The first day of the NA3HL Ice Wolves training camp has come to an end and Head Coach Isaac Washburn was beyond thrilled with everything he saw during the first day. From returners fighting for bigger roles to the new faces looking to make a statement the day was filled with action. Below are Coach Washburn’s three takeaways from opening day of camp.
1. Excitement and Energy Throughout
Day 1 of training camp brought lots of excitement and energy. We threw a lot of information at them to build a strong foundation of how we want to play and the culture that we’re going to have this year. There were a lot of new faces in the building and it was clear to see who has been putting in the work over the summer. Guys came in ready to work hard and fight for opportunities.” – Isaac Washburn
2. High Intensity Throughout
“I thought there was a great pace and good compete levels to kick off training camp, really high intensity from start to finish. Some returners are battling for a bigger role this year and a lot of new players are out to prove they belong here and are trying to earn their spot in the lineup opening night. It’s not going to be easy, but if they put in the work it’ll be worth it. The way they battled showed just how tough it will be for players to get their opportunities. Everything earned, nothing given. The message has been made clear that no one is satisfied with how last year ended and everyone is pushing to raise the bar this season.” -Isaac Washburn
3. Great Exposure
“It’s only day one, but we definitely had some players who stood out in a good way and turned some heads. It’s great to have the eyes and attention of all of the coaches in the organization watching and evaluating. Good for our guys to see the exposure they will continually have to our NAHL coaches monitoring their development and progress. Today was just the beginning but we all felt it was a good starting place. We worked hard to recruit guys who are hungry to take advantage of all of the great support and resources offered to all of our players. Guys who want to come in and push themselves and each other to embrace our culture and buy in to the development model we have in place here. We’re going to push them hard to get to where they want to go and we’re focused on making sure they’re doing the right things day in and day out, both on the ice and off the ice, how to be professionals while still finding joy in the journey.” -Isaac Washburn
