More than fifty young hockey prospects, largely from the Sudbury region but with a nice handful jumping aboard from across the north gathered in Chelmsford this past weekend for the fifth anniversary of the RAC Hockey Development Camp.

Hosted and organized by long-time local hockey man and Kitchener Rangers' scout Tark Bertrand, the camp included not only a boatload of on-ice workouts and games, but also featured on-ice combine drills, guest speakers, goalie specific training and the like.

The young prospects ranged in age from 14 to 18, pretty much all of which have experienced some hockey at the "AAA" level or very close to it, with most having dreams of suiting up with a junior team at some point in their teenage years.

A fixture on the blueline of the Sudbury U18 "AAA" Wolves this winter, Robert Landry got his first taste of the next level, dressing for nine games with the Espanola Paper Kings of the NOJHL and netting his first goal in that league in the playoffs.

"Even though I am not a big guy, I have to be physically-minded when I am playing junior, finishing my checks and stuff," said the 17 year-old grade 11 student at Lo-Ellen Park Secondary School.

"I've got to play like I am bigger."

Recording 15 points as a rookie in the Great North U18 AAA League in 2024-2025 as a member of the Sudbury U16 "AAA" Wolves, Landry climbed the ranks to the U18 club this year and nearly doubled his points, finishing the season with nine goals and 18 assists in 36 games.

Given that this was a campaign which began with rumours swirling about his team folding completely in early fall, it's easy to understand why Landry and his mates look back with pride on a journey that saw the group bow out in the league semi-finals in mid-March.

"It was a rough start, to be honest with you," said Landry. "But there was a brotherhood in the dressing room, supporting each other on and off the ice. That really helped us get our confidence up and perform to our best."