Teaching Dogs New Tricks: IceDogs Training Camp 2025 - Dog Pound Podcast - The Armchair GM's Sports Network

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to the Armchair GM Sports Network.

Speaker 2 (00:29):
This is Rod Mahood, your in game voice of the
Niagara Ice Dogs, and you're listening to the dog Pound
Podcast on the Armchair GM Sports Network, your podcast source
for all game analysis, team interviews, and up to date
news regarding the Niagara Ice Dogs.

Speaker 3 (00:49):
Over time Ice Dogs, Wind Dinard, the prsent Please Doll.

Speaker 4 (00:55):
Hang also kimming Away. It's a power playing home my
ice Dogs.

Speaker 1 (01:00):
Padley Scar host sang Yeah, first school as an ice dog.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Tromp stop Shipley Pretty Scar. She gets into a kill.

Speaker 5 (01:08):
Thomas Thomas has the ankle coming in Bato.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Welcome into the first Dog Pound podcast of the twenty
twenty five twenty twenty sixth season, right here on the
Armchair GM Sports Network. Probably you brought to by Global
Pet Foods, where pets are unannihily part of the family
and their three great Niagara region locations. Scott spreeda Saint
Catharine's will was font Hill and Niagara Falls. So with
that said, Brandi Koputo and new co host Christian Simmons

(01:40):
on the podcast today live from Niagara Ice Dog's training
camp for We're here on day two, the time of
recording this the two day camp, seventy five players here
for the Ice Dogs, an more extended camp than we've
ever seen around the league in the Ontario Hockey League
with the new NCAA eligibility, We've got a lot to
discuss here. We're gonna ask Christian about some players that

(02:02):
stood out to him throughout the camp. We're also gonna
talk about some battles going on at camp within the
crease within the over agers. We're also gonna hear from
Ice Dog's new head coach Chris BArch a quick interview
with him before training camp about what he's expecting to
see from the players and what he's hoping to instill
in them during this week of camp. So we've got
a jam packed first episode for you here. Full disclosure,

(02:25):
during the time of recording this, there are some cuts
that are happening throughout the four groups that we're participating
this afternoon and as well yesterday. We're gonna have Black
and Black versus White game later tonight with Team Black
against Team White. We'll see what kind of the rosters
are gonna be for that. But so much going on
here for the first week of the Niager Ice Dogs

(02:45):
twenty twenty five twenty twenty six season. With that said,
Christian Simmons our first time as the co host on
the show. Cam Holbert will still be with us on
a part time basis, but Christian, you'll be joining us
a lot. You've been here with me throughout the entire
Ice Dog training camp. First off, for you initial thoughts
of your first training camp being able to cover the team.

Speaker 6 (03:05):
Well, very exciting to be here for what is a
big step for me in my career and for these
young men and young hockey players a big step for
them as well. It's been an entertaining couple of days,
to say the least, puck sticks and believe it or not,
some fists flying out here during the first two days
of the training camp, a lots of compete, love to

(03:26):
see some of the new guys. Edgar to say the least,
has been very impressive, but just great to be in
this atmosphere at the Meridian Center with Brandon Caputo of
the Armchair GM Sports Network and really happy to be
a part of it and really looking forward to the
black and White game tonight where we can hopefully start

(03:46):
to get an idea of what we're going to see
on Saturday in that preseason opener and then into the
regular season. What can we expect to see? Obviously, a
huge sample size over two days, a lot of players
to look at, a lot of decisions to be made,
and as you mentioned, a huge camp. Seventy five players
is a little bit unheard of for an OHL training camp.

(04:08):
But with those new rules, there's a ton of decisions
to be made, and with the new group here, I'm
sure they're gonna do a great job with those. But
for me, had a blast here for the first I
guess day and a half, Excited for the game later tonight,
and really proud to be a member of the Dog
Pound Podcast.

Speaker 1 (04:27):
We've got a lot more content coming for you, even
from this camp. We're gonna have all the training camp interviews.
We're gonna hear from players, We're gonna hear from general manager.
Frankie Vola as well. Posts a small clip of his
interview on social media. If your fault, make sure you
can follow us at dog Pound Podcast on x for
all of our ice dogs updates.

Speaker 4 (04:43):
There.

Speaker 1 (04:44):
He mentioned it quickly and you're gonna hear about it
during the training camp interviews that you know whether they
signed ten players this offseason, Christian, But that doesn't necessarily
mean those ten players are going to be on the
team this year, could be for next year as well.
But there again, there's a lot of spots to be had,
as he mentioned quickly, and that the open competition up
and down the lineup, and that's going to be a

(05:05):
good thing for this group because they are, you know,
losing some some very valuable pieces and Owen Flores and
then that Andrea Loschko up front, Noa Van Vliet on
the back end. So those are three tough guys to
be able to replace. They still have the the young
core that they that they've built through the draft, but
you have to really fill that out and they've done
that with their offseason move so far.

Speaker 6 (05:23):
Yes, some really interesting ones as well. You got a
couple of guys coming from Michigan reuniting in jud Knaft
and in Jacob Monks, so interesting prospects there. You have
the new draft pick, you got some defensive presence coming
overseas from imports. You got Ben Reesenecker, you have tell
Elch coming from St. Andrew's College. So lots of intriguing

(05:46):
prospects here at camp and I'm interested this interested to
see what their contribution is going to look like. And
of course for me, Reizenecker being the most interesting on
the back end with noa van Fleet moving on and
with a bigger hole on the backside. And we'll get
into the over agers issue in a couple of minutes.

(06:07):
We'll talk about that competition, but I see the competition
on the back end to be a little bit steeper.
There's a lot more talent for fewer spots, which just
makes sense. There's six lineup spots on any given night
for your defensive corps. And I think Ben Reesenecker is
going to be a big part of what they're looking

(06:28):
to do on the back end, and what I saw
from him in this training camp, I think was exemplary
of what they're looking for in a guy that can
fill that role. He's big, he moves the puck well,
he's got great vision, great hands, and physical when he
needs to be. And I think that's going to be

(06:48):
a big piece. And talking about the signings, like you said,
you know, some of these guys may not be here
this year, they could be next year. But I think
the Ice Dogs have done a great job of building
that foundation.

Speaker 4 (07:01):
There's a lot of guys here.

Speaker 6 (07:02):
Over these couple of days, I've really liked to see
what they have to offer, you know, And I think
other guys like you know, Grayson Barnes from the USHL
and you know, there was a Matthew Ross from the
UA's us HS prep team, you know, over the river.
So there's lots of interesting prospects here to see unsigned

(07:23):
and signed. And I think it gives Chris Bartch and
Frank Evila lots to look at, and not just for
this year, like you said, but for next season. I
see when you know, you potentially say goodbye to a
couple of big pieces, Ryan Roebrick being one of them.
This is a big year for him. Galianov also draft
year for him, you know, Wasslyn a draftyear for those guys.

