Rookies Strut For Viper Scout Staff:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Rookies strut for Viper scout staff

They came from all over to show the Vernon Vipers’ scouting staff what they’re all about. From as far east as Ontario and down south to Colorado, around 110 junior hockey wannabes descended on Vernon’s Civic Arena last weekend for the Vipers’ annual spring rookie camp.
Divided into six teams, the players showcased their talent in three daily scrimmages in front of the Snakes’ organization, family and a handful of interested local spectators.
The lucky ones will get an invite to the Vipers’ main camp late this summer.
Brad Phillips, a 16-year-old Vernon product, may not have had to travel as far as some of the other hopefuls, but he’s still taking the camp seriously.
“You just gotta go out and do the best you can, and hope that they see you,” said Phillips, a speedy defenceman who played last season with the Aslan Services Midget Tier 1 Vipers.
“It would be quite exciting going in as a 16-year-old to a main camp. Then you’d get seen by the scouts and give yourself a chance to make the team later on.”
This was Phillips’ first camp, and he was impressed by the quality and pace of play.
“I know a few players, but it’s good to meet other players and see where they’re from. It was pretty good – fast and clean.”
This was the second rookie camp for Darrin Robak, a 17-year-old defender from Red Deer, whose father, Ray, is the Vipers’ Alberta regional scout.
“It’s great to get experience at the camps with the junior players,” said the lanky d-man who played Midget Tier 2 with the Red Deer Elks. “It’s a little bit quicker, maybe a step faster.
“It’s a good camp so far. I just have to play my game, skate with the puck and play well defensively. I like to think I can do both. I can go up with the play, but I can also stay back too.
“I’m just hoping to make junior A anywhere pretty much.”
Another player with the inside track is Okanagan Hockey Academy product Nick Kerr. He’s the younger brother of the Vipers’ James Kerr, who has settled into an effective checking role since coming over from the Alberni Valley Bulldogs last November.
Nick, a bruising 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward, demonstrated his physical side with gusto during the scrimmage.
“I started off a bit slow, but in the end I started playing better,” said Nick, 17. “I try to be aggressive and move my feet.”
As much as Nick would love to take the ice with his big brother – assuming he makes it through main camp – James, 18, is committed to play next season with the Division 1 NCAA Princeton Tigers.
n Junior d-man Chay Genoway, a Vernon Vipers alumni, has been named to the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA)/Reebok All-America West second team. Genoway was the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year with a career-high 32 points for North Dakota.