Reporter staff<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Jerret Smith left the ice with a smile and a shake of the head.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The mighty mites left a big impression on the former Seattle Thunderbirds captain.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “Really good. The skill level is definitely better than when I was a kid,” Smith said after coaching 9-, 10- and 11-year-olds for a two-hour session Monday on ShoWare Center ice at the Thunderbirds Scoring, Stick handling and Skating Hockey Camp. “It’s great to see them fly around with the skills I never had when I was younger.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Smith, who lives in Surrey, British Columbia, returned to Kent to be a part of the instructional staff. The week-long camp provided advanced on-ice skill development experience for players all ages, from 9 to 18 and older. The T-Birds offer the camp over a two-week period each summer.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n “It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Smith, a 6-foot-2, 212-pound defenseman who played out his eligibility with the T-Birds and will compete for the University of British Columbia this season. “It’s great to come back and be with the Thunderbirds. It’s a great experience working with the kids.”<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Smith joined T-Birds assistant coach Matt O’Dette, right wingers Luke Osterman and Luke Ormsby as lead instructors at the camp.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Youth and adult groups received on-ice instruction that included puck handling in open ice and traffic; power skating; focusing on technique, speed and agility; shooting techniques and shot selection; defensive\/offensive positioning and theory; body protection, checking and safety (for 12-and-up players); and small space games.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Training camp begins<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Thunderbirds \u2013\u00a0Western Hockey League finalists last spring \u2013 open training camp on Wednesday, Aug. 24, with four scrimmages at the ShoWare Center.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The scrimmages will be between four teams made up of players born in 2000 and 2001. Team Blue plays Team Gray at 9 a.m. and Team White plays Team Green at 10:45 a.m. Team Blue plays Team White at 4:30 p.m. and Team Gray plays Team Green at 6:15 p.m. Training Camp continues on Thursday, Aug. 25, with four more scrimmages between the teams at the same times.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n More scrimmages are scheduled for Aug. 26, 27 and 28.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The Blue-White matchup \u2013\u00a0a full 60-minute, three-period game \u2013 faces off at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 29, the last day of training camp. Teams will wear T-Birds white and blue game jerseys.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n All scrimmages and the Blue-White game are open to the public free of charge. Fans should enter the ShoWare Center from the east side of the building.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Exhibition slate<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p>\n The T-Birds will play seven tune-ups, beginning with the Everett Silvertips Holiday Inn Preseason Classic at Xfinity Arena on Sept. 2-4. The first game is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 2, against the Everett Silvertips.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The T-Birds will conclude their preseason schedule with a home-and-home series against the Silvertips. The T-Birds host the Silvertips on Friday, Sept. 16, at 7:35 p.m. and then visit Everett on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 7:05 p.m.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n The T-Birds open the regular season in Portland against the Winterhawks at 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. The T-Birds’ home opener is 7:05 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1 against Portland.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n