The Dundee Stars are back on the ice this week on Tayside as preparations begin for the 2025/26 season.
Head Coach Marc LeFebvre returns behind the bench for his third consecutive year in Dundee, having guided the team to the Playoffs in each of the previous two campaigns.
Ahead of the new season, LeFebvre said:
The start of the season is always exciting: for the fans, the players, and the coaches. It’s great to get everyone together and start building for the new season.
Week one is all about implementing our systems, guys getting to know each other, and building chemistry. We’ll focus on conditioning and a lot of battle drills. Sometimes players pick up bad habits playing with their buddies back home, so we try to get that out of them in the first week and start building toward proper hockey. Day one is usually the toughest for the players with the way we structure our drills, but it’s exciting to get them all on the ice together and begin the process.
The Stars play the fewest pre-season games of any EIHL side, with just one scheduled against Concordia University. The Canadian visitors have already faced Nottingham and Cardiff on their UK tour, and now provide a unique test for LeFebvre’s team.
“Concordia are a different kind of opponent than we’re used to in the league, so it’ll be a good challenge for us,” he added. “Pre-season isn’t always about the result, even though we want to win and build morale, it’s about making sure we’re playing the right way and developing our system. We’ll make tweaks as we go, test line combinations, and work on special teams. The fans will be excited to see the new guys and the returners, and that’s always special when we play in front of them for the first time. But the most important thing is being ready for the Cup and the league.”
Photo: Derek Black