Camp Day 4 Notes & Reactions

Before I move on to impressions from last night, I think I may have finally cracked the code to upload interviews onto the blog.

Eureka!! This is John Sonntag after last night's Blue and White Game.

Taylor Wasden talks about what it's like to get back into things after recovering from torn knee ligaments (and how the fight with Webb came about):

On to last night's game. First, a correction. Although Nick Eliason was listed as #81 on the game roster, that number was worn by Martensville's Brennan Bosovich, who made his training camp debut. Hence the confusion over Eliason being up front. He has actually reported back to the Saskatoon Contacts - a surprise to say the least. More on this tonight.

With the departure of Eliason, one player I think has a real shot at making the team (if he wants to make the jump) is Cody Thiel. This is his second training camp with the Klippers and I think he looked solid this weekend. He's a 6'2" blueliner who needs to fill out some, but still uses his size well. He threw some good hits last night and did a good job separating opposing forwards from the puck. Whether he's willing to play third-pairing minutes at 17 years old is a good question.

I thought Ryan Benn looked great last night. He moved his feet, got to loose pucks and created a lot of chances for Team Perkins, especially in the early going. It's not the first time I've seen that from him, but it would be nice to see it more often. He's got the skill to be a top six player, no question. He and Beau Taylor feed off each other well. Wouldn't be surprised to see them stick together to start the year.

It was a great night for Taylor Wasden, with a Gordie Howe hat trick. He scored Perkins' second goal late in the first period and also pummelled Eric Webb in a fight to start the second. (As he explains in the video above, Webb wanted to fight Dommett. He also tussled with Howell off the opening puck drop. The kid's got guts... and after seeing his face last night, maybe a couple of scars too).

Kamloops Blazers draft pick Mitchell Schwark made his training camp debut. For a 16-year-old, he was pretty effective on the physical side, throwing a few hits and even knocking over Sonntag - the biggest player in the organization - late in the game. Schwark also got a penalty shot early in the first period after being tripped by Lance Tabin. He dinged the left post. Schwark is a Blazer in midget AAA as well.

It's going to be interesting to see the roster for tonight's rookie game against Battlefords. I don't think there are enough rookies in camp to ice a full roster, so we may see a handful of returnees in the line-up. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

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I went to a Labour Day gathering to watch the Riders yesterday, but the real deal is today. Go Argos. Yeah you heard me. Go Argos.