On yesterday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Jeff Paterson discussed Vancouver’s lineup for the upcoming Young Stars tournament, taking place in Penticton from September 13–16, and previewed Canucks training camp, which is coming up from September 19–22, also being held in Penticton.
“Lekkerimäki is going to be the focus,” JPat started. “We know what this guy is all about. We’ve seen him do it at other levels; now the question is, how quickly does he adapt? He’s a goal scorer, and I would expect him to score goals in Penticton. I’ll be disappointed if he comes out of the weekend and hasn’t shown us that hallmark of a shot he’s got. It’s smaller ice, not as much time and space to operate. I’m not going to write him off if he doesn’t score in Penticton, but my hunch is that he’s going to be a top-liner for this team and will get every opportunity between 5-on-5 and the power play.”
The tournament will also feature Manny Malhotra’s first experience as head coach of a Vancouver team.
“It’s always a scramble from a coaching standpoint,” JPat continued. “You’re working with a bunch of guys, most of whom will be sent home after the tournament, so it’s tough for Manny Malhotra to get a read on what he’s working with. Things like the power play—you’re just putting your best players out there and hoping they work on instinct.”
Another player to keep an eye on is defenseman Elias Pettersson, who is expected to push for a spot on the Canucks’ roster at some point this season, if not right away.
“I’m excited about D-Petey,” said JPat. “Legitimately, we’re going to have two Elias Petterssons at main camp, so we’re going to have to find a way to designate the two of them. I like a lot about this guy, and to think he was a third-rounder! The Canucks have unearthed a player who is going to play NHL games sooner rather than later. He’s got pro size, he plays with an edge, and I want to see that in Penticton from the first game.”
JPat also noted that a few of the Canucks’ older ‘Young Stars,’ like Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains, have a good opportunity to show their mettle among younger competition, especially considering they have at least a few pro games under their belts.
The guys then previewed training camp, starting with how some of the new personnel will best fit in the lineup.
“The idea of Jake DeBrusk complementing J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser—we all know Boeser has rounded out his game, and in a contract year, he’ll want to get off to a quick start—but the speed of DeBrusk on the other side would be a nice contrast to Boeser. DeBrusk can be a versatile guy,” said JPat.
When it comes to Nils Höglander, he’s earned a spot in the top six, but his rather disappointing performance there last year begs the question: Is that where he’s at his most productive?
“You can make an argument that Nils Höglander had success last year lower in the lineup against weaker competition, in theory,” said JPat. “Maybe you go back to that for Höglander and give Daniel Sprong an opportunity to play and finish with Elias Pettersson. Rick Tocchet appears to have more options than he did last year. That said, at this time last year, they had the services of a 39-goal scorer in Andrei Kuzmenko, and the hope was that Mikheyev would do more than he did.”
Finally, Quads addressed the ongoing cloud of mystery surrounding Thatcher Demko.
“There’s been a lot of vagueness, but it doesn’t look like Thatcher Demko will be at training camp or preseason, and there’s a lot of doubt that he’ll be ready for the regular season,” he said. “We haven’t seen Demko on the ice or gotten an official update, so we’ll see. But right now, it’s safe to say the Canucks’ starting goaltender will not be at training camp next week.”
You can watch the full replay of the show below:
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