The Dryden GM Ice Dogs are set to begin their 19th season in the Superior International Junior Hockey League.
The longest running team in the league opens a new campaign with a home-and-home series with Red Lake starting tomorrow. (Friday, September 20th)
President Mike Sveinson says “The bar is set high. We expect to win a championship this year and anything other than that it will be a failure. It’s alright to have those kind of expectations and goals, as long as you say them out loud and are willing to do the work to make them happen.”
It’s a relatively young team with only five returning players in the line-up.
They include goalie Jacob Anthony, utility player Curtis Magas as well as forwards Dylan Winsor, Malcolm Huemmert and Evan Pakkala.
There are three players from Sioux Lookout on the squad; Ben Forbes, Cortez Favot and Kendall Schulz.
Sveinson notes they are in really good shape when it comes to their roster, with room to add several 20 year-old’s throughout the season.
Sveinson says “Kurt Walsten (coach) did an incredible job of recruiting over the Summer. We had one of our best camps we’ve ever had. We had a lot of tough choices at camp. So, one thing about having our season end a month earlier than it normally does, we had a month longer to recruit.”
Dryden GM opens the season on Friday in Red Lake.
The home opener is Saturday night.
To hear more from Mike Sveinson, visit the Audio link below:
