By Luke McGinnis
After a summer of rebuilding, a new-look Stars roster will hit the ice together for the first time under Head Coach Scott Dutertre, marking the culmination of a week-long training camp.
“The group is really good. I’ve thrown a lot of stuff at them, it’s like an information overload, but they’ve been really receptive to it and they’re picking up on it,” said Dutertre, reflecting on the first week of practice.
“I like the chemistry in the room already, and you have guys staying out on the ice after practice. I think they’re having fun as a group, so that to me is a really good start.”
Last season, Dundee came away with just one victory over the Clan across ten meetings between the regular season and Challenge Cup, something Dutertre’s men will be looking to rectify.
“It’s extremely important for the group to go to Glasgow and show them and everyone that we will be a difficult team to play against. It’s also good for everyone to get the feeling of what a derby game can bring,” added Gary Haden, who spent the first two seasons of his professional career with the Clan.
Glasgow will once again be led by Head Coach Mike Sirant, who took over from Corey Neilson midway through last season and guided the club to the Playoff Semi-Finals in Nottingham.
The Clan also have a number of key returning players, including Tristin Langan, who led his side in scoring last season and finished fifth in the entire league with 52 points in 54 games.
Notable additions to the Braehead squad include defenceman Matt Spencer and forward Ross Armour, both of whom won the Challenge Cup and Continental Cup last season with the Nottingham Panthers.
“Everybody is in the same boat, it’s kind of a measuring stick to see where players are at,” concluded Dutertre.
“You can look really good in practice, but does it translate to games? This gives us as coaches an opportunity to see where we need to circle back to and maybe work on a couple of things.”
Faceoff is scheduled for 4pm at the Braehead Arena.
