Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Canucks 2 Blue Jackets 3
Don't look now, but after a 10-game stretch of .500 hockey (5-5-0), the Vancouver Canucks only have a slim, four-point hold on a playoff spot. Last night, they started sloooooow, took some stupid penalties (five of them in the first 11 minutes of the first period) and spotted the Columbus Blue Jackets a 2-0 lead. Yeah, I rushed home from work just in time to see that.
Bah.
After the game, Roberto Luongo stood up and took the blame for the loss (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province):
I only mentioned it in passing a couple of days ago, but I think the injuries are catching up to the team. That it's taken two months before the long-term losses of Morrison, Ohlund, and Bieksa have started to make an impact is admirable. (Luongo, Krajicek, and Salo all missed time in that span too.) For that, credit should be given to the team - and the farm - for stepping up. Alex Edler has been a godsend and his play is being recognized leaguewide (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun). Jason Jaffray and Mason Raymond both chipped in as well before their effectiveness started wearing off.
Now that both have been sent back down to the Moose, however, the next group of callups (Nathan McIver, Rick Rypien and I'll include Kris Beech as well), save for Beech's goal last night, have yet to make a significant impact. It's not a small thing. McIver hasn't been able to play more than ten minutes a game which means that Mitchell, Salo and Edler are playing 25+ minutes. Rypien hasn't even played ten shifts a game in the two games he's played.
Here's hoping for a turnaround before facing what should be a pissed off Wings team tomorrow.
About the game around the blogosphere:
Tomorrow night in Detroit.
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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Columbus+Blue+Jackets
Bah.
After the game, Roberto Luongo stood up and took the blame for the loss (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province):
"I'm not going to throw my teammates under the bus," Luongo said. "I've got to do a better job myself and try to make an extra save in the game and maybe we make it to overtime.Props to Louie for saying that, but the fact is, his teammates were plain awful and shouldn't be absolved of any responsibility. Except for Alex Burrows' unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, the rest were the result of being lazy or being beat. Lukas Krajicek and Markus Naslund, especially, took a couple of lazy penalties each after giving up the puck in their zone. What is disconcerting is the fact that, like early in the season, the Canucks aren't winning puck battles and getting very easy to play against.
"I just have to work through it in practice and make sure I get back to what I was doing in December."
I only mentioned it in passing a couple of days ago, but I think the injuries are catching up to the team. That it's taken two months before the long-term losses of Morrison, Ohlund, and Bieksa have started to make an impact is admirable. (Luongo, Krajicek, and Salo all missed time in that span too.) For that, credit should be given to the team - and the farm - for stepping up. Alex Edler has been a godsend and his play is being recognized leaguewide (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun). Jason Jaffray and Mason Raymond both chipped in as well before their effectiveness started wearing off.
Now that both have been sent back down to the Moose, however, the next group of callups (Nathan McIver, Rick Rypien and I'll include Kris Beech as well), save for Beech's goal last night, have yet to make a significant impact. It's not a small thing. McIver hasn't been able to play more than ten minutes a game which means that Mitchell, Salo and Edler are playing 25+ minutes. Rypien hasn't even played ten shifts a game in the two games he's played.
Here's hoping for a turnaround before facing what should be a pissed off Wings team tomorrow.
About the game around the blogosphere:
- Remember when you can make a spur of the moment decision to watch a game live at GM Place? (The Neutral Zone Trap)
- Paying back Kes. (Puck-rakers)
- Our checkers got outchecked by their checkers. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
- 0-15-1 when trailing after two periods. Ouch. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
- Pretty boy ain't so pretty anymore. But at least he's back on the ice. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
- Not often Nik Zherdev gets praised for playing a complete game. (Aaron Portzline, Columbus Dispatch; Tom Reed, Columbus Dispatch)
Tomorrow night in Detroit.
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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks, Columbus+Blue+Jackets
Labels: Blue Jackets, Edler, game recap, Kesler, Luongo, Pyatt
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Game Day Post: Islanders at Canucks
As Gordon McIntyre (Vancouver Province) points out this morning, the Canucks owe Mike Keenan the New York Islanders for much of their lineup today.