(07:45):
So who knows what happens next season. There's probably going
to be spots here and by my eye and by
hopefully yours and the management staff and the coaching staff,
there's a lot of eye catching prospects here that could
potentially fill those roles next season.

Speaker 1 (08:03):
No, there's gonna be a lot of spots going forward,
as you mentioned, guys that might only be here for
one season before going to n C Double A. So
there's always gonna be that turnover and maybe more roster
spots available from year to year than maybe we would
have seen prior to this new ruling with the n
C Double A and the CHL coming together to allow
players to be able to go play in both both

(08:24):
leagues and have both avenues for their hockey careers as
well as you know, as far as what they want
to do academically as well. So there's a lot of
avenues opened in this sense, and we're gonna it's gonna
take us two or three years to finally see the
impact of how this is gonna go. So I don't
know if you have any other quick thoughts on that.

Speaker 6 (08:41):
Yeah, well, well just just to I don't want to
leave anybody out. Cole Cooksy from the BCHL would be
another interesting prospect coming over, somebody that could make an
impact up front. I know management likes him. They got
their eye on him. You know, he's got lots of
lots of talent for sure. I love what I saw
from him today in the scrimmages yesterday in the practice

(09:03):
sessions the skates.

Speaker 4 (09:04):
He was also.

Speaker 6 (09:05):
Strong, has a great head on his shoulders. But to
your point there, there's there's gonna be a lot changing
here in Niagra, and it comes at a great time
for this organization. You take a look at what they're
trying to do with you know, the new brass, the
new coaching staff, Chris BArch his assistance, the change you
know in the crease with you know, Ludze coming back

(09:27):
for his second stint with the organization. Lots of exciting
things happening here in Niagara, and I think it's not
just up top and somewhere in the middle, it's also
happening on the ice. There's a lot of exciting prospects
here and I can't wait to see how it all
turns out. And I'm just excited that, you know, this
is this is the time that you know, I get
to join the dog Pound podcast and hopefully watch some

(09:50):
of these players Phil Roles over the next couple of seasons.
I mean, should we dive into some do we want
to look at some of these guys, Cause I'm excited.

Speaker 1 (10:00):
I'm ready, you know, I know you're so heare to
get into this. So I will say the twenty twenty
seven Memorial Cup. It is also something that happened over
the summer that owner Darren de Doabbler said that the
team was going to be one of the teams bidding
and vying for the host of the twenty twenty seven
Memorial Cup. So they want to make sure they're competitive
for this season and as well next season with other
teams like GELF, Kitchener Kingston all going vying for that

(10:24):
as well. So that's something to keep in mind and
we'll see who kind of is the host of that.
They usually try to have that announced by November ish,
so we'll see how how sort of that process goes
the second time as Niagara went for it, when Saganaw
got it the last time it was here in the
Ontario Hockey League. So those are all different storylines. We're
gonna get into the overage players. We're gonna get into

(10:45):
the goaltending matchup as well, But before we get all
that going, we're gonna go to new Ice Dog's head
coach Chris BArch on our first chance to speak with
the new bench boss for the Niager Ice Dog's former
NHL or former skills and development coach with the Buffalo
Sabers and as well a head coach at the Triple
A level. So his first introductory interviews brought to you

(11:06):
by the Nagar Employment Health Center helping people find work
in Nagresses nineteen eighty three. Check them out at EHC
dot dot ca to find your next work opportunity. Today,
here's our first installment of Inside the Coaches Room with
Chris BArch. We're on the first installment of Inside the
Coaches Room with new Niagara Ice Dogs head coach Chris BArch. Chris,
thanks a lot for joining us. I know it's going
to be a busy week. Seventy seven players attending training camp.

(11:28):
Your first training camp. Here is the head coach of
the Niagara Ice Dogs, after you know, a long career
in the National Hockey League and then with the Sabers
as a development skills coach and most recently with here
on Perth Lakers. First of all, how does it feel
to be a head coach at this level? And what
entice you're about coming to Niagara.

Speaker 5 (11:43):
Yeah, no, extremely excited about the opportunity and especially the
possibility you know, and potential that lie within the team.
So I appreciate the welcome. You know what I think
when I first met Frank ownership you know Frank with
respect to the changes that he made prior to me arriving.

(12:07):
You know, the individuals that went to bat for Frank
in terms of referrals. You know, he's got a great name,
well respected name within the hockey community, the OHL community,
and you know he's really, you know, stepped up to
plate with respect to changes that were needed in the organization.
And you know, it's just happened to be part of

(12:27):
those changes.

Speaker 1 (12:28):
So as far as your head coaching experience, obviously coming
from you know, the the minor hockey level and jumping
into the OHL for the first time as a as
a head coach. Obviously, as I mentioned, you spent time
with the Sabers as a development coach at the at
the pro level. But what do you think has prepared
you for this? Obviously your play style when you played
in the National Hockey League. You know, a guy that

(12:48):
gave one hundred and ten percent out there every single shift,
and you're relatable in that sense to a lot of
guys that are trying to make it. So what are
you hoping that you can translate on the coaching side
and kind of be relatable to these young kids trying
to make it.

Speaker 5 (12:59):
Well, yeah, you know, I think you hit the nail
on the head. When I was in my experience with
Buffalo as a player development coach, I was in that
role for five years and worked specifically with you know,
that OHL seventeen eighteen to twenty one age group. You know,
with respect to that environment, it's it's right up my alley,

(13:20):
and it's nice getting back to you know, that maturity
level those players that are a step away from the
National Hockey League, you know, in regards to you know,
being drafted and then also stepping into a league and
maybe having it as a career. So with the experience
that I had as a development coach, you know, it's
it's nice and natural to step back into that. And

(13:42):
then with respect to you know, game style. You know,
everything that I earned my career was through work, was
through character. So for me, it's you know, it's a
nice connectiveness to what and where the game is going,
you know, what these these players need to reach the
next Well, you know, I've made many, many mistakes and

(14:02):
I followed different paths of success. Hopefully I can minimize
you know, any of those those roads traveled for these young.

Speaker 1 (14:09):
Men and coming full circle for you obviously played for
the London Nights drafted in nineteen ninety seven, played three
seasons there with the Nights before being drafted. So what
sort of the message you're trying to give to these kids.
Obviously it was it was quite a while ago, but
you remember your first training camp and coming in and
trying to make a name for yourself and try to
make a good impression on the coaching staff. So what

(14:30):
would be your message when you get going with with
so many players and not a lot of roster spots,
but making sure that they know they would need to
do to make a good impression and keep you know,
have you guys have to keep an eye on throughout
the season.

