In 1999 Western Prospects Hockey was established as a scouting service business. By 2000 The Western Prospects Summer Showcase and Evaluation Camp in Regina was founded. Soon they expanded to other cities within Saskatchewan including Weyburn. The camps success rate continues to grow and brings in hockey players from all over Canada.
This past week, Western Prospects Hockey group put on their annual camp for Midget level players. This year the camp brought in five players from Calgary, Alberta who all play high level hockey for the Calgary Royals.
Riley Hearn, Alex Walicki and Dane Probe attended the Bantam camp last year and because of their positive experience they were able to recruit Thomas Kaufield and Carson Baylis to join them this year.
Between the five of them it was a unanimous agreement that the camp was an “amazing experience” and provided the boys will a lot of ice time and dry land training.
"There was some tough game play. It got me playing with the puck and taught me how to be a better two-way player." said Probe.
This past season, Carson Baylis also played second year Bantam AAAA. In Bantam AA, Baylis, earned the Calgary Royals Hardest Working Award for his team. As a second year Pee-Wee on Team 1, Baylis and his team were selected to attend The Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. Pee-Wee teams across the world gathered to compete in the tournament. What was even more amazing was that the team was sponsored and represented the local NHL hockey team, the Calgary Flames.
For Riley Hearn, Weyburn is familiar as both his mother, Teresa Rose, and his father, Richard Hearn, grew up here and has family that still resides here. Teresa Rose figure skated and coached figure skating for many years in the community and Richard Hearn did his fair share of playing hockey both in Weyburn and Estevan.
Dane Probe was also a part of the team that competed in Quebec and notes it as one of his biggest hockey achievements. Probe played Bantam AA this past season.
Playing for Bantam AAA this past season, Thomas Kaufield, also competed in Quebec. He says that season holds his biggest hockey accomplishments as the team also placed third in Provincials that year.
Alex Walicki played second year Bantam AAA this past season, and was part of the Quebec crew. Walicki was drafted early this year to the WHL team, The Medicine Hat Tigers.