Much like Iron Mike dismantled the Canucks that season, Mad Mike did the same with the Islanders a couple of years later. Here's Elliott Pap (Vancouver Sun):
Why the Canucks will tonight:
Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
Butterfly effect: When a remote event, like a butterfly flapping its wings, over time has huge consequences elsewhere.It's an interesting trip down memory lane for sure. I was still working at GM Place when the first Linden deal happened and the atmosphere for the next couple of games felt almost surreal. No one in the stands believed Trevor could ever play for another team and the trade really came out of nowhere. The Canucks were supposed to be a very good team that year and had an opening day lineup that featured Mark Messier, Pavel Bure, Alexander Mogilny, Jyrki Lumme, Dave Babych, Adrian Aucoin, Gino Odjick and Kirk McLean. They weren't, of course, which was why Trevor was traded and we saw the likes of Enrico Ciccone, Jamie Huscroft and Garth Snow in the free Willy jersey.
Who knew when Mike (Iron Butterfly) Keenan blew up the roster in 1998 he'd be laying the foundation for much of the Canucks' success today?
When Keenan traded Trevor Linden to the New York Islanders a decade ago he set in motion an indirect process that saw the return of Linden, the drafting of the Sedins and the acquisition of Roberto Luongo.
Much like Iron Mike dismantled the Canucks that season, Mad Mike did the same with the Islanders a couple of years later. Here's Elliott Pap (Vancouver Sun):
Both Luongo and Weekes were dealt on June 24, 2000 -- draft day -- clearing the decks for Milbury to select Rick DiPietro first overall. The Isles adored the way DiPietro handled the puck and we all know Luongo hasn't exactly mastered that aspect of his position.It's almost too bad this game is on Sportsnet instead of TSN because I love it when James Cybulski asks Mike Milbury about the Luongo deal.
Nonetheless, it took DiPietro another three seasons to establish himself as the No. 1 man on Long Island while Luongo immediately became the Panthers' top backstop.
Florida also obtained Olli Jokinen from the Isles in the Luongo deal. Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha went the other way. No wonder Milbury is now out of hockey and cracking wise on TV.
Why the Canucks will tonight:
- They catch another break from the league's schedule-makers. The Islanders played last night in Edmonton while the 'Nucks haven't played since Thursday. Tonight will be the Islanders' third game in four nights.
- The Islanders have Marc Andre Bergeron on their blueline.
- I won't say the "S" word but Louie LOVES playing at home.
- Raymond's playing the twins, Naslund's playing with Jaffray and Pyatt. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Uh-oh Edler. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province; Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
- Something about Mitchell and candy. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
Labels: Edler, game day preview, Islanders, Linden, Luongo, Mitchell
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Canucks 1 Avalanche 3
At the Christmas break last year, the Canucks were a game under .500 and there were many questions surrounding the team. They couldn't score and there were far too many defensive breakdowns. Sure they gave it a good effort most games, but more often than not, it wasn't enough and they went into the break with a measly 35 points.
Fast forward to this year. The good news is, they are already ahead of last year's pace. After tonight's loss to the Colorado Avalanche, they are seven games over .500 and have 44 points. They're tied for first in the Northwest Division, though looking at the bigger picture, they're only three points ahead of fourth place Calgary. The Northwest Division is tough. Last year, the Canucks played to a gaudy 32-8-6 record after Christmas to win the division. This year, they may need to play close to the same pace just to keep up. This isn't intended to sound negative because the Canucks are playing some good hockey for the most part; however, this is the reality of playing in a strong division where four of the five teams currently hold playoff spots and the fifth isn't really that far behind.
Since the Nashville debacle on November 1st, Roberto Luongo has gaudy numbers. He has a 12-2-2 record (the team is 15-4-4 since then), a .951 save percentage (22 goals allowed on 488 shots) and a 1.39 GAA. If the Canucks score two goals in a game, more often than not, it's probably good enough.
Louie's not the only one who's started the year off great. Ryan Kesler has too. It's been a breakout season for Kes. He's establishing himself as the team's best defensive forward and is also on the verge of shattering some personal records. After 35 games, he already has 18 points (9G-9A), only seven shy of his career-best 23 points in 82 games during the 2005-2006 season. His next goal ties his career-high for a season (9) and he's only four assists away from his career-high (13) in that category too. All this while playing against opposing teams' best player (or line) every night.
Ditto Alex Edler. Elliott Pap (Vancouver Sun) had a nice piece on the kid yesterday. He started this season with the Moose, but early season injuries to Sami Salo, Kevin Bieksa and Lukas Krajicek gave him the opportunity to play and he took advantage of it. Put it this way, in his 24 games since November 1st, he's averaged more than 20 minutes per game and is a plus-13. In fact, his plus-15 for the season is 6th overall in the NHL and 1st among all rookies.
Can this team get better?
