Tryouts are well under way for the North Central Hockey League’s Westlock Senior ‘AA’ Warriors hockey team.
This year the Warriors will hit the ice with new head coach Jonathan Cuneo and with one more tryout left Friday before final scrimmage, he said the team is beginning to come together.
“So far so good,” Cuneo said after the first full-team skate Sept. 9.
“We’ve got a lot of speed, some real smart heads, a whole range of different assets that we can bring to the table.
“We’re just going to have to mix and match to utilize that.”
With the team’s first game scheduled Oct. 21 against the Daysland Northstars, Cuneo said the men will have to work hard to master his playbook after a tough finish last year.
The Warriors fell short of a playoff berth Jan. 16, losing to the Tofield Satellites 7-4 to finish fifth in the league’s North Division.
Though Cuneo’s been busy scouting local competition, he’s still keeping the Warriors’ focused on their own team-building strategies.
“These guys have never played the system they’re going to play — it can be a lot more difficult than they’re used to,” Cuneo said, though he expects the team to meet the challenge.
“I have no control over that. I’m certainly not going out there to do it for them. We’ll guide them, but they’re going to have to be the ones to do it.
“I think that they’re ready and willing.”
The coach also promised that he intends to set realistic expectations for the team, adding that he felt the 2015 NCHL champions were up to the task.
“I’ll never ask them for anything they can’t do, but I will expect them to give me their best,” Cuneo said.
“I think they’ll find that I’m very patient and willing to work with them and get them where they need to go, but I’ll also make sure that we’re going to be a team that respects each other and we’re a big tight family.”
In terms of strategy, Cuneo said defence will be the key to a Warriors playoff run in 2017.
“We’re going to be 100 per cent committed to team defence and let our offence come from that,” he said.
“If we win a game 1-0, that’s a success. If we win a game 2-1 and we made a mistake, then I’m not happy.”
