As Manny Malhotra and the Vancouver Canucks prospects gear up for their first game at the 2024 Young Stars Classic, the new Abbotsford bench boss shared his thoughts following their initial on-ice session on Thursday afternoon.

“This has been circled on my calendar for quite some time,” Malhotra said. “It’s obviously the excitement of getting the job early in the summer and then going through all the logistics of rosters and lineups and all those things. It’s nice to actually get on the ice with them and do hockey stuff.”

When asked about his impressions on the first day of camp, he acknowledged that it was just the first day of skating, and there were bound to be some hiccups. However, he felt generally pleased with what he saw.

“Obviously, the first day of camp, there’s going to be some jitters out there, but as far as execution with the puck, the guys were on the pace of practice, I was quite pleased with and then working on some technical pieces. There’s going to be some blips and some hiccups, but we were able to talk through those things. And for me, it was a good day one.”

Understanding that these are the first official games of the season, Malhotra emphasized the tournament’s importance and its role in helping players transition from summer habits back into competitive hockey.

“I think the biggest thing is you’re getting out of summer habits and summer hockey mode. So the biggest thing is just falling back into structure and recognizing details within the game.”

While a few players will be vying for spots with the main roster, the majority of this Young Stars group are competing for positions with the Abbotsford Canucks or will be returning to their respective junior or other pro teams. This weekend provides Malhotra and his newly minted coaching staff an early opportunity to implement the structure they intend to use throughout the year.

“Obviously, day one, you’re not going to be pencilling people. And it’s, it’s more really again, getting out of the summer habits, stop playing kind of shiny pond hockey, and just getting their hockey brains turned back on. Getting them into the proper structure, obviously implementing the structure that we want to play this year, and at the same time getting guys ready up and ready for Vancouver Canucks camp in a week’s time.”

When asked about potential line combinations for the season, Malhotra admitted he’s already considering some possibilities, but not getting ahead of himself.

“Well, you always love to play armchair GM and think about the what-ifs. But ultimately, I think every year, the play of the players dictates who they play with, how much they play and where they play in the lineup.”

He ended the availability by touching on the decision to place Jonathan Lekkerimäki alongside notable Abbotsford producers such as Arshdeep Bains and Aatu Räty, acknowledging the importance of putting the Canucks’ top prospect in a position to succeed.

“You know, you want them to show well, so yeah, by putting them with putting them with rats [Räty] and Bains, it’s going to put them in a good situation, obviously, two very offensive-minded guys, but at the same time, they have the wherewithal to be smart defensively and make sure he’s in the right spots and communicate with.”

Lekkerimäki also spoke to the media following the weekend’s first ice session.

The Canucks will take to the ice on Friday evening, as they host the Edmonton Oilers at 7:30 pm at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

Here is the tournament schedule:

Friday, September 13
Game 1: Calgary vs Winnipeg at 4:00 pm PT
Game 2: Vancouver vs Edmonton at 7:30 pm PT

Saturday, September 14
Exhibition: Penticton Vees vs Salmon Arm at 3:00 pm PT
Game 3: Calgary vs Edmonton at 7:30 pm PT

Sunday, September 15
Game 4: Vancouver vs Winnipeg at 2:00 pm PT

Monday, September 16
Game 5: Winnipeg vs Edmonton at 11:00 am PT
Game 6: Calgary vs Vancouver at 2:30 pm PT

Stay tuned to CanucksArmy for all the latest updates and coverage from the Young Stars tournament!