Speaker 5 (14:41):
Yeah, you know what, I think you talk about the
impression and I think a lot of it is just
you know, making them understand this is a long journey,
This is a process. You know that consistent quality of
work and investment in yourself every day over a long
period of time is what Garner's results. You know, you
did speak of London Night actually a Dale Hunter as

(15:01):
my development coach when I was with London Night's. Gary
Agnew is a longtime NHL assistant coach. You know, I
still keep in touch with Mark and Dale Hunter. You know,
they they've kind of connected and stayed with me for
my career. So, you know, if I can bring in
a lot of those elements that they've shown within their organization,

(15:22):
you know, on off the ice, character and progression, also development,
uh and then also you know the pinnacle community and
team results. You know, it'd be again we talk about
past followed with respect to success. Yeah, hopefully he does
come full circle and there's a lot of you know,
those elements of success that they've garnered and introduced there

(15:44):
over the last twenty twenty five years. Would love to,
you know, bring a lot of those elements here.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
So head coach Chris barches with us. Chris, a little
bit about your your coaching staff obviously a couple of
new assistants, John jutsy and and Luke Israel as well
as Ryan l Is it coming back to Niagara as
a goaltend and coach? What was it about bringing those
three gentlemen on board and kind of helping you out
and what are you kind of expecting them to bring
to the coaching staff as well and helping the players along.

Speaker 5 (16:12):
Yeah? Yeah, John ut First off, you only had that
nta a background with those rule changes, with you know
the path that is you know, in distance and available
to these OGL players. Now, it was a nice compliment
to Uh, you know have him in the mix. Coach
with him last year. Very poised, mature, patient individual which

(16:32):
will connect you know, at high level with these players.
Luke Kid Israel, Uh you know, has real strong tides
to Pete the Bourne. Steve Spott worked for Brooks Bands
last year. A very young, innovative, forward thinking mindset which
matches a lot to what you know. My outlook of
the game is, so there's gonna be a real nice

(16:54):
connectiveness but also helping challenge of thoughts and synergy there
and then it's great and Ryan you know, come back
into the full being a local uh Niaga Paul Saint
Catherine's resident, you know, he's gonna do a great job
with the goaltendor.

Speaker 1 (17:10):
So so I'm sure the fan base wants to know
sort of what your coaching style is, how you want
the team to play. I know it hasn't even been
training camp yet and you still got preseason to go
through as well, but as far as how you want
this team to play, there's some high end skill on
the team. There's going to be upwards of ten or
eleven new players coming in as well. So what what
can the fan base and I guess around the league
expect the identity of the nag Rice Dogs to be

(17:32):
this year with with you know, such a new roster,
but also a very strong young core as well.

Speaker 5 (17:37):
Yeah, you know, I've got four core criteria with respect
to how you know, our mindset it is and how
we want to play is a character, compete, hockey sense
and speed both are equally as important as the other.
We're going to you know, have a very high cebrebowl
intellect and connect in this and how we play an
offensive zone. But with that will be a combined effort,

(18:00):
you know, a two hundred flock game going north towards
during it and also coming back towards ours. You know,
we've we are going to play the team on the
defensive side of the puck. We are going to be
kept accountable on the defensive side of the puck, and
it will be a keeam effort from you know, goaltender
to forward and from player one through eighteen.

Speaker 1 (18:21):
Every given night and obviously the next two days are
going to be extremely busy for your coaching staff, the
management staff. Having seventy seven players at camp over two days,
it's not not easy to look at that many players
in such a short amount of time. But starting Tuesday,
you guys are going to have a bunch of group
sessions and then Wednesday you're going to have some scrimmages
and then a game later on in the night. So,
I guess, what is the plan to go about this

(18:43):
week of camp? What do you want to see from
the players and what are you hoping that they take
away from this week as a whole.

Speaker 5 (18:48):
Yeah, you know what, you know, a lot of these
players we've we've had eyes on prior to this event.
But it is nice to see when they're you know,
did their compete and the competitiveness and within their peer group,
So that would be exciting to see. You know, a
lot of these players are put in a tremendous amount
of work over the summer, so I'm sure they're excited
to get on the ice and show and and and

(19:10):
field those gains on investment for themselves and again every
day consistently working and and uh, you know, having quality
efforts to where we want to be as groups. So
for that you know our our coaching staff has been
diligently working, you know, day and day out here over
the last couple of months. And uh, you know you're
looking forward to get getting a roller coaster moving and

(19:33):
you know, steering that ship in a in a real
positive direction.

Speaker 1 (19:37):
So and lastly, on a lighter note, are you going
to be taking the bike test to show these kids
how it's done?

Speaker 5 (19:42):
You know what, I will sure, for sure be in
the gym. I just don't know it will be a
bike text.

Speaker 1 (19:47):
Awesome. Well, I'm sure they can see that through in
the season. But that's the first installment of Inside the
Coaches Room with new Nagris Doug's head coach Chris Bart. Chris,
thanks so much for taking the time again before a
busy training camp week and look forward to talking a
lot more.

Speaker 5 (19:59):
Throughout the se Thank you very much, sir, I appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (20:02):
There was new Ice Dog's head coach Chris BArch his
first chat with us here on the Dog Pound Podcast.
Very busy week for him, so we were able to
chat with him before camp started. Christian a lot to
a lot of great stuff there about the identity he
wants the team to play with four core criteria. He
talked about his coaching staff as well, so you know,
just your general takeaways from what he had to say.

Speaker 6 (20:24):
Yeah, lots of great stuff from head coach Chris BArch
A lot of things that I like, and I want
to start with he's got the dog in him and
you know, maybe a bad pun somewhere in there, but
it goes back to the kind of player that he
was and those four core principles he's bringing here to Niagara.
I think they're going to resonate well with these players again,
going back to the culture shit, you know, change here

(20:46):
also going to resonate well with what they're trying to do.

Speaker 1 (20:48):
I like it.

Speaker 4 (20:49):
The character that compete, the speed.

Speaker 6 (20:51):
The two hundred foot game is another one that really
catches my eye for an ig Reis Dog's team that's
coming off a couple of seasons of struggling in the
defensive zone. Their plus minus hasn't been in the positive
for the last couple of seasons, so really emphasizing that
we're gonna play that two hundred foot game.

Speaker 4 (21:09):
We're not just gonna be a group full of superstars
who fill the net.

Speaker 6 (21:13):
We're gonna keep it out of our own net and
we're gonna give whichever starting goaltender it's going to be
the best chance to be successful here in Niagara. And
I love everything about him here in the two couple
of you know, the couple of days that I've had
a chance to observe his coaching style during some of
those skates. He's got a booming voice, huge presence on

(21:33):
the ice. He controls this team and you can see
that right from day one here in camp. And I
think it's gonna be a great new direction for this team.
And I see him really steering the ship in the
right direction for the ice Dogs.

