The Red Deer Rebels training camp is underway at the Westerner Park Centrium.
“Our compete and our work ethic have been there. That’s kind of been our theme for training camp. It’s part of our culture in Red Deer, we’re really proud of our culture and our players have been really good at that so far and working every day and competing hard,” said assistant coach Brad Flynn.
This year’s squad is shaping up to be one of the youngest since the team coming out of the Memorial Cup run in 2016, with as many as 10 new faces vying for a roster spot.
“The youth that is coming in, everyone’s here to make the team, so there’s no time off. You’re going hard, you’re going 100 per cent every drill and it’s really said in the culture that we want, that we’ve been preaching here,” said Flynn.
The Rebels are looking to their veterans to lead and be an example for the new players.
“The older guys are going to have to step up and kind of lead the way for them and help them out because obviously when you’re young, you’re going to have ups and downs throughout the season, so it’s going to be a learning process for them,” said forward Brett Davis.
“I’m going to try be that older guy, setting the example, being the one giving the young kids the stuff they need to know moving forward. It’s kind of my goal this year,” said forward Chris Douglas. “It doesn’t matter if you’re wearing a letter or not, you got to show the young kids the way.”
And the fresh faces are ready to learn.
“The younger players, to their credit, have been very receptive and they go hand-in-hand. You want mentors and you want players that want to be coached and be receptive and both sides have been doing really well,” said Flynn.
Following a disappointing first-round playoff loss to end last season, the team is hoping it serves as motivation to get back to the playoffs this year.
“The main goal is a playoff push. Obviously losing out in the first round is not something you ever want to do so we’re going to compete and battle in training camp and try to get ready for a long season and a good playoff push,” said Davis.
Douglas said the crushing loss has given players valuable experience.
“The team we played in playoffs, they ended up winning the league, but especially down the stretch you learn a lot from the older guys,” he said.
Rebels training camp will wrap up on Saturday with the team’s annual Black and White game.