by Trevor Howlett, Fort McMurray TODAY

It will still be roughly 10 months before a Keyano Huskies men's hockey team takes the ice, but head coach Paul Strand has a lot of preparations to make long before then.

"I think the big thing right now is assembling a team," Strand told Today.

"Obviously when you've got a new hockey team, there are lots of things that need to be done, but right now we're focusing on recruiting."

The Huskies are looking to enter into the 2012-13 season of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference men's hockey division, but still need to build a lineup from scratch.

Much of the ACAC is made from former Junior A players — namely the AJHL and SJHL — although some teams also have former WHLers as well.

Right now Strand is focusing on Junior A players, including some familiar faces.

"I went to the Alberta Junior Hockey League showcase down in Spruce Grove a little while back and then I went to the SJHL showcase in Estevan and then I've just been contacting players from the various leagues and identifying the type of kid that can play at this level and would possibly want to come," said Strand. (pictured below with youth from the Carolina Hurricanes outreach program)

Current, former MOB players' interest

"I think that's the biggest thing is the recruiment. It's definitely very early and I'm not sure I should give their names because nothing is official, but there are definitely some current and former Fort McMurray Oil Barons that have expressed interest in coming here.

"There's three or four considering it right now and two that I'd say are close to committing."

Some of the players who Strand has spoken to are still waiting to hear whether they will be recruited for NCAA hockey before making the decision to play in the ACAC.

Strand said he also feels when all is said and done, some of the players on the roster may be players who have played minor-pro or hockey in Europe.

Strand said he has found that Fort McMurray has a wealth of people with hockey knowledge, including some former players who played with Strand in the past, so he shouldn't have any trouble recruiting the rest of the staff.

Women's division a possibility

The team will also need a place to play, which is still in early negotiations.

Assuming everything works out with their yet-to-be-chosen facility and ice time availability, Strand feels Keyano could be interested in starting a women's team in the next few years.

"I think that'd be the next step, the ACAC has a women's division and once we get our team up and running and everything done, we can look at it," said Strand.

"The no. 1 concern is with the facilities we have; there's a lack of storage ... but otherwise I don't see why not. I heard the Fort McMuray minor hockey has a record number of girls this year, so the demand is there and it'd be nice to have a place for them to play in the future."

New jerseys

One of the most exciting parts of any new team is the chance to see new uniforms. Strand doesn't have a set date for when they new Huskies hockey jerseys will be revealed, but he has some ideas for style and design.

"You definitely want to have something that has a classic look to it," said Strand.

"We're looking at a lot of different styles that have been around for quite a while in the NHL, looking at the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings style and taking those and changing the colours and putting the Huskies into that.

"We don't want a lot of bells and whistles, we want something to stand the test of time."