GoDogsGo
08-28-2007, 03:54 PM
Friesen ready to make impact as IceDogs open training camp
Bill Potrecz
Sports - Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Updated @[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED] 3:12:37 PM
A job with the Niagara IceDogs is Alex Friesen’s to lose.
The 16-year-old Niagara-on-the-Lake resident will be given every opportunity to win a spot with the Ontario Hockey League club this season after the IceDogs selected the feisty centre in the second round (35th overall) of the OHL priority draft in May.
“I’d be shocked if he didn’t make the team,” IceDogs general manager Dave Brown said Tuesday morning as the IceDogs officially opened training camp with physicals at Jack Gatecliff Arena and fitness testing at White Oaks.
“He’s going to have to play poorly and someone else is going to have to play lights-out for that to happen.”
At the same time, Brown admits Friesen has to earn his spot.
“He’s a 16-year-old kid and we have to make sure the decision we make with him that he gets quality playing time,” he said.
Friesen, who played minor midget AAA in Niagara Falls last season, has his sights set on a roster spot. <TABLE align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 type=text/javascript><!-- Osprey-Media@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED] (250x250 & 300x250 & 300x300)if (typeof OAS_rns == "undefined") OAS_rns = new String (Math.random()).substring(2, 11);document.write('<scr'+'ipt LANGUAGE="JavaScript1.1" SRC="http://network-ca.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/Osprey-Media/1'+OAS_rns+'@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED],x10,x15,Position3!x15?JX&XE&CAT=sports&XE&city=st.catharines&state=ontario&newspaper=www.stcatharinesstandard.ca"></scr'+'ipt>');// --></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://network-ca.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/Osprey-Media/1578967188@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED],x10,x15,Position3!x15?JX&XE&CAT=sports&XE&city=st.catharines&state=ontario&newspaper=www.stcatharinesstandard.ca"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ad.ca.doubleclick.net/adj/N3941.ospreymedia/B2428314;sz=300x250;click0=http://network-ca.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/Osprey-Media/L12/920964607/x15/247Canada/2007-0628-Cogeco-Osprey-Box/2007-0628-Cogeco-Osprey-Box-Left.redir.html/526a5547396b5a386430414141436c65?;ord=920964607?"></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!-- _RM_EMPTY_ is to be sent from third party server --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://m1.2mdn.net/879366/MotifExternalScript_01_01.js"></SCRIPT><TABLE style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 250px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px">http://m1.2mdn.net/dot.gif
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“That’s why I’m in camp, to stick with the team,” said Friesen, who is entering Grade 11 at Niagara District Secondary School. “Right now, my focus is just to make the team.
“They drafted me for a reason. I just want to go out and play the way I play and be aggressive.”
Friesen has a big fan in IceDogs’ head coach Mario Cicchillo.
“I don’t have to tell people he’s a good player, he shows it on the ice,” said Cicchillo, who acted as an associate coach with Mike Kelly last season when the team was based in Mississauga. “We don’t have to pump his tires — he goes out and plays.”
Friesen worked out diligently this summer with fellow IceDogs’ pick and Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Johnson Andrews.
“I worked on my strength and cardio and I’ve been on the ice a little bit,” said Friesen, who incorporated Sunday runs with Johnson as part of his workouts.
Cicchillo said he expects Friesen — along with several other young prospects including first-round pick Andrew Agozzino of Mississauga— to get significant playing time once exhibition play begins. The IceDogs’ first pre-season game is Saturday in Jamestown against the Erie Otters.
“We want to be aggressive and get them in there right away,” Cicchillo said. “They don’t realize going what a big step it is going from minor midget. We’ll get them in the lineup and after a few games, they’ll be fine.”
To help prepare for camp, Friesen has talked significantly with his older brother Gary, who made the same jump a couple of years ago to the OHL and is now at Brock University.
“He told me the passes are harder, the game is quicker and the players are stronger,” Friesen said. “He’s been giving me a heads-up what to expect and trying to help me prepare for it.”
Cicchillo added it’s important for the club to ice a good blend of older, more experience veterans, along with some promising youngsters.
“It’s a cycle. As the cycle goes around, then you bring in more youngsters.”
The IceDogs have a strong nucleus of experienced forwards returning, including Stefan Legein, a draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets who is playing for the Canadian junior team in the Super Series against Russia; Luca Caputi, a pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Jason Bergeron, who attended the University of Massachusetts at Lowell last season; Michael Swift, Reggie Traccitto, Andrew Merrett and Jordan Foreman, who was recently picked up in a trade with the London Knights for rearguard Nathan Martine.
Camp continues today (Wednesday) with the first on-ice workouts beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 7:20 p.m.
Bill Potrecz
Sports - Tuesday, August 28, 2007 Updated @[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED] 3:12:37 PM
A job with the Niagara IceDogs is Alex Friesen’s to lose.
