Before we officially kick the season off, I should introduce myself… My name is Cameron Lee, as the staff page suggests. I am the new play-by-play voice of the Phantoms, as well as the guy handling all media relations, press releases, feature stories, etc., for the team. I have played hockey nearly my entire life, still do, and I am really looking forward to this opportunity, and the upcoming season. Because of my hockey background, feel free to talk hockey with me, without having to “dumb it down,” I’m a hockey player through and through. I’d like to get a blog out per week on the site here, but I am still getting settled in, and hope that everyone understands there might be some hiccups in the early going.
With that said, the Phantoms seem to have a lot of potential. Coming off their most successful season in team history, there is a lot to live up to, and at first glance it looks difficult to measure up to the benchmark that the 2006-2007 team set. However, with a core group of veterans, and the rookies looking good thus far, there is a lot of positivity emanating from the locker room.
Watching over the practices for the past few days, it is good to see the development of the team. Instead of a bunch of random skilled players, it looks as though the team is jelling, and as I mentioned in the article, starting to build that identity.
One of the most pleasing things to see from practice actually happens after practice… it is great that almost every player is making a substantial commitment to the team by staying quite a while afterwards and working on a variety of things.
If you get a chance to come down and watch a practice, I recommend doing it from ice level. Watching from the stands, you can see the overall picture and the systems and some good stuff, but it’s difficult to comprehend the size and speed of these guys. They are big, and they are fast. These guys are still teenagers and a lot of them are already 6 foot or taller… the prototypical college and pro prospect material.
The coaches have started installing systems work into practice. I’m sure the boys appreciate it. From my competitive playing days I remember the beginning of camp was always just about busting your hump, almost all skating, very few pucks, and just very physically exhausting. With the coaches working on the defensive zone coverage, power play, PK, breakouts, neutral zone regroups, etc, it gives the players a chance not only to face more typical game situations, but also it’s more mentally exhausting than physically… and as a result, the team looks more fluid in everything they do.
I am headed to New Jersey this weekend for our exhibition games, stories to follow shortly. The rink we are playing at is arranging for some internet connection, so hopefully we’ll have the audio web-cast up and running as well. The regular season openers in Minnesota are only eight days away now, and it should be fun watching these guys win all year.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
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