Apr. 08 / 08

By Guy Bertrand
Times Sports Editor

The last renmants of the hockey season were squeegeed out of the Cominco Arena on Monday but that doesn't mean the Trail Smoke Eaters have gone into hibernation.

This weekend in Princeton, the team is holding what could be a pivotal part of any success in the next couple of years.

Head coach Jim Ingram and his staff will gather for the 2008 Spring Camp, which runs from Friday to Sunday.

For Ingram, this is a crucial first step towards acquiring the building blocks for a successful roster next season and down the road.

"After the initial shock of getting the job (last summer), I tried to get scouts together and working," he explained. "(This weekend) is what I'm seeing from that."

Ingram said all the players who will attend the camp have already been scouted at least once by himself or the several scouts he has throughout the province and beyond.

"I've got players from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, from the Junior B leagues and major midget."

He added there will be some players from Alberta and a few Americans although many of the potential U.S. recruits were unable to attend due to a critical time in their school year.

Nevertheless, the response to the camp was so overwhelming that Ingram had to cut off the list of entries.

"We have 95 skaters and that's not counting goalies," he said.

After a sub-par year for the Smokies and at least half a dozen players gone from the 2007-08 roster, Ingram said the camp has attracted players who see the door to Junior A open.

"They want to play hockey and I think they know there's an opportunity here.

"We'll see where it all falls."

While the players are coming to Ingram this weekend, the Smokies boss was on the road recently doing more recruiting and evaluating. He traveled to Buffalo for the U.S. national midget championships and was in Kimberley on the weekend for the Junior B Cyclone Taylor Cup.