WOLVES PROSPECT CAMP DRAWS TO CLOSE

Tim Hortons QuadPlex (Thunder Bay, ON, Canada)- Friday afternoon was the end of a grueling five-day evaluation of many of the Thunder Bay Timberwolves' prospects. Some will return to their junior or NCAA teams. Some back to Duluth in September for the Pups Training Camp. But for some, this was only the beginning. Fifteen players were selected from this camp and invited to the bigger, more grueling Training Camp in September.

--The Post-Draft Prospect Camp (as it is officially known) began Monday with a 6 a.m. wake-up call and twelve hour days.

--Camp concluded Friday afternoon with a run to the top of Mount McKay (pictured). A run that will be repeated at the conclusion of Training Camp in September.

--"I think we got a pretty good look at the quality of players within our organization," said GM Blake Wendt. "We put them through the paces this week. Some guys obviously need some work conditioning-wise to play at this level. But all in all I was very impressed."

--"It was very structured and intense," said the recently drafted Alex Pietrangelo. "I'd be lying if I said I felt I was completely ready for this. Until you go through the workouts for yourself, you have no idea what to actually expect."

--Mount McKay is on the southern end of Thunder Bay, and is the most prominent pieces of geography you see when coming from the United States on PH 61. The mountain maxes out at an elevation of 483m (1,585ft). But players only ran up to a lookout at 150m.

--"I've ran further before, but it's a steep climb," said Bryan Little. "It was all worth it at the top."

--As players made it to the finish, most were amazed at the view when they got there.

--"It gorgeous," said Torrey Mitchell. "You can see the whole city, the harbour... just absolutely beautiful."

--Also in the distance, the home of the Timberwolves, Canadian National Gardens could also be seen along the shore of the harbour.

--"Honestly, that's the first thing I seen," said Little. "I'm sure that was part of the plan to see the arena in the distance. It worked. Very motivating."

--Little was one of the fifteen invited to Training Camp. The others include forwards: Bill Thomas, David Perron, Sergei Kostitsyn, Torrey Mitchell, Brandon Prust and Kevin Porter. Defensemen: Tyler Eckford, Mike Lundin, Alex Goligoski, Niklas Grossman, Matt Niskanen and Alex Pietrangelo. Goaltenders: Thomas Greiss and Karri Ramo.

--The remainder of the summer will be fairly quiet for the most part. There is only one scheduled, manditory 'Conditioning Camp' in late August before Spetember's Training Camp.

DRAFT: WOLVES ADD TO DEFENSE

Canadian National Gardens (Thunder Bay, ON, Canada)- The Thunder Bay Timberwolves capped off their last pick of the third round by adding to a deeper corps of defensemen.
--Mike Lundin was selected with the 81st pick of the Draft. The Apple Valley, Minnesota native is the second "over-ager" in a row selected by the Timberwolves (Kevin Porter).
--"We were somewhat suprised that Lundin was still on the board," said GM Blake Wendt. "He's not someone you're going to notice on the ice most nights. He does everything with ease and control. His hockey intelligence is what sets him apart and his poise is just comes naturally. He's one of those guys that will suprise some people. I fully expect him to be in the thick of the competition to land a roster spot in Training Camp."
--With their first of two fourth round picks, Thunder Bay went across the Atlantic and plucked defenseman, Johan Motin out of Sweden with the 87th pick.
--"Johan is someone we've had our eye on all season," said Wendt. "He is strictly defense. He's got decent size for his age and is hard to beat 1-on-1. He spent sometime in the Elite league and didn't embarrass himself. There's obviously some work that needs to be done. But he's got a huge upside and there's no need to rush his development."
--Motin played some time as a defensive partner with Victor Hedman in Sweden. Hedman is viewed as a possible #1 overall pick in the 2009 Draft.
--Finishing out their fourth round selections, the Timberwolves came back to North America and selected left winger, A.J. Jenks from the OHL's Plymouth Whalers.
--"A.J. is another guy with a huge upside," said Wendt. "He's got the size, grit and hands to be a legitimate power forward. He just doesn't put the puck in the net enough. Jenks' game is in the trenches. His defensive awareness and smarts make him a great penalty killer. Faceoffs are becoming his specialty. He was one of the best in the circles in the OHL. Overall though, we like the entire package he brings to the table.
--An interesting fact about A.J. Jenks... he didn't start playing hockey until he was ten years old.