The Trail Smoke Eaters wrapped up its Spring I.D. Camp in Snoqualmie, Wash. last week (June 13 to June 15), with a keen eye on up-and-coming prospects.
Smoke Eaters coach and GM Tim Fragle was pleasantly surprised and impressed with the level of talent that took to the ice.
"The camp was great," said Fragle.
"It was the first time in that market and we weren't really sure of the expectation of the calibre, but it was really good."
According to Fragle, the majority of players that attended came from Washington, California and the mid-west, but also included a few European players as well.
"There is probably five to six for sure that we have interest in, and whether we get them to camp or get them signed, it will play out in the next week or two, but definitely there were some guys."
The Smoke Eaters teamed up and ran the camp with coaches from the Peninsula Panthers of the affiliate Vancouver Island Junior Hockey League (VIJHL), a team that the Trail Smoke Eaters owner Rich Murphy purchased last year.
Recruiting talent has become more competitive with the recent eligibility regulation change that allows Canadian Hockey League (CHL) players to compete for NCAA scholarships.
So the cooperative approach proved beneficial as both teams had the opportunity to identify players age 15-18 who can start developing with the Panthers and potentially join the Smoke Eaters or another BCHL team.
"With the big rule change back in November, recruiting is harder than ever when you look at top-end players from the CHL leaving to go play college early," Fragle said.
"And now it's a bit of a trickle down effect, you know at our level it is extremely competitive now."
The Smoke Eaters are coming off their best season in recent history, finishing in third place in the Interior Conference with 74 points and a 35-15-3-1 record.
However, the playoff loss to the Cranbrook Bucks left a bitter taste following an excellent 2024-25 campaign.
"In Game 5 and Game 6, our offence really dried up, so we were really disappointed the way we played in those two games," said Fragle.
"We felt if we would have played our game, we would be going on a deep run."
But moving forward, the 2025 BCHL Coach of the Year is optimistic going into this season with as many as 16 players returning.
"Right now we lose only five players, all good players, so we return a good core, which we like," said Fragle.
"But because the landscape of hockey has changed, a lot of these players are still having other opportunities to move.
"So there will be some movement ... But it's still a good base to work with."
The current renovations to the Cominco Arena mean the Smoke Eaters will hit the ice in Beaver Valley for its Main Camp Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
Construction will also delay the Smoke Eaters opening game night until Oct. 10.
Trail will play five pre-season games and six regular season games on the road before they can take to Cominco ice for their home opener.
"We feel like we will be knocking right on the door again and be right in there in the mix with the top teams in the league," added Fragle.
The Smoke Eaters will also run their High Performance Camps for U9 to U18, Aug. 25 to Aug. 28 at the Beaver Valley Arena.
Go to trailsmokeeaters.ca for more information.
