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Ice Hawks open training camp on Wednesday

It's been a busy off-season for GM and head coach Steve Robinson with player signings and trades
hockey
Tsawwassen resident Steve Robinson is looking forward to his first full season as GM and head coach of the Delta Ice Hawks after stepping in last season during the team's run to the PJHL championship.

If managing a junior “B” hockey team was only as simple as opening your training camp doors and expecting all your eligible returning players to walk through them.

The Delta Ice Hawks graduated just two players from their 2018 Pacific Junior Hockey League championship team but that hardly meant a quiet off-season for general manager and head coach Steve Robinson.

With the PJHL being a “transition” league for higher tiers of junior hockey and beyond, Robinson has been busy re-building his roster through signings and trades.

He will get the first look at all his work on Wednesday when the Ice Hawks open their main training camp at the Richmond Ice Centre. Their regular season opener is three weeks away when North Vancouver visits Ladner on Sept. 4.

Robinson did a superb job stepping in midway through last season after Darren Naylor was hired by the B.C. Hockey League’s Nanaimo Clippers. The Tsawwassen resident guided Delta to its best-ever regular season record (37-4-0-3) and the PJHL playoff championship. A bid for the “triple crown” fell just short when the Ice Hawks lost to rival and host Richmond Sockeyes in the Cyclone Taylor Cup provincial final.

Now his involvement is from day one.

“For me personally, it is exciting to build off last year's success which I was a part of finishing but not building,” said Robinson. “To build the new roster while maintaining some of the key elements of our team’s identity and culture is challenging and exciting. 

“It is never an exact science and with as many changes as we are going to experience, it is another example of how every team, every year is unique unto itself.”

Robinson is expecting to have eight returning players — led by veterans Jordan Derymenjian, Daniel Rubin, Nick Marsh. All three were assistant captains last season. They will be joined by forwards Mark Epshtein, Alex Suprynowicz, Kyle Uy and Nathan Pelletier, along with goaltender Jordy Engelson who had an outstanding rookie campaign.

To help fill the void of his departed talent — especially at the back end — Robinson swung a number of trades. He acquired 20-year-old d-men Paul Georgeopoulos and Max Daerendinger from Ridge Meadows, along with 17-year-old Callum MacDonald from the Richmond Sockeyes.

A potential huge addition on the blueline is Ryan Jones, who has decided to play his final year of junior eligibility in his hometown after a couple of seasons in the WHL with the Vancouver Giants. Jones is also a standout lacrosse player who led the Delta Junior “A” Islanders in scoring this season.

Robinson has signed several more players who have had success at the major midget and the midget A1 levels. In total, roughly 50 players will be hitting the ice on Wednesday night, competing for roster spots.

“Our main camp is shaping up to be very competitive,” Robinson added. “It’s been a short summer but we are all excited to get going and start the process of defending our championship and earning our way back to the Cyclone Taylor Cup tournament next April.”

The Ice Hawks’ first exhibition game is Aug. 21 when Ridge Meadows visits the Richmond Ice Centre at 8 p.m.