A winning season is on tap for the St. Albert Steel in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
The Steel could potentially start Friday’s league opener in Olds with 17 players with AJHL experience, including 14 from the 2010-11 team that finished seventh (26-31-3) in the north division and lost in the opening playoff round.
“It’s looking good this year. A lot of guys are feeling good about the team. It’s a good atmosphere in the room and on the ice,” said veteran Jordan Abt after Wednesday’s practice at Performance Arena.
The fourth Steel campaign in St. Albert slipped away during a season-ending 1-8-1 tailspin, followed by the three-game playoff sweep by the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.
“We want to put that behind us and start new and hope for the best,” Abt said. “A good start to the season is great for the confidence and great for the team. We don’t want to be losing off the bat. We want to have a good year. We can do it, too.”
The team record of 29 wins and 65 points was set in 2008-09 by the sixth-place Steel.
Abt, a 20-year-old Thorsby product, will anchor the Steel’s defence after recording six goals, three assists and 87 penalty minutes in 46 games last season.
“It was a lot better than my first season,” said the Steel’s rookie of the year in 2009-10 with four assists and 67 PIM in 52 games. “I started off with an injury [broken right cheekbone], so that didn’t help, but then I got my legs back and finished off pretty strong.”
Strong enough that he was named the team’s most valuable defenceman.
“It felt great to get that award. I’m sure a couple of other D-men deserved it too, but it was nice they gave it to me,” said the defensive-minded blueliner who scored his first AJHL goal in the 54th game of his Steel career.
Abt has modest individual goals on the eve of his last junior season.
“I want to have fun. I want to have a good solid year and get a couple of more points,” he said. “I also want to have quicker feet and get faster. I want to get a few more shots on net too.”
While earning a paycheque as a landscaper over the summer, the former midget AAA Maple Leaf maintained his regular workout routine.
“It was basically the same as last season and the season before. I just trained hard and came to camp,” Abt said. “So far, things are going pretty good at camp. I’m having a lot of fun.”
He isn’t the only Abt who will play a big role on the Steel’s defence. Matt Abt had one goal, two assists and 41 PIM in 37 games in his AJHL debut season.
“Matt had a pretty good season. He worked himself up in the D and he’ll be up there this year,” Jordan said of his 18-year-old brother. “Lots of people say we look alike and play alike. We’re pretty much the same player, I guess.”
Training camp winds down this weekend as the team prepares for the upcoming 60-game regular season. Their first exhibition win after four losses by a combined score of 23-9 during last weekend’s pre-season tournament was Tuesday’s 7-1 decision against the Camrose Kodiaks.
“It felt pretty good. It was a lot better than the losses,” said Jordan, who lit the lamp once for the home team. “We were moving our feet and played most of the 60 minutes instead of not a full game. We had shots on net a lot more than the other games. It worked out good.”
Tonight, the Steel and Sherwood Park Crusaders play the second game in as many days. Faceoff is 7 p.m. at Performance Arena. Friday’s score from Sherwood Park was unavailable at press time.
The Steel’s last exhibition is Sunday in Whitecourt against the AJHL champion Spruce Grove Saints at 2 p.m.
“We have to take them like a real regular season game. As we get closer and closer to the season, it’s going to be more like regular lineups for us and the other teams, so we have to be ready to play,” Jordan said.
