Sunday, September 16, 2007
Talk Of Training Camp
It's certainly not the first time the Canucks have drafted a player with as much offensive upside - on draft day, every pick has some sort of potential - but it's not often that they develop as much as Mason Raymond has.
With a top-six forward spot still available, Raymond is the talk of training camp (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):
Kesler can't contain his enthusiasm for Raymond. His Canucks training-camp linemate and roommate continues to dazzle with speed, stick handling and a rapid release. The skill set suggests the winger may leap from two solid U.S. college seasons -- and just two dozen games with the Manitoba Moose last spring -- right into the NHL.From Coach Vigneault:
"He's made a believer out of me," said Kesler. "If he keeps playing the way he is, it's likely he'll stick. Just playing with him, you can tell he's going to be good for a long time.
"He has the wheels and smarts. He just needs a couple of games under his belt."
However, the Canucks coach heaped more praise on Raymond in advance of today's intra-squad game. And knowing that Vigneault is far from settled on line combination this just adds more intrigue to the Raymond Watch.Could Ron Delorme have actually found a player in the draft who can put the puck in the net? As we know, that list is embarrassingly short; in the last couple of decades, it includes Trevor Linden, Pavel Bure, Petr Nedved and the Sedins. Maybe Mason Raymond now too?
"This kid has a tremendous amount of skill and potential," Vigneault said Saturday. "Sometimes, you're ready to play and sometimes you need a little seasoning in the minors.
"I'm not sure where his game is, but today he was flying."
(Photo credit: UMD Bulldogs)
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