The Swift Current Broncos carry two good goaltending stories into the 2017-18 season as they gear up for a visit to Regina tonight.

Rookie Joel Hofer opened the season with a 5-2 win in Saskatoon coming up with a strong performance in his first WHL start.

"It was really fun - at the beginning I was kind of nervous because of the long wait (due to an extended pre-game ceremony)," he said. "The guys played hard in front of me, and it was pretty easy to do my job."

Hofer noted it was a thrill when he won a spot on the roster as a 17-year-old.

"It was amazing. After working and training hard all summer and in camp, it was great to be rewarded for everything that I've done."

Meanwhile, 20-year-old Logan Flodell begins his Broncos career tonight in Regina after being added from the Blades in a big deal last week.

He's looking forward to the opportunity to play against the team that knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs last season.

"I wasn't here for the rivalry last year, but I'm excited - it's going to be a battle out there," Flodell said. "It's a hometown game for me, so it's going to be cool to have lots of family and friends there... but we've got to get the win. That's the basis of it."

The goaltender says he put in lots of work this summer and is ready to translate it on the ice.

"I worked really hard this summer - this was the hardest summer," he said. "I've gotten in better shape, so I just have to put all the stuff that I've done into use. Practices have been good so far - it's good to be back in a rink."

Flodell's career took a major leap forward last season with the Blades. He had split starting duties with Taz Burman in Seattle as an 18-year-old before the Thunderbirds dealt Burman and a pick to the Broncos for veteran Landon Bow.

After taking some lessons from Bow's success on a trip to the WHL final, Flodell excelled as a starter for Saskatoon last season.

"It was a learning curve," Flodell said. "(Bow) showed me a lot of things. The work ethic and stuff like that was exactly what I needed because last year I played a lot of games. That's how you learn you've got to have an older guy in front of you. Hopefully I can help Hofer this year and show him what it's like in the league, but I've got to be ready to play a lot of games this year."

Hofer sees things a similar way as he looks at his rookie season as an education.

"Get a year under my belt you know," Hofer said. "I don't know much about this league, but after this year I'm sure I'll get a good grasp of it. Logan is a good leader and he'll show me the steps for being in the WHL."

Flodell felt like focusing on the mental side of the game was a factor in his improvement last season as a second team WHL Eastern Conference All-Star and Blades MVP.

"It's almost like playing bad is what gets you there," Flodell said. "Then you have to bounce back and that's what is going to make you a consistent goalie. You're going to have bad nights everyone lets in five goals the odd time, but it's how you control yourself mentally and prepare. It's being there every day. Working hard in practice is a big key. You want to be on the ice as much as you can and take lots of shots just to stay focused and ready for the game."

The Broncos have released overage netminder Taz Burman after adding Flodell from Saskatoon.

Now the focus turns to a Regina team that the Broncos got to know very well in a second round playoff loss last season.

"Going into Regina you can expect exactly what we saw in playoffs," said Broncos Coach/Direcetor of Player Personnel Manny Viveiros. "It's going to be a very high tempo game and a very physical game."

You can hear tonight's game from Regina live on The Eagle 94.1 with Robertson Family Group Broncos Hockey at 6:30pm.