The Arborg Ice Dawgs staff got a look at what’s coming down the pipeline at their spring camp a few weeks ago.
The Ice Dawgs had a strong turnout of 16-, 17- and 18-year-old players, along with members of their current roster, during two skates held March 29 in Arborg and April 6 in Warren.
The players first hit the ice at the Ice Dawgs’ home rink, the Arborg & District Arena, donning the old Ice Dawgs game jerseys for a two-hour skate led by last season’s assistant coach, Jack Einarson.
General manager Lloyd Barylski said the goal was to generate interest in their league.
“Try and get players to come to our CRJHL (Capital Region Junior Hockey League) league,” Barylski said Wednesday. “It’s a lot of young kids that are going through the AAA program, so it’s a lot cheaper to play in the CR league than it is to go play AAA — and it’s just good hockey.”
For the Ice Dawgs, who finished in the bottom half of the league this past season, building for a strong future is a priority — and having 35 players show up for the first skate was a positive sign.
Barylski said players came from across the Interlake and Winnipeg. The second skate, held at Warren’s Access Credit Union Arena, also allowed the team to scout some southern Manitoba talent potentially interested in playing junior hockey next season and beyond.
Another strong turnout in Warren gave the Ice Dawgs a chance to show off what their program and the CRJHL have to offer.
Both two-hour skates were free and included pizza afterwards.
Barylski said it was a good skate and that there were positive comments from the kids saying they’d be back for camp in the fall.
The Ice Dawgs will return to Arborg & District Arena this fall for the 2025-26 CRJHL season. Tryouts will also be held in the fall.
