Live notebook from day one of Vancouver Canucks training camp in Abbotsford
2 years ago
Back with a vengeance, it’s time for another live notebook from Vancouver Canucks training camp.
The groups are minutes away from hitting a fresh sheet of ice at the Abbotsford Centre so let’s get into it!
Here are the participants in each group:
The Canucks have chosen to structure their groups with a mix of NHL and AHL talent in each group, as opposed to past years when a clear NHL and AHL-and-beyond group would come out.
- During warmups and rushes, Oliver Ekman-Larsson saw a heavy dose of Tucker Poolam as his partner. There has been much speculation this offseason that these two will form the Canucks’ go-to shutdown pairing and will be one to watch moving forward.
- Madison Bowey and Brad Hunt were paired together, while Kyle Burroughs and Ashton Sautner formed another defence pairing. Jett Woo and Alex Kannok-Leipert formed the final pairing for group A.
- Jonah Gadjovich looks lighter on his skates. It’s just practice, and yes, it’s only the first 20 minutes of practice, but Gadjovich said he wanted to improve his skating this offseason and early returns suggest he has.
- Early indications are that the spot on Bo Horvat’s wing is Tanner Pearson’s to lose. The two have played a lot with each other since Pearson was acquired from Pittsburgh and have formed undeniable chemistry with one another.
- Nic Petan is benefitting early on from Elias Pettersson’s absence. He’s spent a lot of time skating alongside Brock Boeser so far. Nils Höglander is occupying the left wing spot on that line. Conor Garland, who many anticipate to play in the Canucks’ top six, is in group B.
Stay tuned to see how everyone performs in the trademark Travis Green bag skates.
UPDATE: Group A has left the ice, and no bag skate has taken place just yet.
After a flood of the ice, Group A is back on the ice doing some offensive zone drills.
- Brad Hunt looks like a man on a mission. He’s showing great attention to details, hustling, and isn’t shying away from contact at all. Look for him to be someone who catches Travis Green’s eye this weekend and into the preseason.
- With Elias Pettersson obviously not at camp, Nils Höglander has taken over as the resident leader of the pack during the bag skates:
- Will Lockwood has also looked good in the bag skates.
Group B hit the ice shortly after 11:30.
- Tyler Myers and Olli Juolevi have been paired together, while Jack Rathbone gets reps in with Luke Schenn.
- Both Michael DiPietro and Jaroslav Halak have looked dialled in early. DiPietro stole the show at rookie camp, and is impressing the hometown Abbotsford crowd early on.
- Podkolzin can absolutely rip the puck, in case you hadn’t heard already:
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson struggled toward the end of Group A’s bag skate, and Olli Juolevi finished last in his group.
We’ll have more coverage from day one of training camp coming to you soon, and will be back tomorrow with another live notebook from day two.
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