Benny Walchuk:
Doug, we’re getting into the home stretch of the preseason. You’re coming off a shutout win last night over Waywayseecappo, but when you look back at the full preseason so far, what stands out?
Doug Johnson:
The guys have been working incredibly hard. I’m really grateful for their effort—haven’t had to push them much, they’re self-motivated. There’s been strong competition. The young guys have come in and done a great job, and the veterans are showing more than we’ve seen in recent years. It’s a motivated group, and we’ve got more offense than we expected. Our back end looks like a real strength, and we’ve got three goalies we’re confident in for opening night.
Benny Walchuk:
I know it’s preseason and you’re seeing different lineups, but what’s clicking offensively for you guys right now?
Doug Johnson:
It’s our tenacity and physicality. We’re getting on top of defenders quickly, banging bodies, and creating turnovers. That’s leading to chances, and we’re doing a great job going to the net with purpose. All our goals last night came from that kind of pressure. Even the game before, we had a couple off the rush, but it was still about crease pressure. And we’ve got guys like Rylan Oatman and Yi-bin Yoo who’ve come in with more skill than we anticipated.
Benny Walchuk:
You’ve had some young guys step in too throughout the camp and preseason like Nathan Gardner and Carter Wingert, who were in the lineup last night. What have you seen from your recent draft picks?
Doug Johnson:
We’re really excited. Carter Wingert scored twice last night, and Nathan Gardner jumped in without even practicing. He’s our first pick since I took over, so he’s special to us. Tons of skill. Brodie Bowen, a third-rounder, surprised us with his tenacity and skill. Fans also saw Parker Salisbury in three games—another guy we’re high on. The future looks bright, and credit to our scouting staff—Pete Cockburn, Easton Ediger, and Scottie Orchison o Albera—they’ve done a phenomenal job.
Benny Walchuk:
Roster-wise, where are you heading into the weekend and when do you hope to finalize things?
Doug Johnson:
We want to get down to our group as soon as possible. We’ve told the players to make our decisions tough—and they have. Gardner went back to AAA, and another draft pick, Cohen Volk, showed he’s ready too after another strong year with the Contacts. We’re sitting at 27 or 28 guys now, hoping to trim to 26 or 27 by the end of today. This weekend will help sort out the rest.
Benny Walchuk:
And that weekend includes a home-and-home with your Highway 10 rival, the Yorkton Terriers. What are you hoping to see in the final tune-ups?
Doug Johnson:
Yeah, we'll dress a more Game 1 regular season lineup on Friday night, maybe Saturday night a little of putting some guys in, we have to make some decisions on. It's going to be the same thing. Let's play to our identity, let's play to our strengths, let's make sure we're establishing that forecheck, that physicality, that relentlessness, and get a little bit better every shift, get a little bit better every period. And then by the end, if we do that, things should be good.
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