by: Andrew Lennox, minotauroshockey.com

As the summer draws to a close, forward Colby Joseph will be returning to Minot for his second year with the Tauros.

Throughout the summer, Joseph had time to reflect on the disappointing end to last season and said, “We had a solid first half, and the second half wasn’t quite the way we wanted it to end. Not making the playoffs definitely hurt.”

He feels Minot will be able to recover from last year and get back to the playoffs with the roster the Tauros coaching staff has assembled. “I think we have an excellent returning group with a lot of experience. We also have a lot of promising quality newcomers coming in.”

Following this season, Joseph spent his summer back home in Elkhorn, Manitoba, Canada. “My summers are very different compared to other guys on the team. I live on a farm, and we show horses. This offseason, my family showed horses at the World Percheron Congress show. The show was about an hour away from my hometown. I also went down to the North Dakota State Fair. That was lots of fun.”

When Joseph is away from his hometown playing hockey, he considers Minot a second home. He misses being away from the kindness of residents in the community, “I go into the rink every weekend when we’re playing at home, and the amount of support is amazing. At the fair, I saw some billets and fans who remembered me. I will always remember the games, but I will also remember the relationships I’ve made. Minot is so welcoming, and it’s incredible. I have the best billets ever. It’s just awesome,” he said.

The excitement for the new season has been building up for Joseph and his teammates since the Tauros main camp earlier in the summer in Hudson, Wisconsin. “I was coming home from the main camp and texted some guys. I can’t believe I missed them already. All of us have been texting each other throughout the summer. We have something special this year. I’m so thrilled and can’t wait to get across the border and get down there.” The 19-year-old said.

Joseph and his teammates will report back to Minot for the Tauros training camp beginning on August 20th in preparation for the 2022-2023 NAHL regular season.