The Whalers are back in action this week with three preseason games lined up before kicking off their 2021/22 campaign.
This year marks White Rock’s fourth season back in the PJHL.
On Wednesday night, the Pod travels out to Langley to face the Trappers in their preseason opener at 7:00pm.
Then the Whalers play host to the Trappers this Saturday night at Centennial Arena. The game marks White Rock’s first home game at Centennial since the 2019/20 playoffs. The puck drops there at 7:00pm.
To wrap up their exhibition games, White Rock welcomes the Surrey Knights on Sunday. That one also gets underway from Centennial at 7:00pm.
Former Whaler Greg Porter was behind the bench for the “White Team” for a scrimmage during this week’s Main Camp.
Former Whalers Captain and Recent Alumni Calder Newson looks on from behind the bench for his “Green Team” during Main Camp this week.
Both Coach Jason Rogers and Assistant Coach Julian Feijo are excited to catch their first glimpse of this year’s Whalers roster in a live game.
“ Most players haven't had structured, formal game play in almost a year so we're excited to have players get back into game situations. We expect to see our players excited to compete after a difficult year last year… There is a sense of excitement from the top down within our program. After the challenges of last year, everyone's excited to tie up our skates and get to work.” – Julian Feijo
Feijo went on to mention that a number of players have impressed the coaching staff at Main Camp, earning roster spots. However he also added the importance of veteran players within the organization.
“We now have players that have been in our environment for 3 or 4 years. They understand the expectations and structure of the program and have done an excellent job developing into leaders. They'll be leaned upon to utilize what they've learned from our past leadership groups and lead by example, continuing the legacy of those before them.” – Julian Feijo
Coach Jason Rogers is also coming off an impressive 2019/20 season, where he picked up the PJHL’s “Coach of the Year” honour. Rogers will be behind the bench for his fourth season with the Whalers program starting this Wednesday in Langley.