The Kelowna Rockets first training camp under head coach Jason Smith came to an end with their final scrimmage Wednesday night.
The 30 or so players remaining will begin practicing and preparing for the first of five pre-season games Saturday night against the visiting Victoria Royals.
Smith, in his first year as a head coach at any level, was excited with the way camp went.
"I think the work ethic and the effort level from the players has been there. We've tried to put them through a variety of different drills and structures that will help us throughout the season with our system play," said Smith.
He said it's been a challenge but exciting at the same time to be able to put your own stamp on something.
"We spent a lot of time as a staff talking about the things we wanted to work on to develop the structure in our game, and put down the blueprint of what we want," Smith said.
"We worked at it on a daily basis. We didn't over analyze things, or put too much information out. We wanted to make it very player friendly, but also very detail oriented."
Smith is the fourth head coach for the Rockets in four seasons.
While not differentiating his preferred style from those before him, Smith said he does know the style he would like to see the team incorporate this season.
"I believe if we are a team that uses our speed, and skates, and we pressure the puck, we can create turnovers. I think our defence are going to be a big part of our success," said Smith.
"Our back end should be stable and the anchors of our team. We have some skilled guys up front who can definitely put the puck in the net."
A former NHL defenceman, Smith said he expects good things from the back end this season.
"I think that's going to be a strong point of our team. We've got some guys who are capable of playing some big minutes and are very competitive," he said.
"If we can continue to push the buttons that will make them competitive...we've got a good group that can have success."
The Rockets will also host Kamloops Sept. 9 and Vancouver Sept. 16 before opening the regular season Saturday, Sept. 24 against the Blazers.