The Eastman Selects knew last summer, that regardless of how they finished the 2016-2017 Manitoba "AAA" Midget Hockey League season, they would be playing in April.

The Selects recorded 25 wins during the regular season schedule, eliminated the Winnipeg Thrashers in the opening round of the playoffs and then took the eventual champions to a fifth and deciding game in the semifinals before bowing out to the Winnipeg Wild.

After a week off to heal a number of bumps and bruises, followed by a few practice sessions to get accustomed to the T.G. Smith Centre, the Selects are ready to begin the 2017 Telus Cup West Regional Hockey Championship which begins Thursday in Steinbach.

"I'm pretty fired up," said Eastman defenseman and Steinbach native Burke Heide. "It's going to be a great competitive atmosphere and it should be a good tight tournament."

The Selects, who are the host team, will open the West Regional against the Thunder Bay Kings on Thursday, play the Regina Pat Canadians on Friday and the Winnipeg Wild on Saturday in their round robin finale.

"There's a bunch of good teams," said Eastman defenseman Cole DeKoninck. "We just got to stick to our game plan and hopefully get a couple of wins and move on."

Regina forward Lukas Sillinger had 26 goals and 52 assists in 40 regular season games for the Saskatchewan "AAA" Midget Hockey League champions and then added 17 more points in the playoffs.

"That's pretty unreal," said Selects forward and Steinbach product Braydon Brown on Sillinger's season. "It will also be hard to keep up with the speed of the Wild, but it'll be fun."

The top two teams will advance to the championship game on Sunday and that winner will move on to the Telus Cup National "AAA" Midget Hockey Championship in Prince George from April 24th - 30th.