Forgive us if you’ve heard this before and it didn’t necessarily come true, but the Spruce Grove Saints are entering a rebuilding year as they prepare to hit the ice for the first time on Saturday (Aug. 19) in preparation for the upcoming AJHL season.
Head coach Jason Mckee agreed that his summer was in fact too long this year given the team’s ouster in the AJ championship final last year, but at the same time he was proud of how the club that was thought to be reconfiguring itself actually made it as far as they did, winning yet another North Division title before falling to the eventual national champion Brooks Bandits in the final.
This year? Well, he’s treading cautiously when speaking about what’s on tap.
The Saints have only nine returnees, two of them defencemen, making the foreseeable future a challenge at the very least as Mckee and his coaching staff look to forge yet another winner.
The coach/GM expects around 60 players to take in the first two days of training camp and from that he and his assistants hope to build the best team possible.
Full Story from the Spruce Grove Examiner