By Guy Chiarenza
Amarillo, TX – The Amarillo Wranglers have officially begun training camp in preparation for the 2023-24 season.
Wranglers hockey is back. The off-season is almost over, as in just 15 days the Wranglers will take on the Janesville Jets to begin the NAHL Showcase and the regular season. And in 30 days the Wranglers will welcome their faithful fans at the Budweiser Bull Pen in the home opener vs. Corpus Christi. Now the Wranglers mark another important milestone in preparation for the 2023-24 season: training camp.
Training Camp is one of the final stages of the off-season and the process the team goes through in preparation for the regular season. Much like pre-draft camp and main camp, training camp is a fierce competition as over thirty-five players compete for a spot on the Wranglers’ roster. Head Coach Ryan Anderson and Assistant Coach Conor Yawney have the tough task of analyzing the talent brought into training camp and shaping the Wranglers’ roster into the one they’ll take to the NAHL Showcase.
“Now our jobs get really hard,” said Anderson. “We have to whittle the numbers that we have at the start of training camp down to what we’re going to Blaine with. As we go through the process and the competition gets higher, the guys have to keep up. We’ve put in a great plan for training camp. The returners know what the expectation is and the new players know what the expectation is. It’s a new season and it’s a new group, and we’re really excited about the players that are here that are competing for spots to play on our team.”
Yawney was a player in the NAHL as recently as 2018 and is now back in the league – but this time behind the bench. “It’s interesting being able to be on this side of it at camp to see how excited and nervous the kids are,” said Yawney. “Training camp is a grind, and it has to be a grind. And as a player that sucks, but as a coach, you understand that’s necessary because you don’t get this week back. This is your foundation and it needs to be detailed and difficult – you have to have a foundation and weed out those who don’t really want to be here.”
Just like the fans, the staff and players are excited for the upcoming season. “It’s a new year, it’s a new staff, it’s a new team. We’re excited to build off of the finish we had last year and are excited to give the fans a competitive team and something they’ll want to come see,” Yawney said.
Amarillo will take part in two pre-season games before heading up to Blaine, MN for the NAHL showcase. The first will be on September 2nd, at 7:30 PM against the New Mexico Ice Wolves and the second will be on September 3rd, at 7:30 PM against the Lone Star Brahmas. Both games will be played at NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills, TX, and will be available to view for free on NAHLTV.
Wranglers season ticket packages are still available! Register for the 2023-24 season here and join the posse.