Training Camp Schedule

Firday, August 31, 2007
9:00 am - 10:15 am Gold VS Black
11:00 am - 12:15 pm White VS Gold
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm Blue VS Green

4:00 pm - 5:15 pm Gold VS Black
6:00 pm - 7:15 pm White VS Blue
8:00 pm - 9:15 pm Blue VS Green

Saturday, September 1
9:00 am - 10:15 am Gold VS Black
11:00 am - 12:15 pm White VS Blue
1:00 pm - 2:15 pm Red VS Green

4:00 pm - 5:15 pm Black VS Gold
6:00 pm - 7:15 pm White VS Red
8:00 pm - 9:15 pm Blue VS Green

Sunday, September 2
9:00 am - 10:00 am Workout
10:15 am - 11:15 am Workout
12:00 pm - 2:30 pm (Game) Gold VS Black
7:30 pm - 10:00 pm RED AND WHITE GAME

Troy K

Lindsay ready to be a Red Wing

With training camp starting on Friday the Red Wings should be arriving in Weyburn tomorrow while the hometown boys get mentally prepared to start another season.

I caught up with newly acquired Torrey Lindsay before he left his home in Gross Isle, MB to see how he feels about coming to play for the 2007/08 Red Wings.

Are you looking forward to playing with Weyburn this season?
TL: For sure, I am looking forward to playing with them big time!

What have you heard about the Red Wings organization and coach Dwight McMillan personally?
TL: Well I don’t know a lot personally but I have heard they are a great organization. I spoke with Brayden Melrose and he said it was a great place to go and the coaching is amazing.

What do you feel you can bring to the Red Wings this season?
TL: Definitely a little bit of speed and some play making abilities.

It’s been going around town that you are going to be a scoring threat this year and could be an offensive leader on the team, how do you feel about that?
TL: I just hope I can do what they ask of me this year. I had a tough season last year and I want to regain my form I had in midget AAA. I broke my ankle in an intersquad game last season that put me out for a month, then I was traded to Prince George and then to Ontario so I didn’t get a chance to really settle. Now I am feeling 100 per cent and I am ready to go.

Torrey will be arriving in Weyburn tomorrow and will be ready to gear up in the first day of training camp on Friday, August 31 at 9 a.m.

Remember, the public is welcome to come out and watch the boys skate so come on out and take a look.

Troy K

Questions To Be Answered

Another SJHL season is just over the horizon and with that in mind it is time to look at all 12 teams and see what is in store for them.

Weyburn Red Wings - Is Kyle McConnell capable of handling a bulk of the work between the pipes this season?

My thoughts are yes he can. Although he maybe looked a bit shaky in his first few starts in red and white last year, Kyle quickly quieted the naysayers in the later part of the season and into the playoffs and at times was downright spectacular. The Fort McMurray, Alberta native will have some healthy competition in camp which should only help him bring his game to the next level.

Estevan Bruins - Rumors from Estevan are that Guillaume Perusse will not be back in the black and gold this year. If that is the truth, will newly acquired Karsten Felske be able to handle the work?

Felske had a good midget career with the Prince Albert Mintos of the SMAAAHL and last year found himself as the odd man out in Nipawin behind Derek Kleinsteuber and Danny Gagne. After being moved to the MJHL's Winkler Flyers, he left after only one appearance and did not play in the second half of the season last year. Will he be able to work off the rust? Time will tell.

Notre Dame Hounds - Will the youth movement in Notre Dame allow them to qualify for the postseason in 2007-08?

Mike Vandenberghe cleaned house this offseason with the likes of Alexandre Angers-Goulet, Kyle Kvisle, and Jori Dean being moved out. The Hounds will be playing with a team full of 17 and 18 year olds and will be in tough in the Sherwood Conference.

Melville Millionaires - Will the Mils be able to overcome the loss of MVP goaltender Anthony Heuer and last year's leading scorer Daniel Moriarty?

The Mils have enough offensive talent that I believe they will overcome the loss of Moriarty - particularly because they have replaced him with a good player in his own right - Daniel Hope. In goal, the Mils believe Kyle Cantlon will be able to lead them to the promise land. Cantlon spent last season with the Marathon Renegades in Ontario. Curtis Timmerman will likely return as the backup tender.

Yorkton Terriers - Will Carter Smith return to the Terriers?

Smith was very impressive after joining the Terriers from the WHL's Everett Silvertips last season. In my opinion he was the best Terrier from the time of his arrival through to the end of the season. Smith will be in camp with the Silvertips this year to give it one more try at the WHL.

