Oil Capitals ready to roll

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Former Brandon Wheat Kings forward Jesse Sinatynski is back with Dauphin after leading the MJHL in scoring. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)

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Derrick Brooks scored 20 goals for Neepawa last season. (FILE PHOTO)

The puck will drop on the new Manitoba Junior Hockey League season Friday, and there’s a buzz in the air in the four Westman communities with teams.

Here is a look at them as they prepare for the new season:

VIRDEN OIL CAPITALS

There’s a sense of excitement in Virden and in the Oil Capitals’ locker room as they prepare to begin their inaugural MJHL campaign.

The Oil Capitals averaged 768 fans through their first two home exhibition games. General manager and head coach Troy Leslie likes what he’s seeing on the ice as well, even though the team will be a little different from the Winnipeg Saints squad that lost the MJHL championship series last season.

Some of the Saints’ veterans didn’t follow the team’s transfer to Virden, but Leslie is confident a new group of veterans will step up for his club.

"Obviously they lost a lot of veterans from last year, so it’s a new leadership group and it’s a new batch of guys who need to step up and provide the offence and elevate their roles," he said.

Leslie admits he has a young group of players this season, especially on the blue-line and in net. A pair of goalies who played Midget AAA last season — Kyler Beckett and Ty Edmonds — are expected to be Virden’s one-two punch in net, which may create the need for a little more scoring to win games.

However, the Oil Capitals only have one returning player who netted more than 30 points last season in 19-year-old forward Myles Nykoluk. Leslie expects scoring by committee to carry them through the season, but he’s also looking to 18-year-old forward Lyrik Friesen, acquired in a trade from the Winnipeg Blues, as well as Kolby Woods and Michael Gorrie to step up and help the team offensively.

Leslie, a rookie coach and GM in the MJHL, doesn’t know how well the Oil Capitals will fare, but he’s hoping to be competitive and entertaining.

"We just want to make sure we compete hard every night and put a team on the ice that the community and Virden can be proud of," he said.

Virden’s season starts Friday when it hosts the Dauphin Kings at 7:30 p.m.

DAUPHIN KINGS

The Dauphin Kings lost 14 players from last year’s squad that led the Sher-wood Division with a 41-16-5 record, but GM and head coach Marlin Murray does not view this season as a rebuilding year.

Instead, Murray worked hard to recruit young players and made a few key trades in an attempt to reload a team that can compete for a playoff spot.

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"It was likely one of the busiest off-seasons I’ve had here in 10 years and we worked hard to recruit some good players," Murray said. "Our off-season record was 1-5, however we played a lot of youth in the pre-season. We had 30 players right to the end of the six games. We wanted to get a lot of players involved and that process is done. We have a real good mix here."

While Dauphin lost the majority of its squad, it did keep a few key pieces, like 20-year-old forward Jesse Sinatynski, who led the league with 59 goals and 90 points. The Kings also added Ryan Luiten — who scored 23 goals and 50 points with the Alberta Junior Hockey League champion Brooks Bandits last season — as well as former WHLer Brendan Hurley.

Dauphin has also made a couple of big moves in the past 48 hours, adding defencemen Connor Faupel and Brett Griffin from the Portage Terriers for 17-year-old forwards Bradley and Shawn Bowles of Elkhorn and 16-year-old blue-liner Brett Orr, as well as adding forward Guillaume Naud (52 points last season) and defenceman Kevin Swales from Wellington in Ontario Junior A for netminder Dawson Guhle.

Murray has been impressed Midget AAA grads like former Southwest Cougars forward Sutton Olson and goalie Brian Archibald, as well as Tommy Hrazdira, a forward from Alberta, and Reid Burak, a defenceman from the Pembina Valley Hawks.

Murray still has a bitter taste in his mouth from being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs and he’s hoping this team can get rid of it.

"We’ll see how everything falls into place," he said. "It’s a long season, but we’re confident that we can compete on a nightly basis."

Dauphin’s home opener is Sept. 28 against Virden.

WAYWAYSEECAPPO WOLVERINES

The Wolverines hope their strengths change from a solid blue-line to great forwards and goaltending this season.

Wayway lost half of its starting defencemen from last season in Stephane Robidoux, Bobby Janzen and Steven Duda due to graduation, but GM and head coach Barry Butler believes the team will have the firepower to overshadow a young crop of defencemen.

"It’s tough to replace (those defencemen), so the forwards are going to have to play a little better," Butler said. "We’re going to have a better defensive system where the whole team is involved on the defensive side of the puck. Not to take anything away from (Matt) Miller and (Andrew) Clark and (Scott) Gallaher back there, that’s for sure. They have one or two years of experience in the league and it’s their time to shine."

Butler is hoping to get more offensive output from Pilot Mound’s Brett Pinkerton, who had 21 goals and 44 points last season, and Curtis Veitch, who had 14 goals and 39 points last season. He hopes rookie forwards Matt Hadley, Robert Briem and Aaron Dupasquier can help as well.

Wayway’s bench boss also likes his situation in net with veterans Cory Simons and Brandonite Riley Feser backstopping the Wolverines. Simon posted a .906 save percentage and 2.71 goals-against average last season while Feser had a 3.92 GAA and an .881 save percentage.

With a solid goaltending and scoring situation, Butler hopes he can lead his team — which opens the season against the defending champion Portage Terriers on Friday at 7:30 p.m. — can improve on its 26-27-9 record and reach the playoffs.

"The goal for everybody is to be in the playoffs and we’ll see from there," he said.

NEEPAWA NATIVES

Last season was an absolute disaster for the Neepawa Natives. They were plagued by a hazing scandal that resulted in an early-season coaching change as well as a makeover of over half their roster before finishing in the MJHL basement with a 12-45-4 record.

Natives head coach Ken Brooks has put that season behind him and is focusing on a new year and young roster.

"It’s a new beginning and a fresh start for everybody," he said. "We’re just looking to what lies ahead of us now and not looking into the past. We have a good group of young kids here that are looking forward to the start of the year."

Neepawa didn’t lose a lot of players from the team that finished last season, and it’s hoping to build a winner with its young crop. Nineteen-year-old forward Derrick Brooks, who had 20 goals and 20 assists last season, is expected to lead the team offensively, along with Cody Hoy, Robbie Moar and Landon Thompson.

Brooks feels the team greatly upgraded its goaltending position by acquiring Corey Koop from the Winkler Flyers over the summer. Koop posted a 22-10 record along with a .900 save percentage and a 3.36 GAA last season.

Brooks likes the mix of players he has this season and believes that making the playoffs is an attainable goal.

"(To make the playoffs, we just have to play) the way we played near the end of last year," he said. "We’re a team that works hard and we don’t quit until the game’s over."

Neepawa hosts Steinbach in its season opener on Friday.

» cjaster@brandonsun.com

Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition September 18, 2012