The Des Moines Buccaneers continue to be a staple of hockey in the Midwest – with 30 years of experience the team has won four Anderson Cup regular season championships, as well as four “Tier 1” National Championships and 4 Clark Cup Playoff Championships.  Des Moines is an amazing city that has supported the Des Moines Buccaneers for over 30 years. Playing hockey in this city affords our athletes many academic, cultural, and entertainment opportunities that serve to improve the overall experience of playing junior hockey.

Along with the team success and the support of a great community, a number of Buccaneer players have continued to have success in the sport of hockey long after their days in Des Moines were over. We have been the starting point for over 200 collegiate hockey players.  On this year’s roster, 15 of our player’s have committed to play at Division I schools after completing their junior hockey careers.  Our league places over 100 players annually in Division I college hockey. This means that you will be playing with and competing against the finest players in North America. If you want to be the best, you must compete against the best each day at practice and in every game.

The Buccaneers will hold their 2010 tryout camp starting on Thursday, June 17th and ending on Sunday, June 20th at Buccaneer Arena. Approximately 100 players will take part in the camp, which begins on Thursday night at 6:00 p.m.  Friday and Saturday teams will play morning and afternoon games - with camp concluding in a top prospect game on Sunday morning.

Most prominent among the camp participants are returning players T.J. Tynan, Luke Sandler, Blake Doerring, Mitch Cain, Colton Saucerman, Cal Decowski, Garrett Orhn, Connor Frick, Taylor Wolfe and Charles Williams.  The Buccaneers will also bring their affiliate players to camp including Justin Selman, Max Gardiner, Kevin Irwin, Joe Faust, Kyle Sucher and Zane Popilock.

This weekend will also present Bucs fans with their first chance to watch Peter Stoykewych and Brendan O'Donnell, the team's first and second round picks in the recent USHL Entry Draft.  Also in attendance, at this time, from the USHL Entry and Futures Drafts will be Nicholas Kulmanovsky, Patrick Kirtland, Andrew Miller, Daniel Milan, Christian Frey, Connor Kucera, Gavin Tufte, John Olen, Logan Nelson, Luke Veitch, David Jacobson, Willie Faust, Ray Pigozzi, Ian Spencer, Connor Wood, Eric Sade and Liam McDermott.

Details on teams and rosters will be available next week - with a complete schedule posted online on Wednesday.  Teams will get the opportunity to practice with the Buccaneers coaching staff Thursday evening.  Games will be played Friday morning and Friday evening, Saturday morning and Saturday evening.  The All-Star game is scheduled for Sunday morning - with the roster being available at the arena prior to the game.  Buccaneer merchandise will be available for sale during the weekend, with a schedule for times being posted early next week.

This year, fans can again have the chance to enter a Pick-the-Best contest on Saturday. Ballots listing all of the players participating will be available in the Pirate's Cove, Blackbeard's Lounge and the front office for fans, who will then be able to choose who they feel are the best players in the game. The fan who picks the most players who make the Buccaneers' post-camp roster will win - with the prize being announced during camp.  In the event of a tie for the most correct choices, the winner will be drawn randomly from among the tied ballots.

All tryout camp events are free and open to the public.

Please look for prospective player information following the 2010 tryout camp.