Since being acquired by the Wolverines in early June, Noah Westgate has been focused on improving his game.
Now just a week away from his first training camp with the Wolverines, the Hinton, Alberta native is chomping at the bit to arrive in Waywayseecappo and start a new chapter in his hockey career.
“This offseason has been huge for me in terms of development and becoming stronger,” Westgate shared over the phone. “It’s always been a goal of mine to keep working on my skating and getting faster. I feel faster on the ice now than I did at the start of the summer so it’s been great to see.”
“I spent a lot of my time training and preparing for the season this summer. Had some time to get away to BC for a bit with some friends, the weather hasn’t been great but I’ve been trying to enjoy it.”
The 19-year-old will enter training camp with some former teammates and current Wolverines. Westgate has played with Conrad Phillips, Gerrick Ripley, Dylan Soosay and Matt Kasowski. He says that he’s excited about what the guys have been telling him about their time with the Wolverines.
“They’ve told me it’s a great experience and that they love it in Waywayseecappo. They’re excited for me to come and I’m thrilled to come and see the province, I’m ready to get going.”
As for Westgate’s expectations of the league and his own game for the season, he wants to be a go-to guy for Wolverines Head Coach & General Manager, Taylor Harnett.
“I want to come in and make an impact right from the start. I’ve had a monster off-season of training, I think I put in more work than I ever had before. Expectations are pretty high for myself as I come in, and I just want to help the team.”
“From a league standpoint, I’ll come in with an open mind. It’s hard to have expectations when you haven’t seen the league. I know it’s fast, I know its good, I’m pretty open-minded and I’ll be ready to go,” Westgate concluded.
Wolverines fans will get their first glimpse at Noah Westgate when training camp opens up on Friday, August 30 at the Waywayseecappo Arena Complex.