I have had season tickets since 1990 and been watching/following Junior hockey in Vernon my whole life. Here are some thought's from Day 1 of the Vernon Vipers Spring ID Camp today.
I stopped by Kal Tire Place this afternoon to catch the final two scrimmages of the day.
Each scrimmage/game is two thirty minute non-stop running periods with a full ice clean between periods. All penalties are an automatic penalty shot.
I arrived at the rink just before 4:30pm and saw the final five minutes between Team White & Team Green. Team White defeated Team Green 2-1 in front of about 50 or so fans in attendance.
In the second and final scrimmage of the evening was between Team Gold & Team Red. It was 0-0 after one period before Team Gold jumped out to a 2-0 2nd period lead. Team Red scored the next two goals before Team Gold won 4-2 in front of around 50 or so fans in attendance.
No players really stood out in either scrimmage/game. No rosters/lineup sheets were available.
Side Notes:
Day 2 of Vipers Spring Camp continues on Saturday, starting with the first scrimmage/game at 8am
Here are a few pictures I took from Spring Camp,
8 comments:
So what is the spring camp all about? Do committed players have to report? Is it for any eligible aged players to attend?
Just curious.
It is merely a money grab!!! Very few, if any, players will be invited back to main camp. It would be very surprising if an unknown elite player is discovered.
Cash Cow for the Coach and Owners. Any player who makes it to the main camp will be cannon fodder for the main players. It's a joke, they just got knocked out and have a Circus Play Camp right away they must be short of cash.
All teams have Spring Camps and usually around this time of year before the ice comes out of the rinks. From what I was told many years ago players ages range from 14-20 No committed players or returning players attend Spring Camp. I was always told teams look at positions for next season, younger players for the future. Even though a 14 or 15 yr old can't play the team wants to build relationships with those young kids for down the road and into the future. You don't normally see many if any real stand out players at Spring Camp and not many if any players are invited to training camp in August. I have seen the odd player at Spring Camp attend training camp but it's rare. I talked to a few parents at Spring Camp and one of the fellows said his kid has already been to Penticton's, Trail's and Merritt's Spring Camps and now attending Vernon's. I talked to one fellow this morning, his grandson is 14 and was at Camp this weekend.
They send out letters inviting players, they are charged a fee to play. The Vipers will take the ones who pay and keep sending out letters until the have the number they want. It is a glorified hockey camp money grab.
Free money in the coaches pocket. They have done it for years. A friend of mines son received an invite I told my friend he was just going to pay for some extra ice time and forget it, it's a waste of time and gives kids false hope.
You would think that some exposure would be better than none at all, no?
It can't be all negative except for us fans who really have nothing invested in.
If my kid were considering this route, I'm sure it would be worth the money for the exposure and conditioning at least. Even if the odds are zero to slim they will be invited back to fall camp.
Great if you want to put money in the pockets of the poor coach and owners....Lol
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