Kindersley Klippers - Will goaltender Ryan Nieszner take his game to the next level?

The Klippers have a great young team led by Nieszner and may be on the cusp of something great. With the likes of gifted forward Brett Leedahl and defenseman Scott Linnell, this team could surprise a lot of people this year. Nieszner is a former Regina Pats prospect who was highly touted but never panned out in major junior. He was steady for the Klippers last season but will be expected to play even better in 2007-08.

Battlefords Stars - Is this a rebuilding season in Battlefords?

Gary Clark will have a young team this year as a lot of players have moved on. Gone are Mitch Woods, Darren Delainey, Fraser Allan and Andrew Szmata just to name a few. In my opinion this could be the first time in quite awhile that the Stars miss the playoffs.

La Ronge Ice Wolves - Will this team be able to take the next step in the postseason?

When the Ice Wolves hired Bob Beatty they knew they had hired a coach with a great resume and a RBC ring on his finger. Can he have the same success in La Ronge that he had in Humboldt? The jury is still out but all signs point to yes. Jonathan Jobin proved last year that he was the real deal and the Wolves have some great offensively skilled players like Jordie Johnston, Everette Lerner and Codie Pederson. Ice Wolves fans should be treated to an exciting brand of hockey this year.

Nipawin Hawks - How will the Hawks fare under new head coach Dave Hrysky?

Although Hrysky is new to the SJHL, he has a good coaching resume and has coached professional hockey in Europe for a number of years. He has a solid nucleus on goal with the return of Derek Kleinsteuber and Danny Gagne. Redvers product Blair Toms returns to anchor the defense and Torrie Dyck and Rejean Carriere amongst others will be expected to provide the offensive punch. The Hawks should be in the mix in the Itech conference.

Melfort Mustangs - Will the Stangs overcome the loss of high scoring forwards Kurtis Astle and Andrew Wasmuth, and the departure of defenseman Dillin Stonehouse?

The Mustangs will not score as many goals as they did last season. However, Taylor Watt returns and will be expected to produce big numbers again. Last year Robi Cavallari and David Ritz shared the goaltending duties. Will Ritz be able to take the job and run with it this season?

Humboldt Broncos - Can the Broncos repeat as SJHL champions?

Frankly, I think they just might. Although Brady Heintz and Nathan Heinen are graduated, a good chunk of last years offense remains and Taylor Nelson is no slouch in goal. If Nelson can provide steady goaltending and the likes of Schindel, Schroeder(s), and Benjamin can produce the offense, it could be another great season in Humboldt. Brady Wacker and Matt Rintoul anchor an experienced defense crew.

Flin Flon Bombers - How will the Bombers respond to young coach Mike Reagan?

On paper the Bombers look pretty good but as we all know you don't win games on paper. Dennis Kubat, Pierre - Luc Boucher and Dustyn Clegg will be leaned on to provide scoring. A full season from Riel Thomson and the addition of Jean-Sebastien Bergeron should help solidify the defense. Calvin Bartel and Carsen Chubak should provide solid goaltending. My feeling is the Bombers will return to the postseason this year.

This and that - Former Weyburn Red Wing star Mark Hartigan has signed on with the Detriot Red Wings for the upcoming season. "Harts" was part of the Anaheim Ducks Stanley Cup champion team last season .... Former Melville Millionaire Chris Kunitz signed a four year contract extension with the Ducks yesterday. The Regina native solidified himself on the Ducks top line last season.... Former Melfort Mustang forward Ruslan Fedotenko signed a free agent contract with the New York Islanders recently. Fedotenko won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004.... Former Nipawin Hawks head coach Hardy Sauter was recently named an assistant coach with the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL. Hardy spent his final year of junior hockey with the Chiefs....Former Kindersley Klippers head coach Dave Hunchak will be the head coach of the Moose Jaw Warriors this season. Hunchak will be assisted by former Notre Dame Hounds head coach Rene Lemire.

Wings World - Training camp starts Friday August 31 at the Colosseum. Fans are welcome to attend the workouts and intrasquad games. The annual Red and White game will be played on Sunday September 2 at 7:30 PM. The Wings first game against another opponent will be on Tuesday, September 4 when the Estevan Bruins are in town. The puck drops at 7:30.
I would like to also thank Troy Kramm of Weyburn This Week for his hard work on this website. We will do our best to keep you all updated throughout the 2007-08 season. Troy and myself will be regularly contributing to this site and we hope that you will enjoy.

- Brad M.

