It’s that time of year again: out with the old, in with the new.

And Stampeders linebacker Fraser Sopik, fresh off an afternoon on a Florida golf course, is welcoming a clean slate on the football field.

With a nickname like his – teammates call him “Soap” – that should hardly come as a surprise.

Stamps fans don’t need to be reminded that last season ended in gut-wrenching fashion after the Red and White went back and forth with Saskatchewan in the Western Semi-Final. For those not in-the-know, Calgary jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after the first of three interceptions by Jonathan Moxey. The Riders would go up by as many as nine in the third quarter, and Rene Paredes made a last-minute field goal in the fourth before the Green Guys sent the Stampeders packing in double-overtime.

But instead of ruminating over the past, Sopik is choosing to look to the future.

“In terms of the ending of the season, it’s just something that you’ve got to get flushed in the off-season,” explained Sopik, who turns 25 years old on Monday. “When that happened, I think everyone was pretty motivated to get back to work in whatever way they do. I’m maximizing the months that we have off to hopefully have a better ending than last year.”

His position group will look different this year as Darnell Sankey has moved on to the aforementioned Roughriders and Calgary traded with Toronto for the rights to Cameron Judge. The Stampeders also made the free-agent acquisition of DJ Lalama, who has 33 games of CFL experience spilt between the Alouettes and Blue Bombers.

Despite some changes, there will be some key returning pieces alongside Sopik including 2018 Grey Cup starter Jameer Thurman.

“Bringing Thurm back is huge and everyone knows what you’re getting with him since he’s the leader of our room,” explained Sopik. “Other guys who are returning are solid guys too who have done a good job for us. And Cam and DJ are both good football players who have been in the league and are proven. I think anytime you add people like that, everyone is excited. We expect nothing less than solid performances from everyone.”

Sopik joined the league via the 2019 CFL draft. The fourth-round pick was coming off a stellar career at Western which included a 2017 Vanier Cup championship and most-outstanding-defensive-player honours in the title-clinching win for the Mustangs.

Fast-forward three years and Sopik has suited up for all 32 regular-season games in his two seasons of action. Based on his experience, he’s now sharing some words of encouragement for the newest class of prospective Stamps set to join the fraternity. This year’s draft will be held May 3.

“I would just come in with no expectations,” he said. “These guys will be drafted for a reason and our coaches do a fantastic job with the draft – you could tell throughout the whole process that they prioritize it for a reason. If you go in with the right mindset and you work hard and you do the right things, you will be given an opportunity. When I was drafted, I don’t think I was necessarily supposed to make the team, but it just goes to show that nothing is set in stone.”

In addition to his pair of sacks on defence, Sopik has since flourished on special teams, racking up 23 tackles, one forced fumble and one blocked punt as part of coordinator Mark Kilam’s crew.

Add it all up and No. 47 is expecting even bigger and better things after re-signing with Calgary back on Jan. 28.

“I’ve always said it to the coaches and whatnot, that no matter what my position on the team is, I always see myself contributing on special teams,” envisioned Sopik. “But as always, I will hope to earn more responsibilities on defence. It’s on me to come to training camp to improve and seize the opportunity.”