Speaker 1 (21:46):
You saw that in the first group scrimmage of the day.
He set the tone right away. There were a player
too that maybe weren't giving one hundred and ten percent
on the backskate and ended up being a bag skate
for the entire group session out there. So that was
definitely something in a mindset that he wants to instill
write away that you know, lack of effort is not
you can't you can't teach skill, but you if you

(22:07):
want to have effort, that's what you're going to be
on this team.

Speaker 6 (22:10):
Well that's that's exactly what he said his words on
the ice where and I remember it very clearly, and
I made a note of what he said. He said
skill is given, but it's also earned through work. Hard
work is a choice, and we require you to make
that choice here on this ice surface and in this
locker room. And you'd love to hear a message like

(22:31):
that from the new bench boss. And for me, I
think there's plenty of players in that locker room that
are going to benefit from a guy like Chris BArch.
We talked about his NHL experience. He's got the AHL
experience as well. He played I believe three hundred and
eighty some odd games in the AHL, and that experience
is also going to be transferable. He's a guy who

(22:54):
had to climb the ladder. Nothing was given, everything was
earned and taken. For Chris BArch and for a group
of guys who some unproven, some yet to prove the
skill sets that they have, a guy like that is
going to be extremely beneficial for their skill sets coming
from the Buffalo Sabers development program, for their mental states.

(23:17):
As a guy who worked for everything he got in
his career, and as that bench boss, mature big voice
in the room to really guide this team in the
right direction as the culture changes here in Niagara.

Speaker 1 (23:29):
And he mentioned the appeal of Frankievola coming in as
the new general manager. Spoke to ownership. Really like the
direction of where Frank is going to be bringing this
team in the future as the general manager with the
moves that he's made, so it seems like they're going
to be in lockstep as far as the management, the
coaching staff having that synergy. And again you mentioned not
giving up the most goals in the Ontario Hockey League

(23:49):
is going to be a big point of emphasis. So
we've already seen both gentlemen really try to make a
statement here in training camp with the players that have
been brought in and how Chris Barchin he's kind of
delegating his his coaches to be during the scrimmages and
as well the the group testing. One other thing quickly
about the assistance John Jutsy coming with the n C
double a background, he said he liked like that with

(24:12):
obviously the the increase to eligibility, and then Luke Israel
as well has ties to two great coaches in the
NHL as Pete the Boor and Steve Spott and Ryan
Ludzick being again a local product coming back as the
goaltending coach for the Nagaris Dogs was here uh with
the previous ownership as well. But I know Luke Israel
is somebody that that you had mentioned that that that
you've come across during your time, you know, calling other

(24:35):
other types of other levels of hockey. So going for
his third straight championship, I believe, yes, a.

Speaker 4 (24:41):
Very They couldn't have picked a better assistant coach.

Speaker 6 (24:44):
His track record is fantastic and I know Luke Israel
as a as a metric a person who's achieving great
things in hockey, and it's going to be fantastic for
me to get to know him, hopefully on a professional
and a personal level as well. But Luke Israel won
a championship with the Listable Cyclones and the Junior B

(25:05):
circuits there the GOJHL to be specific, and then took
his talents to the BCHL and with the Brooks Bandits
won another championship. So back to back Sutherland Cup to
the Fred Page Cup and then hopefully here to the
Memorial Cup in Niagara. And then John Judtzy got the
NCAA background he played at Minnesota State University. So he's
got a lot of the tools and a lot of

(25:27):
the experience that some of these guys they might be
interested in hearing from a guy like that. You know,
there's multiple avenues here. It's no longer you know NHL
or BUST or Overseas Professional Hockey or BUST.

Speaker 4 (25:42):
You could go play for a Division I program.

Speaker 6 (25:44):
You could go play for a Division two program and
advanced your career in that right. And with the rule change,
I think Judzy makes a lot of sense here. Also
himself played in the AHL and in the ECHL as
a defenseman, so he'll bring a lot of poise and
a lot of mature to the back end. And of
course the familiarity is great. I mean they played they

(26:05):
you know, him and Chris Bartsch are you know, holding
hands as they joined the Niagara Stags organization here, you know,
and they come from a very talented program in the
Huron Perth Lakers U sixteen Triple A group. And I
think it makes a lot of sense for a lot
of reasons. And then Luke Israel going back to him
being that strategic, young, smart coach, very creative. I think

(26:29):
that coaching staff has a lot of potential to go
right along with a team here in Niagara that has
maybe just as much.

Speaker 1 (26:37):
Yeah, we'll have to see how they go about it
going into preseason and what the final roster will look
like as we get into the first game of the
regular season later in September. But speaking of the roster,
we're gonna take a quick commercial break. We're gonna come back.
We're gonna get Christian's thoughts on the camp itself, some
players that stuck out. We're also gonna talk about the
key storylines as well as we progress through training camp

(26:58):
and get into the preseason.

Speaker 4 (26:59):
So say right here, right back on the first.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
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Speaker 1 (31:00):
Ryan Roebrook, this is Ethan Zaider, This is Brady Woslin,
and this is Ivan gallion Off.

Speaker 5 (31:03):
This Matthew Joel.

Speaker 8 (31:04):
You think this is the Dog Pound Podcast, the official
podcast of the Niagara Ice Dogs.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
Welcome back to Part two of today's Dog Pound Podcast,
live from Niagara Ice Dogs Training Camp twenty twenty twenty
six right here on the arm puer GM Sports Network.
Brand Camudo and Christian Simmons are back with you, continuing
to discuss Ice Dogs Training Camp week here at the
Meridian Center. We heard from Chris Barts, the new Ice
Dog's head coach, in segment one. We're gonna get more

(31:44):
of the analysis today in part two, get Christians thoughts
and some players that stuck out to him. As well
as the battle's going on within the net, within the
over agers, and some news as we hit the Team
Black Verse Team White game later on tonight. Again, cuts
have been happening during the time of recording this, so
not all seventy five players will be attending that game tonight,

(32:05):
but to be understandable, I don't think we can fit
four teams worth of benches out there tonight. But regardless
of that, again, thank you everybody that's tuned in for
our return episode. Stay tuned for our training camp interviews
and everything later on in the week with the players
head and general manager Frankie Vola will update us on
the roster and everything like that. With the updated landscape

(32:27):
of the Ontario Hockey League. Once again, the Doug Powell
Podcast is probably about to buy Global Pet Foods, where
pets are unannihily part of the family and their three
great Niagara Region locations and Nagara Falls, font Hill and
Scott Street in Saint Catherine. So Christian, I know you're
dying to get into the players themselves. We got all
the backstory, we heard about all the moves that were made.
We talked to the head coach coming into training camp,

(32:49):
what were your thoughts on the players themselves. Give us
some names and some Ice Dog fans to look forward to,
either later tonight or as we get into preseason.