Coaches Corner with Dwight McMillan

“We are going to be a faster club, with a higher skill level and solid goaltending,” that’s what Weyburn Red Wings fans should expect this year according to McMillan.

“Kyle McConnell is going to be back in net and we will have some great competition to keep him on his game,” said McMillan.

Along with McConnell in net, the Red Wings have five veteran defencemen that will be returning. They are Mick Pawlyshyn, Stephen Simms, Kyle Haines, Ian Lazar and Connor Krukowski.

The Red Wings also have eight forwards who will be returning, Preston Shupe, Brayden Nargang, Jared Smale, Eric Calibaba, Scott Doody, Josh Bray, Craig Cornelson and Michael Seib. They also received Torrey Lindsay who is expected to be a key contributor offensively along with Bray, Smale, Shupe and Doody.

Although they had to give up 6’3” Sean Bassingthwaite the Red Wings are still going to have a big hard hitting team.

“We lost a few big boys this year, but we are going to replace them with bigger boys who are going to be fighting for a spot on the team. This year we should be a bigger team overall and a lot more grittier,” said McMillan.

Some of the new faces that the organization is excited about are Nick Needham who played last season in the major AAA with the Colorado Wranglers. The native of Elkton, South Dakota scored 25 goals and 30 assists in 60 games played. He will be fighting to gain a spot on defence. A couple Regina boys are expected to make an impact as well. They are Rhett Bly, a 5’10” center who spent last season with the Regina Pat Canadians and Carter Selinger a 5’11” winger who was also spent last season with the Pat Canadians.

The team will get their first chance to play together in a pre season tilt versus the Estevan Bruins on Tuesday, September 4 at the Weyburn Colosseum.

"It will be a great way to see what the boys are going to bring to the table," mentioned McMillan.

“We are gonna mix up the lines and just let the guys get familiar with one another. We have the speed and skill this year. We really weren’t far away last season, keep in mind that we had five rookie defencemen last season and we had to fight through that. This year they are all back with more experience under their belt to help get us where we want to be.”

Posted by Troy K

Coach McMillan Speaks

I caught up with head coach, Dwight McMillan last week to ask him what the fans of the Red Wings could expect during the upcoming season.

We will have comments from Dwight posted online, Monday morning so make sure to check it out.

Troy K

All or Nothing !!!

Well by the looks of things so far the fans either think the Red Wings are going all the way to the Royal Bank Cup, or they aren't going to make the playoffs at all.

There isn't much room in between according to the poll on www.weyburnredwings.ca.

Sure plenty of people have voted that they aren't going to make the playoffs but plenty of others expect the Red Wings to go far this year.

We want to hear your reasons why you think they are going all the way or why they won't even make it to the playoffs.

Posted by: Troy K

Speed for Size as the Wings trade Bassingthwaite

With the trade of 1987 born forward Sean Bassingthwaite to the OPJAHL's Port Hope Predators in exchange for 1988 born forward Torrey Lindsay on Wednesday, the Red Wings gain a former scoring star with the Interlake Lightning of the Manitoba Midget 'AAA' Hockey League.

In 2005-06, he scored 26-goals and 41-assists in 36-games while playing alongside current Flin Flon Bomber scoring threats Reid MacLeod and Dustyn Clegg. Those totals were good enough to place Lindsay fifth in the MMAAAHL scoring parade.

Lindsay began his Junior 'A' career in the BCHL, but was moved to Port Hope where he played 23-games and contributed 5-goals and 9-assists.

Bassingthwaite played 44-games and had 14-goals and 16-assists in what was his second season with the Red Wings. The Balmerton ON native goes back to his home province with this deal.

The current Red Wings roster looks like a high octane team who are going to move the puck well, get under the opposition's skin (especially Calibaba) and hopefully keep teams one step behind at all times.

The size of the team might hurt them in battles for loose pucks in the corners as well as out front. Bassinghtwaite was known for finding a home in front of goaltenders where he would pay the price for about 90% of all his goals.If needed he would drop the gloves and get the team fired up as well. The Red Wings don't have a player right now that can step in and fill that role at the moment but there is still time to surprise us before the final roster is released.

Not to worry though, the addition of Lindsay looks like a great fit for the team. If paired up with offensive threats such as Preston Shupe or Jared Smale he could find his niche in no time. Any time a proven goal scorer comes to a team it brings excitement and gets the fans pumped up and with Chad Anderson moving on in his career it looks like the Wings are steadily restocking the shelves with this new addition.

Posted by Troy K

Welcome to the Weyburn Red Wings blog for the 2007/08 SJHL season. Feel free to add comments and discuss the season.