Well, like I mentioned earlier, they almost have to be just to keep pace. But also, I think they can. Sometime in the New Year, they should get Kevin Bieksa back, and nearer to the playoffs, they should get Brendan Morrison back. Because Edler, Jason Jaffray and Mason Raymond have all stepped into the lineup just fine, Nonis hasn't been forced to trade for reinforcements. Like I mentioned when Morrison first went down, this basically means that Nonis hasn't had the need to dip into his available salary cap room (except to use for Jaffray's and Raymond's NHL salaries), and barring further injury, gives him plenty of cap room and a certainly a few more options come trade deadline day.
My whole point to this long-winded post? A year ago today, us Canucks fans weren't too merry over Christmas and weren't sure how happy the new year was going to be. I just wanted to point out that so far this season, the team has given us something to be merry about as well as a promise for a better new year.
*****
On a personal note, I just want to wish everyone the best of the season. I can't stress enough how much I'm overwhelmed by the many, many, many of you who keep coming back to read my ramblings. Be good, stay safe and I hope you all have a prosperous 2008.
*****
Now, I hate to be a party pooper, but you've probably noticed that things have been relatively quiet on this blog over the last little while. Unfortunately, it's probably going to stay that way for a while longer yet, not just because of the holiday season, but also because life has dealt a couple of curveballs to my family. We of course hope for the best, but in the meantime, I may not have time to preview, recap and chat about all things Canucks with the regularity that I've been able to in the past. I'll try to pipe in when I can - either here or on the podcast - and I just hope you all understand until things look up a little.
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Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
Fast forward to this year. The good news is, they are already ahead of last year's pace. After tonight's loss to the Colorado Avalanche, they are seven games over .500 and have 44 points. They're tied for first in the Northwest Division, though looking at the bigger picture, they're only three points ahead of fourth place Calgary. The Northwest Division is tough. Last year, the Canucks played to a gaudy 32-8-6 record after Christmas to win the division. This year, they may need to play close to the same pace just to keep up. This isn't intended to sound negative because the Canucks are playing some good hockey for the most part; however, this is the reality of playing in a strong division where four of the five teams currently hold playoff spots and the fifth isn't really that far behind.
Since the Nashville debacle on November 1st, Roberto Luongo has gaudy numbers. He has a 12-2-2 record (the team is 15-4-4 since then), a .951 save percentage (22 goals allowed on 488 shots) and a 1.39 GAA. If the Canucks score two goals in a game, more often than not, it's probably good enough.
Louie's not the only one who's started the year off great. Ryan Kesler has too. It's been a breakout season for Kes. He's establishing himself as the team's best defensive forward and is also on the verge of shattering some personal records. After 35 games, he already has 18 points (9G-9A), only seven shy of his career-best 23 points in 82 games during the 2005-2006 season. His next goal ties his career-high for a season (9) and he's only four assists away from his career-high (13) in that category too. All this while playing against opposing teams' best player (or line) every night.
Ditto Alex Edler. Elliott Pap (Vancouver Sun) had a nice piece on the kid yesterday. He started this season with the Moose, but early season injuries to Sami Salo, Kevin Bieksa and Lukas Krajicek gave him the opportunity to play and he took advantage of it. Put it this way, in his 24 games since November 1st, he's averaged more than 20 minutes per game and is a plus-13. In fact, his plus-15 for the season is 6th overall in the NHL and 1st among all rookies.
Can this team get better?
Well, like I mentioned earlier, they almost have to be just to keep pace. But also, I think they can. Sometime in the New Year, they should get Kevin Bieksa back, and nearer to the playoffs, they should get Brendan Morrison back. Because Edler, Jason Jaffray and Mason Raymond have all stepped into the lineup just fine, Nonis hasn't been forced to trade for reinforcements. Like I mentioned when Morrison first went down, this basically means that Nonis hasn't had the need to dip into his available salary cap room (except to use for Jaffray's and Raymond's NHL salaries), and barring further injury, gives him plenty of cap room and a certainly a few more options come trade deadline day.
My whole point to this long-winded post? A year ago today, us Canucks fans weren't too merry over Christmas and weren't sure how happy the new year was going to be. I just wanted to point out that so far this season, the team has given us something to be merry about as well as a promise for a better new year.
*****
On a personal note, I just want to wish everyone the best of the season. I can't stress enough how much I'm overwhelmed by the many, many, many of you who keep coming back to read my ramblings. Be good, stay safe and I hope you all have a prosperous 2008.
