Notes

• The Comets as without a doubt the most fascinating Canucks-related non-NHL story to watch right now, for a number of reasons. One, with the new AHL TV, watching the AHL is cheaper (and for the most part, of better quality) than ever before, which in turn means that there are more fan opinions than ever before. Two, given that the Comets are in the final year of a six year lease in Utica, there is renewed interest in whether the organization should move their minor league franchise closer to the parent club next season. And finally, the roster itself is chock full of legitimate prospects – that would be interesting enough on its own even if the Comets weren’t generating more attention for themselves by routinely scratching many of those aforementioned legitimate prospects, most notably Petrus Palmu and Jonah Gadjovich, who have each played but three of Utica’s eight games. Will that continue? Comets games are appointment viewing at this point.
• The NCAA season is ramping up into full regular season mode. Different conferences get moving at different times, and while prospects like Quinn Hughes and Will Lockwood (Michigan) and Tyler Madden (Northeastern) already have several games under their belts this year, this coming weekend presents the season opener for Jack Rathbone, in his freshman year with Harvard University.
• Vancouver eyes are once again turning toward Yekaterinburg, Russia, as Nikita Tryamkin has recently been subject to a reduce role and the odd healthy scratch. Could this be the beginning of Tryamkin’s re-defection back to North America (you know what I mean)? Who’s to say? We can read the tea leaves all we want, but the fact remains that Tryamkin has another year remaining on his contract, and previous indications have been that he’ll play that contract out before deciding on his next move.
• Speaking of Russians, and also of healthy scratches, I’m still trying to figure out what’s happening with Dmitry Zhukenov over in Yugra, where he has played just one game so far this season. Zhukenov wasn’t able to stick in the KHL last year, playing the majorirty of his games in the MHL – the Russian junior league which he is now too old for. Is this a matter of Zhukenov not being able to cut it in Russia’s second tier Supreme Hockey League either? Or have injuries kept him out of the lineup? If you have any indication, let me know.