Future green and gold hopefuls graced the ice at the EPA this past weekend for the Humboldt Broncos annual spring camp. 

The camp featured over 80 skaters participating in the three-day event from April 26th to 28th, to try and leave an impression on the Broncos coaching staff.

"It was three great days. The kids battled hard and the scouts did a lot of work bringing these kids in from all over Canada and the USA. We're really happy going forward, we have a lot of young talent heading into next year and maybe go with a younger team. Obviously, we gotta fill in a lot of bodies for next season," said Head Coach Scott Barney.

The Broncos had eight 20-year-old veterans play out their final year of junior hockey, along with a handful of others who are moving on to other ventures. leaving ample opportunity for prospects to fill the spots. 

"There was a lot of guys competing, We talked to them beforehand and told them the little things we wanted to see, and they brought it. It's spring now, but the thing is, they're trying to earn sport for the next season. All the guys that put the Broncos jersey on represented the team and the city well."

The camp was slimmed down from 85 skaters down to 40 for the top-40 game on Sunday, April 28th, where the intensity and compete level picked up even more.

"I think there are always surprises. For me, it's the really young players, a few of the guys who are underaged. There's a good future ahead for some of these kids going forward. It was great to get back to the arena and see everyone on the ice working for a spot on the Broncos."

For Scott Barney and crew, the Broncos puzzle doesn't get thrown together all at once. but finding the odd piece to push into place will go towards completing the picture for the start of the season.

"We got a lot of work to do, we're going to sit down and talk to all the kids, evaluate where we're at, then try and find that next piece moving forward."

One piece still yet to fall into place is on Barney's to-do list for the summer, and that's finding his assistant coach for the 2019/20 Humboldt Broncos season.