Estevan Bears Head Coach Ryan Pilon is optimistic about his team's future after the triple A hockey club held its spring camp last weekend at Affinity Place.

"It went very well, we were very happy with what turned out. We ended up having I think 73 players here," Pilon said. "The competition was good and we had to make some hard decisions."

Pilon said it was a mix of returning guys and new players that could be a part of the team in the future. He said there were a couple traits that his coaching staff was looking for.

"Hockey in general is turning more into just speed," he said. "Guys need to get to the right position, you need to think the game obviously, but you need to get to that position to make the right play. And in our league, trying to stack up against the big teams, speed and work ethic are two that are most important."

He singled out returnees Kole Keen, Carter Onrait, Thomas Ries, and Riley Craigen, along with newcomers Cameron Allard, Aidan Mohan, and Gunner Moore as standouts at the camp.

After leading the Bears to a 12-24-8 record last season, Pilon is hoping to build on that in what will be his second season behind the bench.

"I think things are definitely trending in the right direction with the feedback that we're getting from players and parents coming to our organization, and wanting to come to our organization now," he said. "That's encouraging for us. We're implementing the right things and we're wanting to attract players down in the southeast corner here."