Jr. Blade Blog: Inside training camp

 The Florida Jr. Blades held training camp last weekend for a few recently-inked players and Jr. Blades hopefuls. Nineteen-year-old forward Jimmy Williams is returning to Florida for his second year in blue and green, and gave fans an inside look on training with the Jr. Blades.

 If you happened to be at Germain Arena recently, you might have been able to get a sneak peek of some Jr. Blades action before the season even starts. This past weekend was the final Jr. Blades tryout and training camp. Last season, we had what many consider to be a successful inaugural season, but those of us returning know that we have unfinished business to attend to.

      The camp consisted of one practice, off ice testing and three scrimmages. Everyone felt anxious and excited, and it was especially noticeable on the faces of players hoping to make the team for the first time. During the practice, everyone was a little rusty and it was pretty obvious. Personally, I felt my skating and stick handling was still pretty fluid, but I just needed to get used to the speed of the game again. For the rest of the summer I plan on being on the ice three times a week. Whether it is teaching younger kids to play, or just getting a game in at open hockey, it should help me stay fresh and eliminate that adjustment period where you have to shake off the rust.

      After taking a beating the first scrimmage of 10-3, my team bounced back to win the second two scrimmages. Everyone on the team settled in, lines started to form and gel and you really got a sense of who was going to stick around for the season. Everybody seemed to enjoy being on the ice, it doesn’t get any better then playing three games on a weekend in the off-season in south Florida.
      The scrimmages were over with, and the camp came to a quiet end. I enjoyed every second of it, joking around in the locker room, seeing old buddies, and even chirping coach a little bit. I look forward to my last season of junior hockey; the bus rides, the chirps, the laughs, all of it. I’ll be trying to soak it all in. 

I think I can speak for everyone on the team when I say we all have the same goal for this year: Bring home a national title.