Photo Credit: Shane Clausing

By Shane Clausing

GP Storm return

Vandekamp, Storm eager to hit the ice once again

Mar 2, 2021 | 3:12 PM

For the first time since November 21, the Grande Prairie Storm are gearing up to hit the ice and resume their 2020-21 season.

The AJHL announced on Monday that the Storm will play in a cohort with Whitecourt and Drayton Valley starting on March 13 until April 4 for the first slate of the league’s schedule.

After the first slate of the league’s schedule is complete, the league will look at changing cohorts to try and provide as many different looks for its teams as possible.

Storm General Manager and Head Coach Mike Vandekamp says he’s happy his group can finally get back on the ice.

“We’re really excited for our players. Everybody has shown a lot of patience and we’ve really been through a lot here this season,” said Vandekamp

“Especially because we started up and played for three months there and you get delayed for almost two months in the middle of it. It’s been a tough one emotionally for everyone I think. So, it’s exciting times.”

Before they reach competitive game action, the team will hold yet another modified training camp.

Meanwhile, getting to training camp has been a mini-mission in and of itself, as the provincial government has laid out much stricter guidelines in order to allow for the AJHL to resume play.

“There was a set of procedures that involved isolation periods, COVID testing and more isolation,” explained Vandekamp.

New this time around, every AJHL team must organize private COVID-19 testing for their players and staff once a week, and they all must test negative. If a positive case of COVID-19 is found, the entire team will have to self-isolate for 14 days.

Before training camp can officially begin, all players must return two negative tests following their quarantine.

“We’re very close now, we’re just waiting for the go-ahead here and we should be able to get back on the ice here for practice this week,” said Vandekamp. “We should have around eight to ten days to prepare for our games and we’ll need those days.

“We’ve been off of the ice for a long time, so we’ll have to get everybody back on the ice and just sort of ease our way back into it and get ready for those games on the 13th.”

Heading into training camp, the Storm will be without some of their WHL players who were loaned to them for the first part of the season.

Forward Edge Lambert and goaltender Garin Bjorklund have both headed back to their WHL teams for the season, while forward Sasha Mutala was given the opportunity this year to play in the AHL for the Colorado Eagles, the Colorado Avalanche’s affiliate this season.

Paycen Bjorklund, who was on loan from Tri-City, will remain with the Storm for the remainder of the season.

The Storm’s roster will be set at 23 skaters and three goaltenders. The roster that is brought into training camp will be the roster that finishes the season. This is because the transaction deadline for the AJHL was on February 25.

“We like what our team looks like,” said Vandekamp. “We’ve got a bunch of enthusiastic and excited guys ready to get back on the ice. I’m hoping that we’ll be a competitive team, I’m sure we will be, and I’m just looking forward to actually playing.”

Prior to the pause of the regular season, the Storm played fou regular season games, posting a record of 2-1-1.

According to Vandekamp, the league plans on playing their regular-season into May. At this time, it is not known how many games will be played until the regular season is concluded.