While many were enjoying the last shot of summer on the Labour Day Long Weekend, over 25 players laced up to  prepare for the season ahead of the Cochrane Generals Jr. 'B' hockey team.

The defending southern division champions and provincial silver medalists open the preseason of the Heritage Junior Hockey League (HJHL) against the Okotoks Bisons with a home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday. The series opens on Friday in Okotoks before a Saturday night matchup here at Totem One in the Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sport Centre.

New head coach Derek Donald watched the blend of players at the two-day camp going through the drills and scrimmages, sizing up the talent pool they have at their disposal and knowing there are some other prospects who are in the wings.

To Donald, it's about finding that right blend to come up with a winning formula.

"Now we're looking at what type of players we have, what type of veteran players; we're taking a good look at everyone," said Donald during the Saturday evening ice time.

"We've got three or four small speedy guys and sometimes you look at putting them together for a good energy line," he says as an example, pointing to the ice.

"So having the right mixture and balance of players is important, too, you know, not having a totally one dimensional team.  You want to have skilled guys to run the powerplay, good defensive guys to shut down when you need to, good penalty killers... I'm not looking for them all to be the same type of player."

Former Gens Captain Logan Brown was a key defenceman for the team for five season and has aged out. But he's returned to help as an assistant coach.

"It's quite different to not be able to hang out with them as I would as captain, but I'm so happy to be here," says Brown.

Veteran defenceman Austin Keller is entering his sixth and final season with the Gens and each year looks forward to what it has to offer. He's a smart, heads-up defenceman who knows how to shut down a play while adding an offensive punch. Last season he finished as the league's top scoring defenceman with 11 goals and 41 assists.

It's likely too earlier to talk about expectations, in fact it was his first skate, but he's striving for finishing his HJHL career in fashion.

"I'd like to see us do what we did last year, maybe something even better."

The Gens third and final preseason game is also on home ice against the Airdrie Techmation Thunder on Sept. 16 and they open the regular season on the road against the Bisons on Sept. 22.

Saturday's game time is 7:30 p.m.