Speaker 6 (32:59):
Yeah, there's plenty of ways to go about this. I
think there's almost too much to like. I loved a
list of different players, and I want to start with
Ryerson Edgar and I think the fans want to start
there as well. This is a guy tenth overall draft
selection and the most recent priority draft. They want to

(33:19):
know how does he look at camp? And let me
put you at ease. He looked fantastic over the last
couple of days. Well remains to be seen how he
performs in the Black versus White game later tonight, But
in the scrimmage yesterday scored a beautiful goal. You can
see the smarts, you can see the speed. The hands
also on display here at the Meridian Center over the

(33:40):
past two days. But I love everything that I'm seeing
from Ryerson. He's filled out over the summer as well.
He's not looking like the typical sixteen year old kid.
If I take a snapshot of what I look like
at that age, he's significantly bigger.

Speaker 4 (33:54):
He is a big boy.

Speaker 6 (33:55):
He's ready to play this season in the OHL, and
I'm excited to see how he produced. I'm excited to
see where he plays, what are his line mates going
to be and those are things we'll start to develop
as we get closer to puck drop here in the
Ontario Hockey League. But Ryerson Edgar for me, definitely jumps
right off the page. I thought he had an very

(34:16):
intriguing camp. I think he was a little more physical
as well than I was expecting. And that's another thing
that I liked from Ryerson. He showed the willingness to
compete physically. He wasn't scared, he wasn't shying away from it.
And of course the camp we had here at the
Meridian Center was physical to say the least, and Ryerson
was right there in the bunch. So impressive to see

(34:37):
him performing at that level here early on in the season.
So I'm excited to see what Ryerson Edgar has in
store for us this year. Also, some of the draft
eligible players on my list, Ivan Gellianoff, Ryan Robrick and
Brady wassely In. I thought all three of them had
fantastic camps. They look engaged, they look fast, they look

(34:57):
fit and ready. To go this season, Ivan Galianov being
the big one. I thought Galley showed up ready for camp.
He's in great shape. His head is on a swivel
out there during those scrimmages. He's engaged. He's always looking
for that next option, looking for different ways to be creative.

Speaker 4 (35:15):
Shot looks great as well.

Speaker 6 (35:17):
I think he's gonna have a big year, hopefully improve
on his draft stock this season, and I'd love to
see him do just that. Hear his name called in
the twenty twenty six twenty twenty seven National Hockey League Draft,
I think we would all love to see that. So
I think Ivan Galianov is ready to go.

Speaker 1 (35:34):
He's a spark plug, spark plug type of player with
the way that he is on and off the ice.
He's a very colorful character in the room as well.
Oh yeah, very lighthearted. One of the guys that everybody
loves on the team, as Ivan Gallianov. Before you get
into Ryan Robrick and Brady Wasslin, a little bit more
bite than we might have expected from them as far
as the physical side of the game. We saw Ryan

(35:54):
Robrick get into a scrum yesterday into legitimate fist the
cuffs were going dropped the gloves. Brady Wasson got into
a couple of skirmishes, you know, after the whistle and
things like that. So not necessarily you want to see
that from them all the time. These are two high
end skilled players, most likely both going to be first
round picks and next year's NHL draft. But they stood
out and as they should, going to be top end

(36:17):
players maybe at the national hockey level eventually with a
lot of these other players. But I wanted to quickly
mention before you got into them that they had a
lot more bite to their game than maybe we would
expect for just training camp, where they might not be,
you know, giving one hundred and forty percent that maybe
some of these players that are trying to make a
name for themselves would be doing.

Speaker 4 (36:36):
But I love to see that from Roebrick in Wastling
for sure, and for me, the big one is Wastling.

Speaker 6 (36:41):
I love to see that a guy who's currently ranked
lower than Roebrick, he's here, he's ready to compete, he's
ready to go. I've seen him in these scrimmages. He's
not playing around, he's ready to play. He on a
back check, somebody was in on a breakaway, he slashed
his stick down and broke the stick. That's how hard
he was coming back on the defensive side of the puck.

(37:02):
I love his compete level. He's not wasting any time.
He's ready to go, and that's the kind of thing
you want to see out of a guy like Brady
had a great year last year, got his feet wet
here in this pond.

Speaker 4 (37:13):
He knows how to swim in the OHL.

Speaker 6 (37:15):
Now now I want to see him fly, and based
off of what I've seen here in the last couple
of days, I think he's ready to take that step.
And the same thing goes for Robrick, a guy coming
into this season ranked very highly on a lot of
people's draft boards. It would be very easy for a
guy like that to coast in a training camp. No
big deal, I'm the big guy here. I'm gonna have

(37:37):
my way this season. No, he showed up ready to
work and he's showing that level of compete and that's
what I like from both of these guys. And to
go back to Gallianov as well, Chris Bartch played a
very similar game in his career in the NHL to
what Gallianov has to offer, and I think Chris will
put Ivan in a very good position to have a

(37:59):
bigger year than maybe he was already intending to have
as somebody who comes from a similar style of play, well,
a grinder, working hard for everything, and you see that,
of course with our chip I guess you could say
on the shoulder of the Niagara Ice Dogs in Ivan
Gallianov and he plays with that kind of energy.

Speaker 4 (38:19):
So from those three guys, I really loved what I saw.

Speaker 6 (38:22):
For Rollbrick and Wastly and it's the compete level, and
for Gallianov it's maybe that jump in his still sets.
I think he did a ton of great things this
offseason to put himself in a position to be on
somebody's draft board come draft night.

Speaker 1 (38:36):
And not to be forgotten about that same draft class,
Ethan Zada, second round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
He comes in and he's, you know, not one shy
for words with his teammates out there, was you know,
making sure that they knew that he put a couple
of pucks in the net, but also was doing what
he does best, and that's trying to get the other
team's skin. Doing great on the draws. Even though he

(38:57):
lost a couple. I'll make sure to let him know
the draw has got to be a little bit better.
But again, Ethan Zoda just a solid two way player
and he definitely could see the speed when he stood
out when he was trying to carry the puck in
from the neutral zone into the offensive zone. These are
guys that should stand out at training camp, and for
the most part, those top end core players Kevin he
as well with his NHL ready speed, they stood out

(39:19):
from the pack from the rest of these guys that
are still trying to see what it takes to play
at this level.