*****
Now, I hate to be a party pooper, but you've probably noticed that things have been relatively quiet on this blog over the last little while. Unfortunately, it's probably going to stay that way for a while longer yet, not just because of the holiday season, but also because life has dealt a couple of curveballs to my family. We of course hope for the best, but in the meantime, I may not have time to preview, recap and chat about all things Canucks with the regularity that I've been able to in the past. I'll try to pipe in when I can - either here or on the podcast - and I just hope you all understand until things look up a little.
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
Labels: Avalance, Edler, game recap, Kesler, Luongo
Monday, November 19, 2007
Flames 1 Canucks 4
If you look at their statistics over the past six games, you'd never have guessed that the Canucks were missing two or three of their top-four defensemen.
They're the only team in the league that hasn't lost in regulation time against a divisional opponent. Once 10 points back of the first-place Minnesota Wild, they're only three points back now. They play the Oilers and the Wild on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and if they somehow extend their win streak a couple more games, they could actually pass Minnesota. Now that's wild.
We've been saying this for a couple of weeks now, but the defense has stepped it up a notch. That they're doing it with Ohlund, Salo, Bieksa and Krajicek all missing games is impressive. That they're doing it with a couple of rookies and a waiver wire pick-up filling in is an eye-opener.
I can't say enough about Alex Edler's and Luc Bourdon's play.
In the last six games, Edler has played a lot - he's averaged more than 20 minutes of ice-time - and played well. He's moved up to the shutdown pairing with Willie Mitchell and he's chipped in with a couple of assists and a plus-two rating.
Luc has steadily gotten better and more comfortable during his six-game stint. Last night, he logged 17:48 minutes of ice-time and looked as steady as he's ever looked in a Canucks uniform. (It's helped, of course, that he's partnered up with veteran Aaron Miller and that Miller himself has played better.) Luc was a plus-one last night and is a combined plus-four since his call-up.
About the game around the blogosphere:
Tuesday night vs. the Edmonton Oilers
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- 5-0-1 record in six games
- 11 points out of a possible 12
- 9 goals allowed in six games
- +7 in even-strength goals
- Louie's 1.47 GAA and .946 save percentage
They're the only team in the league that hasn't lost in regulation time against a divisional opponent. Once 10 points back of the first-place Minnesota Wild, they're only three points back now. They play the Oilers and the Wild on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and if they somehow extend their win streak a couple more games, they could actually pass Minnesota. Now that's wild.
We've been saying this for a couple of weeks now, but the defense has stepped it up a notch. That they're doing it with Ohlund, Salo, Bieksa and Krajicek all missing games is impressive. That they're doing it with a couple of rookies and a waiver wire pick-up filling in is an eye-opener.
I can't say enough about Alex Edler's and Luc Bourdon's play.
In the last six games, Edler has played a lot - he's averaged more than 20 minutes of ice-time - and played well. He's moved up to the shutdown pairing with Willie Mitchell and he's chipped in with a couple of assists and a plus-two rating.
Luc has steadily gotten better and more comfortable during his six-game stint. Last night, he logged 17:48 minutes of ice-time and looked as steady as he's ever looked in a Canucks uniform. (It's helped, of course, that he's partnered up with veteran Aaron Miller and that Miller himself has played better.) Luc was a plus-one last night and is a combined plus-four since his call-up.
About the game around the blogosphere:
- Mike the Yankee Canuck liveblogged the game.
- Hannah the Canucks Fangirl has her recap up.
- Canucks win war of attrition (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Beat up blueline passes test (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)
- Practicing shootouts sounds good, but... (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Ohlund gets 4 games for Wild slash (Jim Jamieson, Vancouver Province)
- Path to victory is clear (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
- Flames go 2-and-out again (Steve MacFarlane, Calgary Sun)
- Flames flattened by high-flying Canucks (Jean Lefebvre, Calgary Herald)
Tuesday night vs. the Edmonton Oilers
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Labels: Bourdon, Edler, Flames, game recap, Ohlund
Friday, November 09, 2007
Canucks 3 Flames 2
For about 30 minutes last night, the Canucks completely dominated the Calgary Flames. For 30 minutes, they looked like the Canucks of last season. They were solid on "d", aggressive on the forecheck and won all the little battles for the puck. They worked hard and built a 3-0 lead.
That is, until Matt Cooke's borderline hit on Daymond Langkow set off a brouhaha and a scrap between Dion Phaneuf and (normally) mild-mannered Mattias Ohlund and started a Flames comeback attempt that just fell a goal short.
