The weather might not indicate it, but hockey season is indeed around the corner in Okotoks.
The Okotoks Oilers held main camp over the long weekend ahead of their pre-season kicking off this coming weekend to tee up the team's first full season in the BCHL.
Returning players at camp included forwards Jackson Rowland, Hunter Sawka, Kade Duell, Brett Wilson and Allen Sherpa along with defencemen Ryder De Nys and Brennen Hocher.
The team has introduced a few of its new additions, with more to be named this week, including former Drumheller Dragons Coy Pighin and Cyle Clayton along with Ohio forward Joey Meredith and fellow-American Brayden Duy.
Pighin, a 2006-born forward from Nanton, posted 26 goals and 67 points in two seasons in Drumheller. Clayton, a 2004-born blueliner from Strathmore, played his minor hockey in the Okotoks Oilers Athletic Association from 2017-20.
Meredith, a 2005-born forward from Toledo, has been a prolific scorer with the Michigan-based Victory Honda 18U AAA program and was a star at the 2024 Circle K Classic tournament in Calgary. Duy, a left-shot defenceman from Missouri, is a product of the St. Louis AAA Blues program.
Okotoks made a pair of additions via the trade route ahead of camp as well. Otto Hanson, a 2006-born forward and Western Michigan commit, was acquired from the Blackfalds Bulldogs for 2005-born forward Thomas Matte.
The 18-year-old Hanson, entering his third junior season, had 17 points with Blackfalds last season.
Earlier in the summer, Okotoks acquired Ethan DeKay from the BCHL's Cowichan Valley Capitals for Hayden Fechner.
DeKay, a 2004-born forward from Mississauga, Ont., is a Michigan Tech commit.
The Oilers open the exhibition slate this weekend for their first of five preseason games.
Okotoks is home to the Sherwood Park Crusaders on Sept. 7, an 8 p.m. start at Viking Rentals Centre. The Oilers are on the road on Sept. 10 and 13 for games in Blackfalds and Brooks and return home for a Sept. 14 clash versus the Cranbrook Bucks.
The puck drops on the 2024-25 BCHL regular season on the Sept. 20-21 weekend in a home-and-home set with the Brooks Bandits.
For more information, go to okotoksoilers.com.
