YORKTON - The Yorkton Terriers missed the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoffs this season, but the process to avoid a similar fate in 2025 began on the weekend.
The local franchise hosted its spring evaluation camp, and Terrier head coach and general manager Emery Olauson said the process was a good one.
“It was busy. There were lots of players to evaluate,” he told Yorkton This Week, adding they had about 170 players attend.
“A lot of them were unknown to us before Friday.”
The numbers were up because the Terriers held an open camp, allowing players to just show up and participate.
“I really like the open registration,” said Olauson.
As a result players travelled from Quebec to B.C. in Canada, as well as California, Georgia, Alaska, and Florida, all hoping to attract the attention of Olauson.
“The truth is while we’re scouting players, they’re scouting us,” said Olauson, adding in that regard the SJHL has been “strengthening itself as a destination (for players).”
The process is one Olauson said he felt was a good one as it broadened the pool of talent to look at, with an eye to populating the main camp in the fall with more talent.
And, it worked as the Terrier GM said they have a couple of players they will soon announce signing from the camp which had not been on the team radar previously.
Of course the Terriers are looking to be better next season, and that will mean some new faces.
“That was the message in our exit interviews (at season end),” said Olauson.
The message was that the Terriers need to be better, and that includes returning players being ready to take a step forward too.
Now with Olauson’s first spring camp as Terrier head coach in the books, it will be a summer of evaluation camps, and looking to add players that fit with his vision now that he has a season in the books.