While I'm not going to chastise the Cooker for the hit - though I'll admit it was as borderline as the Aucoin (?) one on Daniel Sedin earlier in the game - I have to question his timing. The hit came only a minute after the Canucks' fourth line had scored two goals in 16 seconds and the Flames were as good as dead. Why give them some life?
Besides that, the Canucks were good, and when they weren't, Luongo was there to bail them out. I know I mentioned this last week as well but Louie is rounding back into last year's form. Last night, he stopped 36 of 38 shots (holy crap did Calgary actually have 24 shots on goal in the third period???) and has a solid .916 save % in his last seven games. (When you take away the Nashville debacle, it's actually a pretty darn good .925 save %.)
The kids were good again. Jannik Hansen was the Canucks' most noticeable forward in the first part of the game, and in fact, his line with Morrison and Cooke were a handful. Alex Edler again played 22 minutes - second most on the team - and was as solid as he was on Saturday. Luc Bourdon only played 10 minutes but wasn't noticeable, which of course, is a good thing. Probably one of my favorite parts of the game was the one powerplay that featured Kesler, Hansen, Bourdon and Edler (and Pyatt). They created some good pressure too.
One guy who probably had his best game as a Canuck was Aaron Miller. 22:03 minutes of ice-time, one assist and a plus-1. Now that's the Aaron Miller the Canucks were looking for.
It's been a good start to this Northwest Division swing. They're 2-0 so far, improving their divisional record this season to a still perfect 5-0. They're back at 'er tonight against Colorado. Time to work on that home record.
About the game around the blogosphere:
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That is, until Matt Cooke's borderline hit on Daymond Langkow set off a brouhaha and a scrap between Dion Phaneuf and (normally) mild-mannered Mattias Ohlund and started a Flames comeback attempt that just fell a goal short.
While I'm not going to chastise the Cooker for the hit - though I'll admit it was as borderline as the Aucoin (?) one on Daniel Sedin earlier in the game - I have to question his timing. The hit came only a minute after the Canucks' fourth line had scored two goals in 16 seconds and the Flames were as good as dead. Why give them some life?
Besides that, the Canucks were good, and when they weren't, Luongo was there to bail them out. I know I mentioned this last week as well but Louie is rounding back into last year's form. Last night, he stopped 36 of 38 shots (holy crap did Calgary actually have 24 shots on goal in the third period???) and has a solid .916 save % in his last seven games. (When you take away the Nashville debacle, it's actually a pretty darn good .925 save %.)
The kids were good again. Jannik Hansen was the Canucks' most noticeable forward in the first part of the game, and in fact, his line with Morrison and Cooke were a handful. Alex Edler again played 22 minutes - second most on the team - and was as solid as he was on Saturday. Luc Bourdon only played 10 minutes but wasn't noticeable, which of course, is a good thing. Probably one of my favorite parts of the game was the one powerplay that featured Kesler, Hansen, Bourdon and Edler (and Pyatt). They created some good pressure too.
One guy who probably had his best game as a Canuck was Aaron Miller. 22:03 minutes of ice-time, one assist and a plus-1. Now that's the Aaron Miller the Canucks were looking for.
It's been a good start to this Northwest Division swing. They're 2-0 so far, improving their divisional record this season to a still perfect 5-0. They're back at 'er tonight against Colorado. Time to work on that home record.
About the game around the blogosphere:
- Hannah missed all three goals but she still posted about the game.
- Mike the Yankee Canuck congratulates Trevor on passing Stan Smyl as the team's all-time assist leader.
- Luongo holds the fort (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Don't panic. Just make a play (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Chief firefighter (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
- Road warriors (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
- Goal-scoring's secondary (Brad Ziemer, Vancouver Sun)
- Canucks' window for Cup is Luongo (Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province)
- Bourdon leaping mental hurdles (Randy Sportak, Calgary Sun)
- Missing in passion (Randy Sportak, Calgary Sun)
- 'Nux continue Flames funk (Jean Lefebvre, Calgary Herald)
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Monday, September 17, 2007
Luongo Okay; Salo Not So Much
It wasn't just the 7,006 fans at Victoria's Save On Foods Memorial Centre that went quiet after Brad Isbister's shot felled Roberto Luongo. The rest of us in Canuckland did as well.
