The Albert Lea Thunder is reaching out to the community with a hockey camp that begins Monday at the City Arena.

The Thunder coaching staff will hold a camp for mini mites, mites and squirts starting Monday and running through Friday at 8 a.m. and ending at 1 p.m. A second camp for pee wees and bantams will be held beginning Aug. 25 and ending on Aug. 29 and will run during the evening beginning at 6:30 p.m. and finishing at 10 p.m. The cost of the camp is $175.

Head coach Brad Zangs and assistant coach Brian Murphy will lead the camp and Thunder players will be on hand to assist with the camp.

“I want to really stress to the youth hockey to let them know that I’m here to help out, and build a good foundation with our organization and the youth program,” Zangs said.

For the mites the camp will focus on skating and making sure the young players learn proper skating techniques. At the pee wee and bantam level the Thunder will work with players on timing drills, passing and other skills.

The camp will allow the public to meet some of the Thunder players.

“The Thunder boys are excited to make sure they meet the kids and get to meet the parents,” Murphy said. “Obviously they’re here to play hockey, but that’s a little thing that they’re doing here.”

Zangs and Murphy feel that the players should have a strong community involvement and the camp is one of the steps they believe will aid in the process.

“They really want to get to know the kids of the youth hockey and they really want to give something back,” Zangs said. “That’s one thing you get from hockey people — you start at mites and when you get older you’re always going to give something back to hockey.”

Six players are expected to work with the youth hockey players throughout the camp as the team prepares for its own practice which begins Aug. 25

The Thunder will open camp with a practice from 1 to 3 p.m. Aug. 25 and will follow with a 10 mile run around Fountain Lake in the late afternoon. The team has not released the roster yet, but is planning to announce the team some time in August, according to the team’s Web site.

The Thunder begins the NAHL season Sept. 17 with the NAHL Showcase in Blaine against the Kenai River Brown Bears. The NAHL Showcase is a three day tournament.