Speaker 6 (39:26):
Right and it's great for them, you know, to be
here competing with you know, this caliber of talent, you know,
to understand what's it gonna take. And I think to
go to Ethan Zada, I think he looks he looks big,
he looks fast, his hands equally as fast, and that's
something that you don't see a lot with guys his size.
You know, he's filling out that frame, but his hands

(39:48):
are right there along for the ride. I think Zada
looks fantastic. I had a great experience at camp. He'll
be going back to Tampa Bay hopefully maybe you know,
jump in some preseason games. That'd be interesting. And for
Kevin also, you know, a similar situation. And I think
both of those guys here at camp have done a
great job to display their talents, to put themselves, you

(40:09):
know that much closer to the National Hockey League.

Speaker 4 (40:12):
Kevin, you mentioned his speed. It's it's hard to follow
this guy.

Speaker 6 (40:15):
He's he is incredibly fast, and you know, that's one
thing you notice, and fast. His shot is just as fast.
You know, he's got one heck of a shot. I
would like to say a twenty goal scorer in the
National Hockey League at some point. He's got that kind
of a shot on him. And you saw that here
in camp and the physical play as well from both

(40:35):
of those players, not shying away, showing the compete. And
that's what Chris Bartsch wanted this camp to be about.
And I think all of these guys they've they've they've
met that. You know, Chris, he laid down that gauntlet
before we got here for training camp.

Speaker 4 (40:51):
What did he say in his interview?

Speaker 6 (40:52):
He wants compete in training camp and I think his
big guys brought that.

Speaker 1 (40:56):
His top players showed that and that resonated throughout the
rest of this seventy five RUH camp, seventy five player
ross seventy Yeah, which again will be cut down before tonight.
But give us some names, Christian that maybe Ice Dog
fans aren't as familiar with that you thought. Impressed at
this camp and maybe not making the team, but could

(41:16):
be an option down the road, whether they need to
sign a guy or maybe even going into next season.

Speaker 6 (41:21):
Yeah, there's a list of them, and I'd like to
start with Blake Barnes from the USHL. Smooth skating defenseman.
He's got great hands. The vision was also phenomenal as well.
I really liked what I saw from Blake Barnes. This
I want to say Weekend. I keep doing that this
couple days here at the Meridian Center. I thought he

(41:41):
was fantastic. Cole Cooksy coming from the BCHL, I liked
what I saw from him. I'm sure Luke Isfrio, also
from the BCHL, knows him very well, and I think
there's a chance you see Cole Cooksey in an igor
Ice Dog's uniform, maybe this season or.

Speaker 4 (41:56):
The following one.

Speaker 6 (41:57):
Matthew Ross as well, undersized but very talented, had a
couple of gorgeous goals in our scrimmages today as well
as yesterday in the practice sessions themselves. Was also very talented,
and I see Matthew as a very very physically or
sorry mentally and physically gifted athlete, somebody who if applied

(42:21):
the right physical training, the right dietary restrictions, we could
see him in an igra Is dog's uniform as well.
A couple of others, very very talented coming from the
junior b Loop Bud buds Nenick or buds Nenick or
Bud Zenic, however you say his last name. I thought
he was fantastic, brought a lot of speed and size

(42:42):
to this training camp.

Speaker 4 (42:44):
And beyond that, the list goes on and on.

Speaker 6 (42:47):
It's and Bud Zenix is from the Kalidan Admirals he
played junior A. And Owen Meli from you know, the
Bradford Rattlers. There's so many guys out there that really
had an impressive camp, and it's hard to really mention
all of them because they were all so impressive. I
think the level of compete we had here at the

(43:09):
Meridian Center, you know, you can't say second to none.
I can't speak for the other camps but this camp
was on fire and we're lucky we didn't burn down
this building because this was two days of barn burning
hockey at the Meridian Center.

Speaker 1 (43:25):
Our start to bottom, it was intense, and I think
that was it was set. The tone was set by
Chris bartch right right away. We've seen skirmishes, We've seen
a lot of big hits. We've seen guys going at it,
we've seen fights, We've seen almost a full line brawl
earlier today. Yes, we saw a lot of different things
and a lot of guys that didn't just come here
thinking it was going to be, you know, just a

(43:46):
quick you know, one of those offseason skates or anything
like that. They came here with a purpose. They wanted
to show out. They wanted to wherever they're going next
in their hockey journeys and their hockey careers. They wanted
to make sure that they put it on the ice
dog unnoticed that they need to be somebody that they
need to look at as they go forward. But as
you mentioned, those top bend players and the mix, and

(44:09):
we'll see how that sort of works out later tonight
with the rosters. How it's going to go for the
Team Black first, Team Team White game. And then as
well as you go into preseason, are they going to
keep a couple extra bodies for the preseason and things
like that. I don't know if there's anything else you
want to mention about the roster. Before I get into
the other two storylines, I.

Speaker 6 (44:26):
Will take a moment to acknowledge the Flora brothers. I
think they did a fantastic job here. Jayden being from
you know, just over the river, played for the Buffalo
Junior Sabers. I thought he had a great camp, some
very quick in tight plays. I like the way he
presents himself on the wall and below the goal line
and in and around the net.

Speaker 4 (44:47):
He's got great hands.

Speaker 6 (44:48):
He made a couple of fantastic passes, some pokes, some pinches,
and some hits along the wall. And I liked what
I saw from both Flora's. Actually they both scored. They
both had great stack and that's definitely an interesting storyline
to watch, you know, as you know they developed their
skill sets. They might be back maybe next year. Could

(45:08):
squeak into a rosters selection this year. But those guys
were definitely great, and of course, you know, the main
guys really really showed out here. Over the couple of
days at the Meridian Center, and I think the goaltenders
did as well, and I think we're gonna take a
chance to have a chance to dive into that. But

(45:28):
I do want to say that I think from the
GEOJ Show and I guess my background in a way,
I thought Hayden Jeffrey also stood out for me. I
think as a guy coming in relatively unproven and we're
going to get into the goalie situation. So I don't
want to take anything away from that conversation we're gonna
have just here in a little bit, but I thought

(45:49):
Hayden Jeffrey also for me, was one of the notable
mentions here at camp. I thought he made a couple
of fantastic saves sprawling out. He looked physically ready, The
butterfly game was on point, the glove was active, the
blocker was there as well.

Speaker 4 (46:04):
I think he had a great camp.

