I often say that here at CanucksArmy, Vancouver Canucks training camp is our Super Bowl.
It’s the first day back, and the day that we see many fans return to consuming Canucks-related content after spending their time in the NHL offseason doing things other than thinking about the Canucks.
Must be nice.
We’ll be updating this live blog all day long as players filter onto the ice in three groups for on-ice sessions from 9:30 AM-1:30 PM here at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
The big news of the day should come relatively early this morning, as Thatcher Demko is expected to speak to media and set the record straight on his current status. There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Demko’s status in recent weeks, with reports suggesting that he’d miss an unknown amount of time, but certainly not be ready for training camp.
We’ll have that and everything else you need to know from day one right here in our day one live blog.
First update: Group (mcwar)D(emko)
Group C will be the first official group to take the ice today, but before that, Cole McWard came out for a skate by himself, and Thatcher Demko joined him shortly thereafter.
Demko skated back and forth to warm up his legs before doing some resistance band exercises with a trainer afterwards.
Demko did not face any shots and will provide an update on his status very soon. We will be sure to have all the updates posted from his media availability posted as soon as possible.
Keep it locked on CanucksArmy all day long as we’ll be updating this blog all throughout the day along with updates and editorials all week and weekend long.
Canucks announce camp groups
The Canucks announced their groups for day one. Here are some quick things to note:
-Elias Pettersson and Elias Pettersson will hit the ice together for the first time today.
-Jonathan Lekkerimäki is in that group as well. Who might he skate with? Elias Pettersson? The forward, of course.
-Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek are in different groups, and I’d bet Vincent Desharnais and Quinn Hughes skate together.
-Kirill Kudryavtsev and Vilmer Alriksson, two standouts from the Canucks’ Young Stars Classic team, are being rewarded with a chance to skate in Group A rather than Group C, where most of the Canucks’ prospects are.
The Canucks have shared that Demko will now be made available at 10:30 AM.
Demko speaks 
Thatcher Demko admitted that he may have tried to rush back for the Canucks’ potential conference final matchup, and that he “hit a wall” in the summer and that doctors can’t figure out exactly what’s wrong with him.
“We haven’t found a single hockey player, we’ve found like less than five soccer players [that are dealing with the injury],” Demko said. “I guess I’m leading the charge for other guys,” he joked.
Demko did add that he’s progressing well and is very happy with where he’s at in his recovery. He didn’t want to offer a timeline for return, but will continue to work on the ice and complete his rehab process.
Read all of Demko’s quotes in full by clicking here!
Group A hits the ice
Group A has filtered onto the ice, and while we await line rushes, it sure seems like Jonathan Lekkerimäki will open camp on a line with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. Here’s your shot kid!
Here are the full lines that the Canucks went with for Group A:
As Rick Tocchet alluded to yesterday, today’s session would be “educational” as he eased his players into the new season.
Group B hits the ice
Group B, headlined by Quinn Hughes, Brock Boeser, and JT Miller, hit the ice shortly before noon. Nikita Tolopilo and Dylan Ferguson served as the goaltenders for the group.
One thing I see right away is that Hughes and Desharnais are wearing different colours, while Noah Juulsen and Hughes are wearing the same colours.
Here are the line rushes:
Some notes from Group B:
-Quinn Hughes’ shot looks like it might have even more zip on it than last year.
-Daniel Sprong’s shot is very impressive. He has a quick, deceptive release and generates a ton of velocity when he shoots the puck.
-Vincent Desharnais is very tall. He moved well and was paired up with Carson Soucy.
-Danton Heinen getting the shot with JT Miller and Brock Boeser intrigues me, and I wonder what kind of fit he’ll be on that line if it sticks.
Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk speak
Elias Pettersson spoke about playing with Jake DeBrusk and Jonathan Lekkerimäki:
“I like our line with Lekkerimaki and DeBrusk. He brings a lot of skill and obviously we’ve played him before. He’s a good two-way player who works hard,” Pettersson said about DeBrusk. “He’s skillful, he works hard, he plays the body, and he goes to the dirty areas. I think it’s the combination of physical play and smartness.”
On Lekkerimäki, Pettersson said:
“I’ve seen his highlights, but this was our first practice together and I really like what I see. He’s got skill, and he’s got a good shot… Whatever I feel I can help him with, I’ll talk to him about it. If he ever wonders anything he can always come to me and talk. He’s a good player and I’m sure he can figure it out himself, but I’ll always try to help him.”
Read more quotes from Pettersson by clicking here!
Jake DeBrusk also talked about forging chemistry with Pettersson, and his first impressions of playing with EP40 and Jonathan Lekkerimäki:
“He fed me with a nice tap in on the first or second line rush we did. I’ve been skating here for a couple weeks with the guys and I’ve just been watching him play and read off him as much as possible. Also, I can’t pronounce his name so I feel bad, but that kid on the right side [Lekkerimäki] is pretty damn good too.”
That does it for the live blog, thanks so much for tuning in all day long and we’ll be sure to keep you updated all week from camp!
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