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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

PELHAM – Public training camp practices for the Birmingham Bulls started on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Just two days into it, coach Craig Simchuk said it’s like the players have already been together for two months.

“That’s the thing that we’ve been preaching is culture and bringing in the right characters, and I’m excited to get going just because this group already feels like they’ve been together for a couple months,” Simchuk said on Oct. 9. “They’re hanging out off the ice and they feel very connected when they’re on the ice and everyone’s getting along, so it’s been a great couple days so far.”

Much of that continuity comes from a solid group of 10 veterans returning to the Bulls for the 2025-26 season.

Many include key contributors from a season ago like the 90-point forward duo of twin brothers Arkhip and Filimon Ledziankou, who made the SPHL All-Rookie Team last season, veteran center MacGregor Sinclair, a 20-goal scorer in Kolten Olynek, goaltender Hayden Stewart and defensive pieces like Jamie Dorsey.

Beyond their contributions on the ice, Simchuk has been encouraged by how the veterans have showed the newcomers around Pelham and helped them settle into the city and dressing room.

“It’s a huge advantage whenever you can start a season right off the bat with about 10 familiar faces that have been here and done that,” Simchuk said. “They’re the leaders when the coaches aren’t around.  So, they’re taking guys under their wings and showing them out in the community and helping with apartments and whatnot, so it really does help a lot having older guys.”

That said, there is plenty of turnover from last year’s squad which reached the SPHL semifinals.

One of the most high-profile moves was the retirement of starting goaltender Austin Lotz, who now serves as a Public Relations and Sales Associate with the team. However, leading goalscorer Carson Rose has moved on as well as stars like Nikita Kozyrev, Drake Glover, Troy MacTavish, Taylor Brierley and Kyler Matthews.

Despite the large amount of big names departing, Simchuk likes what he’s seen from the newcomers taking their places.

He particularly pointed to forward Parker Saretsky, a 26-year old who played in Germany last year, has ECHL experience and is good friends with Sinclair. However, he believes there are plenty of young players who will slide into the starting line spots that those fan favorites left behind and not miss a beat.

“We did lose a couple veteran players last year, but I also think there’s room for other players to step into those roles,” Simchuk said. “I think we’re going to have some really good young players.”

He said the biggest thing so far is seeing how the players integrate into the team culture. He believes it’s a strong, player-led culture that was intentionally crafted by the front office this offseason,

“Obviously, every new guy’s coming from a different program, from college or another pro team, so trying to get them on the same page, that’s going to take time. But the one thing that everyone can do is control your work ethic and your attitude,” Simchuk said. “So, that’s kind of how we’ve been trying to with players right now is, ‘Do they compete? Do they battle? Are they showing up early? And are they saying, yes, sir, thank you, ma’am.’

“Those things go a long way in determining the right people, but so far, everyone’s putting their hard hat on and been going to work every day. So, it’s been good, and hopefully, we continue it for the next seven months.”

Stylistically, Simchuk believes the team will be similar to how it played last year, but he’s honed in on preaching toughness and dedication to his players. He hopes that taking care of the little things will lead to bigger things like a strong forecheck, physical defense and better goal-scoring opportunities.

“Our message from day one is, ‘Everybody’s got to buy in. I don’t care if you score 50 goals or you score one, you still got to do the little things of finishing your checks and being hard and going to the right places,’” Simchuk said. “And it’s not easy. Those aren’t easy things to do, but they’re also the ones that win you hockey games. So, that’s kind of been our approach to training camp is instilling the intensity, and we’ve seen it so far.”

The Bulls have been up and down the last few seasons. They won the President’s Cup as regular-season champions in 2023-24 before getting upset in the first round, and after hovering around the playoff cutline last year with inconsistent results, made a late surge to host a home playoff game and make the semifinals, where they lost in a decisive Game 3 to the Knoxville Ice Bears.

Simchuk chalked up the collapse two seasons ago to a lack of adversity during the regular season. Last year, that wasn’t the case as the adversity came earlier, namely over the holidays when Rose and Stewart spent time on injured reserve and Arkhip Ledziankou was loaned out to the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings for a couple of games.

He believes facing those tests earlier in the season helped prepare them for the playoff chase. While he doesn’t hope to face a run of poor results and injuries like that again, he hopes that if they do, it’ll make them stronger.

“We don’t want to face adversity, but sometimes, it’s good,” Simchuk said. “It brings you back down to reality, and then you go back to work. So, obviously, we want a fresh start, a clean, a good start this season, but I know there’s going to be bumps in the road, so hopefully, they’re not too big and we learn and carry it over down to playoffs.”

However, the Bulls organization has already faced one of its greatest tests in recent history.

The June death of longtime team president and Columbiana native Joe Stroud at the age of 53 rocked the entire team, from the front office where he worked all the way into the dressing room.

Despite their continued grief, Simchuk said navigating Stroud’s loss together helped unify the team from top to bottom as they stepped up to fill his day-to-day role and shared the grieving process.

“Honestly, it brought a lot of people together, the whole front office, the hockey side, worked very well and became very united this offseason just getting everything rolling because we always say that the product on game day is a result of all the hard work in the summer behind the scenes,” Simchuk said. “So, it wasn’t easy, but everyone stepped up that much more, and I’m excited to see how everything translates.”

The Bulls will wear a special “JOE” shoulder patch on their jerseys this season to honor his life and legacy. It’s a tribute that means a lot to many in the organization, Simchuk included, and he hopes that the team can honor his legacy with another successful run.

“He did his job, and he did it well, but he was so passionate and cared so much, and I think so many people thrived off that, his energy on game days, and, to wear a patch on the shoulder, always remember Joe, I think it’s unbelievable,” Simchuk said. “I’m excited because I think, for me personally, it is definitely a season dedicated to him, so hopefully some of the other guys feel the same way.”

The Birmingham Bulls will begin their tribute season for Stroud on Friday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. against the Evansville Thunderbolts at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena.

For the full schedule, visit Bullshockey.net/schedule . Tickets can be purchased on Ticketmaster or at the PCCIA box office.