There will no doubt be some nerves for young hockey players over the next few days at Mosaic Place as they take part in their first training camp with the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Getting those nerves out of the way quickly will be the key to having a strong camp for the first time attendees.

“It’s very nerve-racking, but at the same time you just have to be yourself and work hard every time you get on the ice, but it’s definitely nerve-racking being a rookie coming in,” said forward Brayden Watts.

Watts won’t have to deal with those nerves this time around with his spot on the team secure as he heads into his second season with the Tribe.

The Warriors will open training camp on Thursday morning with their fitness testing and then the rookies hit the ice for the rest of the day with practices and scrimmages throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Austin Herron, a third round pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, has arrived early for his first training camp with the Warriors. He is looking forward to the experiences that are in front of him over the next week.

“It’s going to be a great time, putting in hard work, meeting a bunch of guys that have played in the league for the past few years and hoping to get to where they are next year,” said Herron, who signed his WHL Standard Player Agreement at this spring’s Prospects Camp.

The six-foot-three defenceman knows that there’s a lot of hard work in front of him this weekend to prove to the coaches that he belongs.

The 15-year-old can’t make the Warriors this season and will be playing with the Yale Academy U18 team this season. He still looking to make a good impression on the Warriors’ staff.

“Guys are a lot stronger at this level, so you’ve got to skate harder, shoot faster, but it’s just about the hard work that you’ve put in to get here and hopefully you can keep your spot here,” said Herron.

Rookie camp wraps up on Friday night with a scrimmage at 5 p.m. and then it’s onto main camp over the weekend.

That’s when the competition really picks up as players look to battle for the limited roster spots open on the team.

Watts is coming in with his spot pretty secure as the Warriors are expecting some good things from the Bakersfield, California product this season.

The 17-year-old scored three goals and finished with five points in 57 games during his rookie season with the Warriors. He showed flashes of the skill that he brings to the table and now he’s looking to put that on display more regularly.

“I’m really excited for the season, I’m very confident about this year,” said Watts. “I learned how hard it is to compete and how hard it is to play in this league and how hard you have to work every day.”

Watts said playing with more consistency is his goal for this season and becoming a player that the team can count on.

“Obviously the team goal is to get to the playoffs and move on, but personally, I’m just looking to have more of a role on the team,” said Watts.

He’ll start battling for that bigger role on Saturday when main camp kicks off. The veterans will be on the ice on Friday for practices before main camp opens on the weekend.

The annual Black and White Game closes out camp on Sunday at 4 p.m. Click here for a full camp schedule and roster.