Speaker 1 (46:06):
So we got about fifteen minutes or so left. We're
going to get into two major storylines. As Christian mentioned
the goaltending, we'll start there because we're already sort of
talking about it. Hayden Jeffrey is a guy that had
one of the biggest wins in Niagara Ice Dog's recent
memory last season against the London Knights Memorial Cup champions.
He came in started called up from the Saint Catherine
Falcons of the GOJHL, had an incredible game there for

(46:29):
the Ice Dogs when called upon. I think he's earned
a look at this camp. You also look at Charlie Robertson,
who had a season ending surgery last season early in
twenty twenty five, which really derailed any sort of opportunity
he had to really make a difference in the club.
So he's also a guy that they're going to be
looking at, but again an over age slot as well

(46:49):
that he would take up. So Charlie Robertson is a
guy that has also sort of earned that look with
him being a long standing OHL goaltender. You're also looking
at other guys, let young goaltender in Matthew Humphries. They
are very high on him as the third round pick
last year. Brought him along a little bit earlier than
maybe they would have needed to with the injury to
and Flores and the injury to Charlie Robertson, but he

(47:11):
came in and he's looked like he's really ready to
take that step as a second year player. Really what
eyes wide opened last year and learned a lot in
that short stint that he had with the team. And
then as well, an X factor goaltender who is not
yet here is vladyslav Iermalenko, the Ice Dog's import selection.
Along with Matthuspath and Ben Reisenecker were the three imports

(47:33):
that the Ice Dogs selected, all signed, all expected to
be here. Erma Lenko, as a GM Frankie Ula said,
is having some issues visa issues, not anything to do
with commitment or anything. He would be here if he could,
but again, when you're coming over from different countries overseas
sometimes they can get a little bit murky. So to me,
he's the X factor in all of this. We've looked
at a couple of quick highlight reels of him, haven't

(47:55):
got to see him in person yet, But with that
goaltending match up with those four, I think it's really
gonna be intriguing as we finish off camp, go into
preseason and what their two goalies are going to be
like when they hit the ice for opening night in
the regular season.

Speaker 6 (48:09):
Yeah, I think there's a lot to like for Ryan
Ledzig I think, you know, this group very talented and different.
I think they all bring something entirely different in.

Speaker 4 (48:19):
Their own rights.

Speaker 6 (48:20):
Vladislavmleenko again the X factor. We don't know what he's
gonna bring. We have an idea, but when he does
bring it, I think we'll start to see some of
these positions take shape. I think Ryan will get a
better idea. What's he working with, what does he have,
you know, what can he put out there on a
nightly basis. But for me, Hayden Jeffrey had a fantastic camp.

(48:40):
I saw him make some unworldly saves here in the
last couple of days. Charlie Robertson as well, But that's
also into the OA conversation.

Speaker 4 (48:49):
How do things work out?

Speaker 7 (48:51):
There?

Speaker 6 (48:51):
Is there the spot for him, you know, great goaltender,
but can we afford to have him here? Do we
need those OA spots somewhere else? So for me, Charlie Robertson,
there's no debating his ability, there's no debating that he
can play at this level. It's can we have him
in an igra ice dog's uniform come the start of

(49:11):
the regular season. And then Matthew Humphries, of course, I
thought he had a great camp, great kid. Got to
know him pretty well over the last couple of days,
about as well as somebody can in forty eight hours.
Very friendly guy, but also a fantastic goaltender on the ice.
Love to see what he brings and for Erma Lenko,
I think he fills some of the gaps that some
of these other netminders don't have. Brandon and you know,

(49:33):
I was watching some of the tape today, very very
physically gifted. He's not as big per se as a
Humphries or a Robertson, but his edgework is unlike anything
I've ever seen.

Speaker 4 (49:45):
Granted it's a highlight reel, so you have to keep
that in mind.

Speaker 6 (49:50):
I'm probably watching his best saves of his career, but
you can see the edgework. You can see his tendency
to be in the butterfly, and those are things that
work well at this level wrap arounds Michigan's all being
in the fold. A guy like Ermlenko could be very
valuable for a team like the Ice Dogs, who struggled
in and around their net. You got to look at

(50:12):
the statistics for this one, but I would say they're
high danger scoring chances given up were also very high,
and a guy like Ermalenko would bring that kind of
crease presence that would allow them to deal with some
of those backdoor goals as well as another one that
a guy like Ermelenko could limit.

Speaker 4 (50:28):
You know, his pad radius is extremely large.

Speaker 6 (50:32):
The way he moves from post to post is like that,
it's in an instant and I would love to see
Ermalenko here for training camp if unfortunately he's not. But
I think, like you mentioned Brandon, he's a huge X factor.
And of course let's not forget Finn Moffatt of the
Gojhil and the forty Remedeors, a very talented goaltender in
his own right. I thought he had a great camp

(50:54):
as well. So five goaltenders competing for effectively two spots,
and Ryan Ludzy and head coach Chris Martch have one
heck of a decision.

Speaker 4 (51:04):
They've cut out for themselves.

Speaker 1 (51:05):
Absolutely, and we'll see how they sort of translate as
they try to become full time Ohlers. A lot of
these guys you mentioned, Robertson really the only guy with
full time OHL experience. Bat Humphrey is still a young guy.
Half a season short sample size and the other three
guys or Malaco coming over from Belarus and then Moffatt
and Jeffrey coming from the Junior B level, although Hayden

(51:25):
Jeffrey did have a couple of nice solid starts when
called upon for the Ice Dogs last season. So I
think it's gonna be an interesting mix. And I don't
think there's a clear cut guy that we've been able
to say in the crease. When you have a guy
like Owing Flores over the last three years, it might
be a committee that steps up to replace him.

Speaker 6 (51:42):
Right, And that's the tough thing is that when you
have a guy like Owen Flores, you don't need to
put anybody else in between the pipes. And for that reason,
I think there's a little bit of a lack of
information here. We don't know necessarily what we're dealing with, because,
like you said, you got Charlie Robertson.

Speaker 4 (51:58):
We know what he looks like.

Speaker 6 (52:00):
Doug's fans know exactly what he looks like. But these
other guys, we don't know what they look like. And
it's gonna give us a chance. The preseason is gonna
do that. It's gonna give us that chance to see
some of these guys see how they stack up to
some of the more talented offenses around the OHL and
I'm excited to see that. And for me, I think

(52:20):
Hayden Jeffrey has to have that big preseason, like.

Speaker 4 (52:23):
You said, huge win last season.

Speaker 6 (52:26):
In that game against the London Knights, I think the
Doug fans got a little bit of a taste of
what Hayden Jeffrey can do. And I could see if
he finds his way onto this roster, if he finds
his way into a preseason game, I could see those
games being really really big for him. And Matt Humphries
also in that conversation, he's got to show it. Both

(52:47):
of these guys got to show it. Robertson has shown it,
Erma Lenko, Moffatt and Jeffrey have not, right and humphreyes
is there as well. Those guys they have to show
out they got a ball out and hopefully they' get
a chance to do that sometime in the preseason and.

