The months are slowly unwinding towards another season of minor hockey.

Teams around the southeast are conducting conditioning camps and preparing to begin another winter on the ice, and that includes the TS&M AA Bantam Bruins. Their coach, Tom Copeland, noted that it may be a young team this year.

"Based on how we feel we project, it looks like we will be carrying a large number of younger and inexperienced players. It takes time to adjust to the league, because it's better hockey than anybody gives it credit for."

However, he is optimistic about what's ahead, as it won't be all fresh faces.

"One of the strengths in our club will certainly be in the net. Zane Winter is coming back and, in my opinion anyway, he should project in the top 3-5 goaltenders in the league. That's a big step in the right direction. We struggled a bit in that last year."

Scoring will be another emphasis during training, as well as bettering each player's skills individually.

"We'll be working hard at every position to try and improve."

"They're always excited. For the first year guys coming in, there's a lot of nerves. It's the first year of full-contact, plus they all understand that it's a large step up from PeeWee," he added.

"You've got some superior talent in the league, and it's a lot of fun to watch these kids play hockey."