Denver, Colorado
Raptors Practice Facility

After the recent excitement of the SMJHL draft, it was time for the rookies to take the ice in their first team practice. As the morning progressed, you could almost feel an energy building as the players laced up their skates and took the ice. However, this would turn out to be a very non-traditional practice. 

In an effort to help relieve what might be some early jitters, the Raptors spent the first half of practice playing with a beach ball on the ice. The players were paired up 5v5, no sticks with a goalie on each team. Initially it was vets vs. rookies but as the game progressed, the teams mixed to give players a chance to get to know everyone. The mayhem on the ice was certainly laughable, but it helped alleviate some of the nervous jitters as the organized part of practice looked very promising.