Hamilton Hammers kick off training camp at TD Coliseum

The Hamilton Hammers opened their first training camp at TD coliseum Thursday morning.

“The energy was high and we got a lot of system stuff in and we want to get that hammered down before we start the season,” Coach Jay McKee says.

McKee played most of his NHL career down the QEW in Buffalo but coached the OHL’s Hamilton Bulldogs to a championship five years ago.

“Same walls, different building … I have a lot of great memories here in this city and even down the road in Brantford,” McKee says.

Hamilton native Brandon Scanlin is entering his sixth professional season. He has one NHL game under his belt but is looking for more.

“It was definitely an experience of a lifetime … and I think to just keep improving and I obviously saw all the levels in that game so it’s definitely attainable but something that we have to chip away everyday,” Scanlin says.

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He attended a Hamilton Bulldogs training camp when he was 16 but this will be Scanlin’s first time playing professional at home.

“This is my first time home in ten years so for a lot of extended family, even just my parents and my brother, it’s good for them to be home and be around them and have them around me a little more,” Scanlin says.

Fellow defenseman Ethan Bear has played in 275 NHL games and will be counted on as one of the seasoned “vets” on this team.

“My goal is to try to get back to the NHL if I can. But most importantly, we have to win games to do that. So I’m trying to do whatever I can to win,” Bear says.

“Ethan’s a great veteran presence. He’s got a ton of poise on the ice, he’s been through a lot of different scenarios, he’s had to find solutions and carries himself with really high character. To have a guy like him around, he’s a team builder, a culture setter. We’re grateful to have a guy like him,” McKee says.

There are a few more players at the New York Islanders training camp who will be sent down to the Hammers before the season starts on Oct. 2 in Belleville.

READ MORE: Hamilton Hammers sign forward Max Ellis to one-year AHL contract