Pressiteated

Having attended the awards ceremony earlier this week where the Razorbacks were awarded the Other World League i1 Champions Trophy for the second time, there has been no rest for GM Cavaelen.

The next day saw preparations being made for the regular offseason training camp. This time 18 players comprising the Razorbacks brightest future stars were sent away for seven days to try and prepare for next season. This camp the focus was specifically on defensive abilities to try and further improve the Razorbacks defense which saw them have the lowest shots against per game and lowest goals against per game last season. 16yr old second line RD Alex Benton showed great promise achieving the greatest single day improvement.

Apart from overseeing the training camp GM Cavaelen has also been busy trying to sort out the roster for next season. With 9 players currently on the roster over 20, the focus at this stage looks like it may be to be to try and trade these players for some prospects and go with a younger team next season. This will likely result in poor play at the beginning of the season as the experience and chemistry of these veterans will be missed. However, with four 15 yr olds as well as a couple of 16 yr olds already knocking on the door being skills wise equal with some of the older veterans, it may be time for the new wave to get a chance.

The week has also involved sitting down and talking one on one with some of the players. One player in particular was Corey Berry who was the first player to ever come through the Youth School. Corey has blossomed into the top LW on the team but this last season saw his goals drop from 20 and 17 in the last two seasons down to just 2 in the regular season before he scored another 3 in 8 games in the playoffs. Big things are expected of Corey this year as he attempts to bounce back from a poor season and help lead the team in his role as an assistant captain.

Some players to watch this season:
Aljaž Habjan: 15yr RW - acquired during the offseason as a prospect to fill the shortage at RW.
Lachlan Clemson: 15yr RW - youth school prospect with a potentially great shot
Toby Linder: 15yr LD - offensive defensemen youth school prospect
Gunārs Frauns: 16yr C - acquired during the offseason. Great offense but needs to work on his passing and technique.

When he fronted the media Gm Cavaelen had this to say about next season:
"While we are not likely to be challenging for the top position in the regular season, by the time the playoffs come around again, we are looking to be in the mix and have developed enough chemistry and experience to hopefully challenge for the trophy for the third season in a row."

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