Fresh start for Wolves hockey squad

Joel Scherban calls training camp the most exciting time of year.

As his players officially hit the ice on Tuesday to kick off the 2012-13 season, the fourth-year Lakehead Thunderwolves coach said the slate is clean, the expectations are high and all memories of last season’s second-round playoff loss to Windsor have been put in the past.

With several high-profile recruits ready to strut their stuff and returning veterans eager to improve on last year’s performance, Scherban said they’re beginning the year with a singular goal in mind.

“Our expectation is always to compete for an OUA championship. We’re happy with the steps we took last year. We had a young team with 11 first-year players and we expect big things from them,” Scherban said Tuesday, a fresh sheet of Tournament Centre ice awaiting the season’s first scrimmage.

“Coming in second in the regular season was a great step for us and we want to build on that. We want to win a regular-season championship this year and we want to win a Queen’s Cup championship.”

They’ll have to do without some of last year’s key cogs. Ryan McDonald has gone home to Saskatchewan, Jadran Beljo is no longer part of the mix and forward Devin Welsh and Mitch Maunu were lost to retirement.

But with newcomers like former Belleville Bulls captain Luke Judson and ex Sudbury Wolves captain Michael McDonald ready to fill the void, Scherban is comfortable in saying he thinks the Thunderwolves additions outweigh their subtractions.

“We hope so. We’re extremely happy with the new players we have coming in. They have great resumes. But saying that, you never know what to expect,” Scherban said, adding he’s counting on his sophomore crew, like blue-liner Mitch Fillman and forward Mike Hammond, to step up even more than they did in Year 1.

“It’s tough to predict how a first-year player will come in and contribute. But our expectation right now is they will contribute and make us a stronger team.”

MacDonald, one of 33 players in camp, is coming off an eight-goal season in Sudbury. The former Fort William North Star is excited to be back at Fort William Gardens playing in front of family and friends.

But no matter how highly touted a recruit or entrenched a veteran might be, MacDonald said everyone in camp is fully aware no jobs are guaranteed, especially when it comes to the rookie class.

The 21-year-old MacDonald said he’s trying to take going from veteran to rookie in stride.

“It’s just like any other team, any other year. There’s always a battle at the beginning of the year. You always have to bring your ‘A’ game,” said MacDonald, who spent three seasons in the OHL.

“You really have to show coaches what you’re made of and what you’re capable of. It’s going to be no different here. Obviously there are bright things with this team here and we have a tough lineup to crack, but I’m not worried about it. I’m just going to play as hard as I can and let the coaches do their job.”

For defenceman James DeLory, it’s a chance to finally get himself into game shape. Forced to sit out last season after spending two years in the professional ranks, the one-time San Jose Sharks draft pick is looking forward to playing meaningful games again.

It feels pretty good, he said, knowing it’s less than three weeks until the Wolves non-conference opener against Ottawa on Sept. 21.

“It was kind of a long season just practicing all week and not really having anything to look forward to on the weekends,” the Scarborough, Ont. native said. “Now I get to be out on the ice with the guys, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Like his coach, the 24-year-old DeLory will be disappointed if the Wolves aren’t a better team this season than they were in 2011-12.

“We’ve got a couple of really good recruits coming in and I think that should really help us. We’re aiming for a national championship.”

Veteran Mike Quesnele, who vowed to stay out of the penalty box more than he did last season and faces a one-game OUA suspension to start the upcoming season, a carryover from last year’s playoffs, said the loss to Windsor still stings.

It will be a motivating factor heading forward, he said.

“That obviously left a sour taste in our mouths for the summer and gave us a long time to think about it for six months. But the general feeling in the room is excitement,” he said.

Camp notes: NHLer Robert Bortuzzo is skating with the Wolves this week, as is former OHLer Kale Karbashian and former Wolves forward Devin Welsh, who is heading overseas to continue his career ... Josh Mrakic’s tenure as the team’s third-string goaltender appears to be at an end. He's not in camp … Forward Andrew Wilkins is sitting out practice this week to nurse a shoulder injury. He said he’d have been on the ice if Tuesday’s opening practice was a game … Scherban said he expects he’ll carry about 26 players this season ... Several veterans aren't in camp this week, but have been excused, including Matt Caria and Kalvin Sagert.