Speaker 1 (53:03):
Then as we go forward, maybe they're guys that if
an injury does happen, knock on what it doesn't, But
those are the guys you have to figure out how
your depth chart works out and who you might need
to call upon throw It a long, sixty eight game season.
So the goaltending matchup is definitely to me the most
intriguing part of camp, but it's not the only storyline.
As we kind of shift gears here Christian to the

(53:23):
other major storyline here at training camp, and that is
the overage situation. Three really solid overagers move on, well deserved,
Owen Flores with the Rockford Ice Hogs in the AHL,
Andre Loschco signed by the Seattle Kracken might be playing
for Coachella this year in the American Hockey League if
not up with the Kraken, and then as well, Noah
Van Vliet moving on to n Cuba out there with

(53:44):
Sacred Heart. So three key members of the team that
have now moved on the overager possibilities for this season. Obviously,
You've got Charlie Robertson, who we mentioned earlier. You got
Andrew Wisik, who's now the longest tenured ice Dog and
a guy that has been here since he was drafted
in twenty two. He won. He's the only guy left
from the last regime. You've also got Cole Cooksy Grayson

(54:05):
Tiller who they brought over a local product from the
Barry Colts as a guy that is a big character
guy in the room and is going to bring a
lot to them on the physical side of the puck
as well, so they really like bringing him in. Gave
up alex Asatori in a draftic to be able to
bring in Grayson Tiller, so Frankie Vola definitely likes what
he brings to the roster as well. Matteo Porpinino, as

(54:27):
well as a goaltender, is also in o way here
at camp. But speaking of an overager that is not
at camp and I got confirmation, we can now discuss
for Matthew Paris. The reason for Matthew Paris not being
here at training camp is he has been released from
the team to explore other opportunities. So Matthew Parris is
a guy that came over from the London Nights in
a trade a few years ago and really played a

(54:48):
solid role. Was in and out of the lineup unfortunately
with injuries last year, but did have some solid numbers
with the Ice Dogs and want a wish which Perry
all the best in whatever he chooses to do next
in his hockey career or other. So again, that's one
less overrager that we expected to be here on the
team as we ended last season. So right now, Christian,
with those overage possibilities that I just mentioned, it's gonna

(55:11):
be tough because you have to get down to three
and there might be four guys here battling for these spots,
but some of those guys coming over from the BCHL
as well. That Frankie Vola will mention when we get
to that interview, it's definitely an open competition there as well.

Speaker 6 (55:24):
Yeah, and it's it all goes right back to the
NCAA eligibility rule, and that's where some of these guys
come into the fold.

Speaker 4 (55:32):
You got Cole Cooksy and you have Blake Barnes.

Speaker 6 (55:35):
You have some of these guys coming from those junior
leagues in the United States who have identified an opportunity
for them to play what is, in their opinion and
in some of ours, one of the highest levels of
major junior hockey here in the OHL.

Speaker 4 (55:49):
And it all comes down to which way do you
want to go.

Speaker 6 (55:53):
For Franki Vola, you got effectively five roster competing over agers.
You got the goal ten in Charlie Robertson. You have
the three defenders in Grayson Tiller, Blake Barnes, and Andrew Wisick,
and then you have the forward in Cole Cooksy, So
it all comes down to how he wants to structure
the lineup. I really liked what I saw from Blake Barnes.

(56:16):
I think Grayson Tiller coming in again from Barry. They
gave up a lot to get this guy, so it's
hard to imagine a scenario in which he's not wearing
an Ice Dog's uniform. But I loved what I saw
from Blake Barnes, loved what I saw from Andrew Wisick.
I think he also showed up to camp ready to compete,
probably understanding there is a competition here this year at camp,

(56:37):
and he showed up ready and put the gloves on
for that fight.

Speaker 4 (56:41):
For sure, and for me, I could see it going
a couple of different ways.

Speaker 6 (56:46):
If you know Ryan Ludzig and company decide that you know,
Humphreys or Jeffrey are not ready to fill that crease,
Charlie Robertson probably gets the nod. If they're comfortable with
what they got on the back end, then maybe you
see Blake Barnes or you know, Andrew Weissick or Grayson
Tiller filling those roles instead. You know, I could see

(57:07):
it going a couple of different ways. Wisick, a guy
like you said, the longest tenured ice dog, also kind
of hard to see him not in the fold. So
it could go, you know, Robertson, Tiller, Wisick, or if
you want to give the United States prospects a chance,
you go maybe Robertson, Barnes, Cooksie.

Speaker 4 (57:26):
Anyway you slice it.

Speaker 6 (57:28):
Somebody doesn't have a job here, which is really unfortunate,
and it's the cruel, harsh reality of junior hockey is
that this is a business, and it's a competitive league,
and there's not enough spots for everybody. But I think
the five choices that they have for these OAY spots
all look fantastic and ohl ready to me.

Speaker 1 (57:48):
Just depends on where they want to go with a
lineup and how the other players that they want to
keep on the roster as we go forward, those ten
new players signed, We'll have to wait and see how
Frankie Vola goes through it. We still have the preseason
to go, We still have a night one of the
regular season not coming until the couple last weeks of September,
so there's still a lot of time. But at the
same time, they do have to make some tough decisions
that are probably currently being made right now as we

(58:10):
record this episode here live from training camp. But Christian
final thoughts as we kind of wrap up. We're gonna
have the Team White vers Team Black game later tonight.
But you know, I've loved what I've seen so far
from the two days with seventy five players here.

Speaker 6 (58:23):
Yeah, I think, like we talked about and like I
said as we kicked off this podcast, I lots of
talent here. Love what I saw from Ryerson Edgar, Love
what I saw from the big boys. I think they
brought their a game. They're ready and eligible to play
this year and looking to make a splash. And I think,
you know, with the new coaching staff coming in, there's
lots of exciting things happening behind the bench, in front

(58:46):
of it with the superstars, with the new kid and
Edgar with a new goalie situation, and of course up
top with Frankivla steering this ship. I think there's a
lot of exciting things happening here in Niagara. I'm excited
to see it all play out, and I think for
me a really successful two day camp here in what
was entertaining, physical, competitive, and really an enjoyable two days

(59:12):
of hockey Dog Country.

Speaker 1 (59:13):
Definitely gonna want to get down here for the preseason
games and as we go into the regular season, exciting
to see where this team stacks up with other teams
around the Ontario Hockey League with all these extra players
that we might have not seen in previous year. So
that's going to wrap it up for our Dog PALNM
podcast training camp update right here on the arm heare
GM Sports Network for Christian Simmons. My name is Brandon Caputo.

(59:33):
That's gonna do it. Stay tuned for our training camp
interviews later this week and as well as we go
continue into the season, and thank you everybody that's tuned
in again back with us for another season.

Speaker 4 (59:42):
So that's gonna be it.

Speaker 1 (59:43):
Thanks everybody that joined us, and we'll talk to you
again very soon right here on the official podcast of
the Niagarace Dogs.

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Teaching Dogs New Tricks: IceDogs Training Camp 2025 - Dog Pound Podcast

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Teaching Dogs New Tricks: IceDogs Training Camp 2025 - Dog Pound Podcast