ve got try hard against your age group. They haven’t taught us much about systems with the coaches yet. But hard work will take you far.”

Longlac-born Jesse Tucker played with the Bantam AAA Kings squad this past season and said what he’ll take out of the weekend is the importance of discipline, both on and off the ice.

“It’s a lot stricter. They’re a lot harder on you, but you’ve just got to play hard and play with respect and go with the flow,” Tucker said.

While no official recruiting is happening in Thunder Bay, it’s still an opportunity catch the eye of someone like Smith, whose Rangers drafted local defenceman Alex Peterson in last weekend’s OHL Priority Selection.

Tucker, a 5-foot-10 forward, is trying not to think about that too much.

“I think about it before the game and probably before I go to sleep, but when I get on the ice I just play hockey. It’s my favourite sport and I just play to have fun and worry about those things after.”

Smith, who said he’ll  let his scouts know about anyone who happens to stand out during the camp, said it’s a valuable experience for all 75 players.

“All we’re looking at is how hard they work and their attitudes,” said Smith, who was an assistant under Steve Sprott in Thunder Bay defenceman Robert Bortuzzo’s final season with the Rangers.

“There’s definitely some talent and the thing that I like is they’ve all been respectful kids. They’re working extremely hard and I hope they’re enjoying it."

Pointing to Bortuzzo, now with St. Louis, and Kenora’s Mike Richards, who is back with the Los Angeles Kings after a mid-season stint in the American Hockey League, Smith said the sky is the limit for at least some of the players on the ice.

Most will hit their draft year next season, and OHL coaches are taking notice, despite the relative isolation in the Northwest.

“Because of numbers and demographics, there’s not a huge number kids, but there are a lot of kids that come from the north that can be big impact players. That’s what we’re really looking for,” Smith said.