'Guys have to take steps' says GM as Hounds kick off training camp

Coming off a disappointing season that saw them finish out of the playoffs, a new season means an increase in expectations.

The Soo Greyhounds kick off training camp on Tuesday afternoon at the GFL Memorial Gardens and the expectations are high for veterans and young players alike.

For Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis, the new season brings with it a chance for veteran players to force the hands of the coaching staff and management.

“Guys have to take steps,” Raftis said.

“You want guys to make it so blatantly obvious where they play in the lineup, who they’re going to play with and not just expect anything,” Raftis added.

The team will have 19 returning players in training camp this season and four other players who saw limited action when the team had injuries last season.

Asked about the young players coming into camp, Raftis spoke of how it’s a chance to build on some positives that the team saw during development camp in May.

“For the next few days, you obviously want to see the young guys really come in and make their presence known,” Raftis said. “Sometimes they have a way of sitting back a little bit. You want to see them jump into a spot.”

Raftis added that the “internal competition” that the young players showed during development camp is something he hopes will carry over into training camp.

“You could feel that internal competition and that’s what you want to see leading into this training camp from top to bottom in the lineup,” Raftis said.

A total of 52 players are set to hit the ice on Tuesday – six goaltenders, 15 defencemen, and 31 forwards.

With players broken down into three teams, a goalie session for Team Black is set to kick off the on-ice portion of training camp on Tuesday afternoon at the GFL Memorial Gardens. After a practice, the first scrimmage of the week will see Team White take on Team Red at 4 p.m.

On Monday, the team announced the official signing of 2023 CHL import draft pick Arttu Karki ahead of training camp.

The 18-year-old Finnish blueliner is a player that Raftis said shortly after the draft was one “that can play in a lot of different situations.”

“Anytime you watch a Finnish team play, they play tough, they play hard,” Raftis also said. “They have a certain style very similar to North American. When you add his size and skating ability and just that length that he can add to the blueline is really going to help us. It’s going to help us put some younger guys in some better spots too. Last year, because we were so young, we were putting guys in tough matchup situations. This gives us some good options on the back end for the group.”