Sioux City Musketeers Main Camp Gets Underway July 21st, 2020
July 17, 2020 - United States Hockey League (USHL)
Sioux City Musketeers News Release
SIOUX CITY, Iowa - Plenty of emotions are going through Head Coach Luke Strand's mind as he anticipates the action coming up at next week's Sioux City Musketeers Main Camp.
A total of 160 players from across the United States, which includes 10 returning athletes from last year's Musketeers squad, will participate in the event, which will be held July 21-25 at Sioux City's IBP Ice Center. Each of the campers will play four games on the first three days of the camp before All-Star games will be held on the event's final two days.
"First and foremost, I'm looking forward to seeing our guys' faces," said Strand, who will begin his third consecutive season as head coach of the Musketeers and his fifth overall. "I'm looking forward to seeing our returning guys, the guys we acquired, the guys we drafted or acquired in trades and our affiliates. I'm looking forward to the competitive atmosphere that is going to happen because of that returning group and at the same time, the new guys who want to climb up that ladder quickly."
Defenseman Christian Jimenez, an USHL All-Rookie Team selection from last season's 16-24-7-1 squad, heads the list of returning Musketeers. Jimenez was the USHL's leading rookie defenseman scorer with 28 points (7 goals, 21 assists). Three more defensemen return - Gabe Blanchard (4 goals, 7 assists), John Opilka (1, 1) and Evan Bushy (1, 0).
Sam Antenucci is the Musketeers' top returning forward scorer with 18 points (10 goals, 8 assists). Kirklan Irey (6, 11) also returns as a forward along with Ben Doran (3, 4), Robby Newton (3, 4) and Brian Carrabes, who didn't score in four games as a Musketeer after he was acquired from Sioux Falls, where he had eight goals and 19 assists.
"I think the returning talent has character," said Strand. "I think with what they went through last season, it should make them hungry for this year. All of them want bigger pieces of the puzzle."
Strand will get his first look at four new Musketeer forwards who came in trades, including former Omaha Lancers Chase Bradley and Bennett Schimek. Brenden Olson arrived from Sioux Falls while Luke Buss came from Tri-City, though he spent most of the 2019-20 season playing for the famed Shattuck St. Mary's program.
Bradley, who tallied seven goals and 12 assists for the Lancers, has two-year career totals of 10 goals and 13 assists. Olson has 10 goals and six assists in two seasons for the Stampede.
"They will be impact guys," said Strand. "They are leaders. They have experience in this league. They were impact players where they came from."
Because of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, returning Musketeers such as forward Joel Maatta (11, 14) of Finland and goaltender Akira Schmid (3-4, 3.41 GAA) from Switzerland, are among those who will not participate. Strand said these two and several others, including the team's No. 1 selection in the USHL Phase II Draft, Matteo Costantini (a native of Canada), will be joining the Musketeers at the September training camp.
However, the majority of the Musketeers' Phase II and I selections will participate along with several invited free agents. Also among the campers is 16-year old forward Nick Pierre, who signed a tender with the team in late March after combining for 25 goals and 34 assists last season while leading Hill-Murray to the Minnesota Class AA state hockey championship.
Players will be divided in eight teams of 20 for games that will be held from 3 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Wednesday and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday. Thursday afternoon, those eight teams will be reduced to four teams. Strand said the final four teams will be posted by 1:30 Thursday afternoon.
"All-Star teams will be roster ready going against roster ready teams," said Strand. "We will also have two (younger) teams that are not going to play here this year unless someone tears the cover off the ball in that young guys game. Mainly, it gives these guys the chance to still be involved in the camp at a high level, but again play in their own age group."
Younger All-Star games will be played at 4 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday. Veteran All-Star games will be played at 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. Saturday.
Strand said that fans will not be allowed to witness any of the games, unlike past training camps. Only the parents of players will be able to watch the competition, provided they wear masks and observe social distancing.
Basically, this camp gives Strand and his coaching staff a chance to witness the birth of the 2020-21 Musketeers. The veteran coach is looking for players with a combination of hockey sense, skill, determination and most of all, passion for the game.
"We drafted that way and we return players that way," said Strand. "I'm really looking forward to seeing, first of all as goaltenders, who can contend and be the best goalie or take over a job in goal. Second, I'm excited the returning players have a huge challenge in front of them. They are going to be pushed by new incoming players that want their jobs. The fight for that job becomes really important."
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United States Hockey League Stories from July 17, 2020
- Sioux City Musketeers Main Camp Gets Underway July 21st, 2020 - Sioux City Musketeers
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