The good news this morning is that Luongo seems okay and will be back practicing before their first preseason game. Unfortunately, the news isn't as good for Sami Salo and Trevor Linden:
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The good news this morning is that Luongo seems okay and will be back practicing before their first preseason game. Unfortunately, the news isn't as good for Sami Salo and Trevor Linden:
Even if Luongo is okay, defenceman Sami Salo may not be.More links from today's MSM:
After having his left wrist jammed on a bodycheck, Salo was sent to hospital for X-rays. He returned to the rink wearing a splint but won't know the extent of the injury until today. Teammate Trevor Linden also was unable to finish the game and is out day-to-day with a groin injury.
Salo looked despondent as he spoke about the injury, which comes after a summer spent recovering from last season's back, groin and shoulder problems.
- Bieksa tries to beat the sophomore jinx. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
- Edler favoured for position. (Iain MacIntyre, Vancouver Sun)
- Burrows needs goals or his bubble will burst. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
- Six players under the microscope. (Jason Botchford, Vancouver Province)
- Nonis ignores Carter, focuses on D. (Vancouver Province)
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Labels: Bieksa, Burrows, Edler, Linden, Luongo, Salo, training camp 2007
Monday, September 10, 2007
Stories From Prospects Camp - 09/10/2007
By most accounts, Canucks Prospects camp has started to separate the men from the boys. Edler, Bourdon, Raymond and Hansen have had impressive camps, and even with the odd hiccup, they will most likely join the veterans at main camp later this week. But for the most part, there has been plenty of praise for the kids, fuelling hope - and expectations - that they can fill the two remaining roster spots on the team.
On Raymond and Hansen (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):
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On Raymond and Hansen (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province):
The only constant through three days of determining the dozen who will be promoted to main camp Thursday is the explosive play of right wingers Mason Raymond and Jannik Hansen.More on the rest of Prospects Camp:
While much ink has been spilled chronicling the battle between Edler and Bourdon for the seventh blueliner spot on an NHL roster that seems virtually set, the gaping second-line hole on right wing is fast becoming headline material.
Especially if the solution is found from within, rather than the trade route.
"For me, the best player on the ice [Sunday] was Hansen," said Vigneault. "He had a lot of speed and good moves. If he comes to main camp and does what he's doing now, then we'll have to see if we have a player."
- A few of the folks from HF Boards went to prospects camp and give their reviews. (HFBoards)
- Ellington inspired by brother's attitude. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Little hope for diminutive Coulombe. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Famous disappearing act not recommended. (Ed Willes, Vancouver Province)
- Hunt just happy to 'soak it all in'. (Sharie Epp, Victoria Times Colonist)
- Injury almost ended career. (Sharie Epp, Victoria Times Colonist)
- At this camp, age matters. (Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist)
- Goaltenders fight for their future. (Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist)
- Goaltending consultant sticks with prospects, fine-tuning Luongo comes later. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Victoria is where it all begins. (Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist)
- Isbister expected to boost offence. (Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist)
- The Island is rooting for its favourite son, Willie Mitchell. (Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist)
- Watch for Canucks, coaches on and off the ice. (Brian Drewry, Victoria Times Colonist)
- Arena ready for Canucks. (Sharie Epp, Victoria Times Colonist)
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
Labels: Bourdon, Coulombe, Edler, Ellington, Grabner, Hansen, Hunt, Isbister, Mitchell, Raymond
Friday, September 07, 2007
The Kids Come To Camp
Prospects camp starts today in Victoria and 25 kids are invited. Some of the names are familiar (Bourdon, Schneider, Edler, Grabner), some are not-so-familiar (Ash Goldie, Charles-Antoine Messier, Pierre Cedric Labrie), and some we'll be more familiar with by the end of camp (Mason Raymond, Jannik Hansen, Daniel Rahimi, Juraj Simek).
I can't remember the last time the Canucks had a group of prospects with this amount of skill level and potential to make the NHL. Of the current roster, only about a third consist of players drafted by the team. I'm excited to see what these kids can do and see if we can add to the list of "homegrown talent" in the near future.
Here are today's links, focused on the prospects in camp:
- Canucks Top 20 prospects. (Hockeys Future)
- Breath of fresh air. (Elliott Pap, Vancouver Sun)
- Edler set to take it to the next level. (Cleve Dheensaw, Victoria Times Colonist)
- Here comes Mr. Excitement. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- Schneider plays waiting game. (Ben Kuzma, Vancouver Province)
- They call him a prospect, but... (Tony Gallagher, Vancouver Province)
- Photos from yesterday's rookie fitness testing. (canucks.com)
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Comments/Questions: Feel free to post in the comments section or email me at gocanucksgo10 (at) hotmail (dot) com.
Technorati Tags: NHL, hockey, Vancouver, Canucks
