Training camp for any team usually means a myriad of decisions for the coaching and management staff. Who stays? Who won’t make the cut?

The Ice have at least 19 players from last season returning to the roster as they get set to host their 12th training camp in Cranbrook, making it that much harder for the 55 or so invitees trying to earn a spot.

If you’re looking for where the battles will be staged this weekend, you can look no further than the 1991-born group of players, of which the club has a whopping 10 players signed.

“You always want to try to balance out the age groups,” said Ice GM Jeff Chynoweth. “We’re going to have 10 1991-born players under contract and obviously not all the players are going to make the hockey club. We’ve also got some 92-born players ready – not just the three that played with us last season – to step in and then there’s a couple of ‘93’s that will want to push for a job.”

The club is hosting it’s annual call for talent a week earlier this year because of the late Labour Day and will welcome 75 players to Cranbrook, their biggest camp in recent memory. The players are divided into four teams that will practice Thursday and then start intrasquad games Friday morning at the Rec Plex, running through to Sunday where the final 40 or so will play in the club’s 11th annual United Way Intrasquad game for charity, a function that’s raised over $21,000 for the local chapter of the United Way over the past decade.

“That’s what training camp is all about and it creates a competitive atmosphere,” said Chynoweth.

Of course the club’s rebuilding process over the last two seasons saw the number of 18-year-olds grow by design, setting the club up for a possible championship run over the next couple of seasons. Goaltender Nathan Lieuwen, defensemen Brayden McNabb, Hayden Rintoul, Cason Machacek and James Martin, along with forwards Jesse Ismond, Mike Cassivi and Joe Antilla, round out a cast from last year’s club who will fight with forwards Simon Skrudland and Jordan Bauer for seven or eight spots.

“We’re not going to be able to keep all the ‘91’s when we’ve got the ‘92’s pressing and we’re going to want to have balanced age groups,” said Chynoweth.

Chynoweth admitted that he’s been looking for a veteran defenseman to add to his current group. The search of such of player via the trade route over the summer has proved easier said than done, at least at the right price. It’s an acquisition that will put even more pressure on that 1991-born blueline group.

“We’ve been exploring that option since the end of the season. If all goes well by the start of the season we’ll have an older defensemen in our line-up,” said Chynoweth.

Quick Hits – Parts of Kootenay’s training camp will be vacated by at least four veterans who will be attending NHL training camps. Defenseman Brayden McNabb, drafted by the Buffalo Sabres last June, will attend their camp while defenseman Hayden Rintoul will head to Montreal to take part in the Canadiens camp. Forwards Kevin King will head to Minnesota, while veteran Dustin Sylvester accepted an invite to the Anaheim Ducks training camp. Two notable 16-year-olds – defenseman Micheal King from Prince George, a third-round pick of the Ice in the 2008 Bantam Draft and an 11th round pick from the same year, defenseman Jagger Dirk from Kelowna, son of former NHL’er Robert Dirk, will not be at training camp to keep their NCAA options open. A no-show from last year’s camp – second-round pick from 2007 forward Elgin Pierce, who played with the Langley Chiefs of the BCHL last season, will be at camp.