Training Camp for 2026-27 Season Opens
Aug. 23, 2026
Cloquet, MN
For immediate release
The quest for a successful follow-up to the 2025-26 season for the Minnesota Wilderness begins today.
Training camp officially opened today for the Wilderness who seek to build upon the results from last season,
where the team advanced to the Robertson Cup Finals for the second time in franchise history and set or tied
dozens of team and individual records.
Thirty-four players are vying for what will be a 23-man roster once regular season games commence. The
camp is comprised of 20 forwards, 10 defensemen and four goaltenders. Of those 34, eight played most of
last season with the Wilderness. The returners are forwards Robinson Djian, Max Edwards, River Freeman,
and Kevin Lysohir, along with defensemen Deegan Hoffbauer, Jack Martens, Cayden Neice and Owen Smith.
This will also mark the first camp for the Wilderness’ new coaching staff of head coach Sam Graham and
assistant coach Mitch Callahan.
All camp on-ice activities will be held at Wessman Arena in Superior, WI, on the campus of the University of
Wisconsin-Superior (UWS). Wessman Arena is the host due to renovations being completed at the
Wilderness’ official home arena – Northwoods Credit Union Arena in Cloquet.
The camp kicked off Sunday with a day of testing with the team’s strength and conditioning coaches followed
by a team dinner that included players’ billet families. Players will officially hit the ice for their first practice
on Monday. The first week will conclude with a green vs. white intra-squad scrimmage set for 1:30 p.m. on
Saturday, Aug. 29 th . The public will be welcome to attend that scrimmage free of charge.
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The Wilderness will play two exhibition games against a familiar foe before the regular season opens.
Minnesota will take on the Austin Bruins at UWS on Friday, September 4 at 7 p.m. before heading to Austin,
MN, for a rematch at 6:05 p.m. on Sept. 5. The Bruins and Wilderness met in the Robertson Cup semi-finals
last May in Blaine, MN, in a best 2-out-of-3 series, in which the Wilderness won, 2-games-to-none. This also
marks the sixth consecutive season the two intra-state rivals have played pre-season games.
The regular season kicks off Sept. 11 with the Wilderness traveling to Brookfield, WI, for the first of a 2-game
series at the Wisconsin Windigo.