NEW ULM — Twenty-three players (with four more expected by next week) opened the 2022 New Ulm Steel training camp Monday morning at 9 a.m. at the New Ulm Civic Center.

Steel head coach and GM Alex North said that the first few days of training camp is a chance for the players to scrape off the barnacles and rust for the players on the ice.

North, who has watched the vast majority of the players in person when recruiting them, said Monday was a day to introduce them to how my practices go.

“There is a lot of high-tempo, a lot of moving around,” he said. “Not much standing around and a lot of passing and skating.”

North said that as training camp progresses, he will eventually implement his systems.

“Right now it is just getting the players to get to know each other,” he said. “I like to have fun in practices and I think that some of the newer players area little nervous. But towards the end of practice, they were more comfortable.”

North said that the players realize that this 2022-23 edition of the Steel is a good team.

“We are obviously better than we were last year,” North said. “We put in a lot of work this summer to make sure we were bringing in the right players.”

Talk from some of the Steel was that this team can play for the NA3HL apple of the Fraser Cup.

“There is no reason that we can’t, but that comes down to them on the ice doing the work,” North said. “We will point them in the right direction, but there is no reason that we can’t. Our (West) division is the toughest and that is the measuring stick.

“Our guys are very quick and fast and we are a lot bigger than we were last season — we have three or four players who are over 6-foot-3 and they can all skate.”

When asked if he felt that there was one or two players that Steel fans will be impressed by, North said newcomer Macrae Gordon.

“He will probably be the hardest working player on the ice every single game,” North said. “And then Gavin Wohlmacher (Moon Township PA, and the Indy Jrs of the North American Prospects League), our young goalie. He looked very good today. All he wants to do is compete.”

North said teams will be in for a battle when they take on the Steel this year.

“All of these kids have skill, but we are going to be the hardest working team,” North said. “Teams will find out that this year they will be in for a battle when they play us.”

STEEL HAVE BILLET HOMES: One big plus that the New Ulm Steel have this year — and that not many other teams have — is a surplus of billet homes ( host families) for players. The Steel thank all of the billet families again this year.