Talent On Tap At Camp:

This is in todays Morning Star Newspaper:

Talent on tap at camp

The mix of talent that showed up for this week’s Vernon Vipers training camp is rather eclectic. The dozen returning players were joined by a host of juniors, midgets, imports, locals, rookies and veterans to form a four-team, 80-man camp which began Tuesday at Wesbild Centre. Vipers’ head coach Mark Ferner appeared pleased that his off-season search for North American talent yielded an impressive bunch of prospects. “We know we brought some real good young talent in here and we’ve brought a few guys from junior leagues just to make the camp that much better,” said Ferner on Wednesday. “A lot of them are unknown to the media, fans and maybe some of the other teams, but we’ve traveled to a lot of different places to find these players and we have a lot of people out there helping us out. “There are some new players here that are making an instant impact with not only myself, but with Jason (Williamson, assistant coach) and our scouting staff. “It’s a little bit different team. We feel that we’re going to be a little bit quicker, but at the same time we’re going to have that grit that we know we need to have to play a certain way. You have to have a good mix of everything.” Perhaps the person with the best view of the prospects is Viper grad Ryan Kakoske, who has taken on referee duties at camp. After the early going, Kakoske said he was impressed by 20-year-old forward Ryan Santana and by speedy, puck-moving defenceman Steven Weinstein, both California products. Kakoske, who’ll leave at the end of August to attend UBC, sees a lot of advantage to holding a larger camp. “The guys are going to be a lot more rested throughout the week, which should make for better hockey down the stretch,” said Kakoske. This will be Chris Crowell’s last year as Viper, and the veteran leader worked hard in the off-season to make sure he makes the most of it. “It’s been my best summer so far,” said Crowell, 20. “I worked on my speed and agility, which was my main focus this summer. I feel like I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for a long time. I did the work over the summer, so now we’ll just see if it pays off. “It seems like there’s a lot of talent, a lot of speed and skill, so it’s going to be some tough decisions for the coaches. The talent pool seems to deeper than it was last year, and the camp seems to be pretty intense so far.” Brett Switzer, who helped the Calgary Buffaloes reach the national Midget AAA championships last year, may have the added assurance of a commitment from the Vipers, but the skilled pivot admitted that doesn’t stop the nerves from creeping in. “There’s all those nervous feelings coming into camp, and there’s a lot of good players here, so I’m just making sure I’m working hard and trying to contain those feelings,” said Switzer. “Seeing all those guys on the ice and seeing how good the calibre of players are makes me feel like I need to prove myself out there.” For Cory Kane, an invite to the Vipers’ camp was an opportunity to change his surroundings. The Irvine, Calif. product, who turns 18 in September, played with the Boston Junior Bruins of the Eastern Junior Hockey League last season. “I just wanted to come out to B.C. because it’s a good league, and I kind of got tired of being on the east coast,” said Kane. “I’m looking to be an impact player and put some points on the board, but whatever role they give me, that’s what I’ll take.” Netminder Anthony Manfredi has already had a taste of what being a Viper is all about – he played two games last season, and now he’s eyeing a full time roster spot. “I’m just hoping to push for a spot on the team,” said Manfredi, a Prince George product. “If I make that spot, then I’ll try to push for No. 1, but right now I’m just working on pushing for a spot on the team.” With only half a season of BCHL experience to his credit, Viper returnee Steve Tresierra has already showed he has the potential to become a steady presence on the blueline. “I remember from before trying out (with the Prince George Cougars last year), that I definitely wasn’t as confident as I am now,” said Tresierra, who spent the summer working in construction in his hometown of Golden. “It just feels good to be one of the veteran players coming back and being a leader out there.”