Conditioning camp continues at Sportsplex
by Staff Writer / Nashville Predators Photo by John Russell Predators prospects Paul Brown (left) and Kevin Klein undergo fitness testing at Nashville's 2004 conditioning camp as Paul Fenton and David Good monitor them. |
"The day the participants come in, we'll have our orientation meetings and let them know what's expected of them during the week," Predators strength and conditioning coach David Good said. "Then the following day we'll do our fitness testing during the morning. Then I believe we start our team competitions that night. [The prospects] accrue points throughout the week, whether it be on-ice competitions or scavenger hunts or pool tournaments. At the end of the camp we present the winning trophy. It's all kind of a culmination into that last night."
Good's duties for the week include instilling better conditioning habits in the young men. "My part specifically is teaching them the lifting techniques we use, getting them comfortable so that when they go back home--before they show up for training camp [in September]--they can at least learn the techniques, be proficient at it, and come into training camp and not have to take a step backwards. They'll just be able to fit right in."
Finding adequate facilities at home can sometimes be a problem for the prospects, Good says. It simply depends on the hockey program the player is involved in. "Some of the junior teams have pretty incredible weight rooms," Good says. "I always suggest going to a university nearby because they tend to have the best facilities around if there's not a pro team that you can get in to. For someone like Jordin Tootoo, who spends a lot of time back in his village (Rankin Inlet, Nunavut) and he doesn't have a lot to use, I tailor their program so it's still effective but they don't have to eliminate anything from it because of their available facilities."
The participants will spend most of their mornings in the weight room and on the track, while the afternoons and evenings are primarily dedicated to team-building activities and challenge competitions. The camp, which is overseen by Predators assistant general manager Paul Fenton, will also include a number of informative sessions covering everything from nutrition to interaction with the media.
There will be two on-ice sessions at Centennial Sportsplex, and each will be open to the public. Those sessions are scheduled as follows:
Thursday, June 29 - 3-4 p.m.
Saturday, July 1 - 2-3 p.m. (CANCELLED)
Sunday, July 2 - 2-3:30 p.m.
Below is a list of those attending the Predators' 2006 conditioning camp. For a printable PDF version that includes each player's 2005-06 stats, click here.
| FORWARDS | Ht. | Wt. | Shoots | Place of Birth | Birthdate | *Acquired |
| Lauris Darzins | 6-3 | 190 | R | Riga, Latvia | 1/28/85 | 9/03 |
| 6-2 | 212 | R | St. Paul, MN | 3/22/88 | 6/06 | |
| Blake Geoffrion | 6-1 | 190 | L | Plantation, FL | 2/3/88 | 2/06 |
| 5-11 | 178 | L | Sollentuna, Sweden | 1/1/87 | 7/05 | |
| Ryan Maki | 6-2 | 195 | R | Medford, NJ | 4/23/85 | 6/05 |
| Bracken Kearns | 6-0 | 195 | R | Vancouver, B.C. | 5/12/81 | INV |
| Cal O'Reilly | 5-11 | 180 | L | Toronto, Ont. | 9/30/86 | 5/05 |
| John Vigilante | 6-0 | 195 | L | Dearborn, MI | 5/24/85 | FA |
| Kelsey Wilson | 6-1 | 210 | L | Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. | 1/22/86 | INV |
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| DEFENSE | Ht. | Wt. | Shoots | Place of Birth | Birthdate | *Acquired |
| Cody Franson | 6-4 | 205 | R | Salmon Arm, B.C. | 8/8/87 | 3/05 |
| Ville Koistinen | 5-11 | 187 | L | Oulu, Finland | 6/17/82 | FA |
| 6-0 | 187 | R | Tuusula, Finland | 8/27/87 | 3/05 | |
| Ryan Parent | 6-2 | 183 | L | Prince Albert, Sask. | 3/17/87 | 1/05 |
| Kevin Schaeffer | 6-1 | 195 | R | Huntington, NY | 10/16/84 | 6/04 |
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| GOALTENDERS | Ht. | Wt. | Catches | Place of Birth | Birthdate | *Acquired |
| Jesse Deckert | 6-1 | 190 | L | Winnipeg, Man. | 7/19/86 | INV |
| Josh Tordjman | 6-1 | 155 | R | Montreal, Que. | 1/11/85 | INV |
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| (As of June 26, 2006. ROSTER IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.) | ||||||
| * Acquired: draft round/year, FA - signed as a free agent, T - trade, | ||||||