CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — In a year of uncertainty, there’s plenty of familiarity contained within the Charlottetown Islanders’ training camp roster.
A returning goalie, six returning defencemen and nine forwards who played the majority of the season for the team a year ago have been invited to camp, which begins Sunday at MacLauchlan Arena.
“It does help us, (but) it hurts kids drafted probably in previous years, quite frankly,” head coach and Jim Hulton said. “There’s not that many spots up for grabs.”
And while there’s past relationships with more than half of the roster, the message to all players attending camp is to take nothing for granted and go out and earn their spot on the roster.
“We’re hoping some of the new faces come and push the old faces, but let’s be honest, when you’ve spent a season or two with players, you certainly hope that nobody pushes them out of a spot,” Hulton said.
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) pandemic, fewer players are allowed at camps across the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, and the camps are starting a little later than normal. The Islanders have two days of camp before playing their first pre-season game in Moncton while the regular season is expected to begin Oct. 1. No fans will be allowed to watch the pre-season games at UPEI while the team and the Chief Public Health Office continue to discuss the regular season.
Teams are allowed to bring 34 players to camp, but the Islanders settled on 31. Anyone coming from outside Atlantic Canada has to self-isolate for 14 days.
“We didn’t want to isolate anybody over and above (those players who) really had a legitimate shot, so that took out a lot of the young draft picks this year,” Hulton said.
The team has eight players isolating with staff at a Charlottetown hotel. It includes the five returnees from Quebec, defenceman Felix Tremblay, who was acquired in a trade earlier this month with Baie-Comeau, and Ontario defenceman Ryan Maynard, who was a free agent invitee to camp.
The eighth player is forward Logan Costenaro, the lone 2020 draft pick from Quebec attending the Islanders’ camp. He went undrafted in 2019, so he is older than the majority of the squad’s 2020 picks.
“We want to get a look-see of him in game action,” Hulton said.
Two players who aren’t in self-isolation are forwards Jakub Brabenec and Matous Mensik, who were both selected in the Canadian Hockey League import draft. Hulton said the league is working with the federal government to determine how and when they will be allowed into the country. After arrival, they will quarantine for 14 days.
The Islanders have settled on their three overage spots with goalie Colten Ellis, acquired in a blockbuster deal with Rimouski on draft day, plus forwards Thomas Casey and Cedric Desruisseaux.
Charlottetown defenceman Chris McQuaid, who was acquired in a December trade, has been invited to camp as a way to get ready for the season in case there are injuries or if a team wants to trade for him.
The team is setting up shop at MacLauchlan Arena as the Eastlink Centre is being used until the end of September as a COVID-19 testing clinic, as well as a cough and fever clinic. The city has said three weeks will be required for sanitization, maintenance, logistics and reinstating ice operations for the upcoming season.
The Isles will play the first few games on the road with the goal of returning to the Eastlink Centre by Oct. 23.
“We’re excited to get to work here,” Hulton said. “We really like our group this year.”
Training camp roster
Here's a look at the players coming to the ADL Charlottetown Islanders’ training camp:
Player Birth year 2019-20 team (league)
Goalies (3)
- Colten Ellis 2000 Rimouski (QMJHL)
- Jacob Goobie 2003 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Chad Arsenault 2002 Valley (junior A)
Defencemen (11)
- Lukas Cormier 2002 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Noah Laaouan 2001 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Will Trudeau 2002 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Anthony Hamel 2002 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Oscar Plandowski 2003 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Felix Tremblay 2001 Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
- Ryan Maynard 2002 Kapuskasing (junior A)
- Dell Welton 2002 Truro (junior A)
- Landon MacDonald 2004 Charlottetown (major midget)
- Isaac Vos 2002 Kensington (major midget)
- Chris McQuaid 2000 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
Forwards (17)
- Thomas Casey 2000 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Cedric Desruisseaux2000 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Brett Budgell2001 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Jakub Brabenec2003 Kometo Brno (Czech)
- Matous Mensik 2003 Kärpat (Finland)
- Sam Oliver 2004 Rothesay Netherwood (prep)
- Zac Beauregard 2001 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Drew Johnston 2001 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Drew Elliott 2003 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Justin Gill 2003 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Keiran Gallant 2002 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Patrick LeBlanc 2002 Charlottetown (QMJHL)
- Ben Boyd 2003 Cole Harbour (major midget)
- Max Chisholm 2003 Charlottetown (major midget)
- Alex Graham 2003 Kensington (major midget)
- Logan Costenaro 2003 Saint-Eustache (Quebec midget)
- Jonah Jelley 2004 Notre Dame (Sask.)
