Last weekend, from April 20–23, the Niverville Nighthawks held their spring camp at the CRRC. It was a fantastic time, with roughly 150 players attending while the team’s coaching staff put them through a series of drills and games over the weekend.
The kids were organized in separate groups, with two camps running at the same time. There was an older camp for kids who were eligible to play in the MJHL next year—players born in 2004, 2005, and 2006. And then there was a younger group for players who will be eligible for the upcoming MJHL draft in June.
“We really wanted to provide a very strong experience for these kids at the camp,” says Nighthawks head coach Kelvin Cech. “They’ll go back next year and play for their minor hockey teams, or a lot of them will end up with other teams in our league. So it was incredibly strong, and all the games were competitive, with lots of skill on display. It was really good hockey all weekend long.”
About eight teams of players went through the drills and games, with seven or eight instructors and coaches working with the players over the course of the weekend. With Cech busy managing the team on the ice, a lot of the effort that went into bringing this crop of players into the spring camp must be credited to Nighthawks assistant general manager Mike McAulay and the team’s scouting staff.
McAulay even made his way onto the ice—and made an impact, literally. At one point the assistant coach ripped a puck which broke a pane of glass and delayed the camp a little bit.
Interestingly enough, Braden Panzer’s younger brother, Evan, was one of the players at the camp. As soon as the coaches saw him on the ice, they could tell he was Panzer’s brother.
“We saw all of the players at camp get hundreds of touches of the puck and hundreds of shots, and every kid who was in the camp was exhausted by the end of it,” says Cech. “So it’s mission accomplished there.”
Some of the players who attended the camp are draft eligible for the Nighthawks, which is key as they put towards their list for the upcoming MJHL draft.
“We’re building a list like we did last year, as it’s our second draft go-around with the team,” Cech says. “Basically, we’re always looking for players that will be good at the MJHL level. We want to add kids that have character and compete, just like we always have. Some guys at camp really showed well and are going to make things interesting and challenging for Mike and his staff come draft time.”
Cech notes that after the long grind of the regular season, it’s time for a bit of a mental health break. He’ll now be spending some time back home in western Canada before returning to Niverville for the MJHL draft.
“It’s tough in this job, as I don’t really know how to define time off,” he says. “I think it’s just turning my phone off and collecting my thoughts. I haven’t had a lot of time to think about things since the season ended, so that will be nice, getting a little break. There are lots of ups and downs in a season which can play on your mental health, so everybody needs to take some time to decompress.”
The MJHL draft is set to take place in early June. Free agency will come shortly after, which will be a big chance for the Nighthawks to potentially grab some players to bolster their roster for next season.
“With the draft and free agency coming up in June, we want to add to make our team even more competitive next year,” says Cech. “I mean, we had a good first year. Everybody says that, and everyone is really congratulatory, and that’s great! But internally, we know it was a step in the right direction; we want to take the next step next year.”