The 16-year-old Niagara-on-the-Lake resident will be given every opportunity to win a spot with the Ontario Hockey League club this season after the IceDogs selected the feisty centre in the second round (35th overall) of the OHL priority draft in May.
“I’d be shocked if he didn’t make the team,” IceDogs general manager Dave Brown said Tuesday morning as the IceDogs officially opened training camp with physicals at Jack Gatecliff Arena and fitness testing at White Oaks.
“He’s going to have to play poorly and someone else is going to have to play lights-out for that to happen.”
At the same time, Brown admits Friesen has to earn his spot.
“He’s a 16-year-old kid and we have to make sure the decision we make with him that he gets quality playing time,” he said.
Friesen, who played minor midget AAA in Niagara Falls last season, has his sights set on a roster spot. <TABLE align=right><TBODY><TR><TD><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 type=text/javascript><!-- Osprey-Media@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED] (250x250 & 300x250 & 300x300)if (typeof OAS_rns == "undefined") OAS_rns = new String (Math.random()).substring(2, 11);document.write('<scr'+'ipt LANGUAGE="JavaScript1.1" SRC="http://network-ca.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/Osprey-Media/1'+OAS_rns+'@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED],x10,x15,Position3!x15?JX&XE&CAT=sports&XE&city=st.catharines&state=ontario&newspaper=www.stcatharinesstandard.ca"></scr'+'ipt>');// --></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://network-ca.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_jx.ads/Osprey-Media/1578967188@[NO EMAIL POSTING ALLOWED],x10,x15,Position3!x15?JX&XE&CAT=sports&XE&city=st.catharines&state=ontario&newspaper=www.stcatharinesstandard.ca"></SCRIPT><SCRIPT language=JavaScript1.1 src="http://ad.ca.doubleclick.net/adj/N3941.ospreymedia/B2428314;sz=300x250;click0=http://network-ca.247realmedia.com/RealMedia/ads/click_lx.ads/Osprey-Media/L12/920964607/x15/247Canada/2007-0628-Cogeco-Osprey-Box/2007-0628-Cogeco-Osprey-Box-Left.redir.html/526a5547396b5a386430414141436c65?;ord=920964607?"></SCRIPT><NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT><!-- _RM_EMPTY_ is to be sent from third party server --><SCRIPT language=JavaScript src="http://m1.2mdn.net/879366/MotifExternalScript_01_01.js"></SCRIPT><TABLE style="WIDTH: 300px; HEIGHT: 250px" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px"><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; BORDER-TOP: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; MARGIN: 0px; BORDER-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 0px; BORDER-BOTTOM: 0px">http://m1.2mdn.net/dot.gif
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“That’s why I’m in camp, to stick with the team,” said Friesen, who is entering Grade 11 at Niagara District Secondary School. “Right now, my focus is just to make the team.
“They drafted me for a reason. I just want to go out and play the way I play and be aggressive.”
Friesen has a big fan in IceDogs’ head coach Mario Cicchillo.
“I don’t have to tell people he’s a good player, he shows it on the ice,” said Cicchillo, who acted as an associate coach with Mike Kelly last season when the team was based in Mississauga. “We don’t have to pump his tires — he goes out and plays.”
Friesen worked out diligently this summer with fellow IceDogs’ pick and Niagara-on-the-Lake resident Johnson Andrews.
“I worked on my strength and cardio and I’ve been on the ice a little bit,” said Friesen, who incorporated Sunday runs with Johnson as part of his workouts.
Cicchillo said he expects Friesen — along with several other young prospects including first-round pick Andrew Agozzino of Mississauga— to get significant playing time once exhibition play begins. The IceDogs’ first pre-season game is Saturday in Jamestown against the Erie Otters.
“We want to be aggressive and get them in there right away,” Cicchillo said. “They don’t realize going what a big step it is going from minor midget. We’ll get them in the lineup and after a few games, they’ll be fine.”
To help prepare for camp, Friesen has talked significantly with his older brother Gary, who made the same jump a couple of years ago to the OHL and is now at Brock University.
“He told me the passes are harder, the game is quicker and the players are stronger,” Friesen said. “He’s been giving me a heads-up what to expect and trying to help me prepare for it.”
Cicchillo added it’s important for the club to ice a good blend of older, more experience veterans, along with some promising youngsters.
“It’s a cycle. As the cycle goes around, then you bring in more youngsters.”
The IceDogs have a strong nucleus of experienced forwards returning, including Stefan Legein, a draft pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets who is playing for the Canadian junior team in the Super Series against Russia; Luca Caputi, a pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins; Jason Bergeron, who attended the University of Massachusetts at Lowell last season; Michael Swift, Reggie Traccitto, Andrew Merrett and Jordan Foreman, who was recently picked up in a trade with the London Knights for rearguard Nathan Martine.
Camp continues today (Wednesday) with the first on-ice workouts beginning at 9 a.m. and continuing until 7:20 p.m.