Portland Lumberjax Training Camp Recap
PORTLAND – The defending West Division Champion Portland LumberJax opened Training Camp this past weekend at Indoor Goals in Beaverton. With less than two months until the season opener on January 3rd and only a limited number of roster spots, intensity was at an all-time high during both practices.
The Jax opened the morning practice with the annual beep test. The beep test is an endurance run that features timed sprints back-and-forth. Team Captain and defenseman Pat Jones won the test, claiming the title of “Mr. Fit.” The team broke out into individual drills the rest of the morning and then had a light scrimmage during the afternoon session. Overall, Head Coach/General Manager Derek Keenan was quite pleased with the first weekend of camp.
“Our fitness level could have been a bit better,” said Keenan. “Overall the first weekend was pretty good. There was a real nice tempo on the floor once we shook the initial rust. I was much more pleased with the execution in the afternoon.”
Highly touted draft pick Tim Campeau made his debut and the 5’9” spark plug did not disappoint those in attendance. In fact, there were several players who stood out in Keenan’s mind. “Tim looked very good,” said Keenan. “He’s a real gritty player that fits in real well with our scheme. He’s only going to get better as camp continues.” “All three Morgan’s performed outstanding and Ryan Powell was the most fit I have ever seen him at the start of camp.”
Absent from camp were defenseman Brodie Merrill and forward Dan Stroup. Merrill will be at camp this coming weekend, which means the level of intensity will be even greater. “Brodie is one of the toughest competitors around and will make camp that much better,” said Keenan. “The team will really respond when he makes his debut.”
The second weekend of Training Camp is this Saturday, November 22. The Jax will practice from 7-9 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. at Indoor Goals. Both practices are open to the media and public.
From our Walax family, Jamison Koesterer made it through the first training camp and will be moving on the the second camp next weekend. Watch out for Jamisons blog entries later this week for more info.
