Hoooooooockkkeeeyyyyy. We’re back! Well, at least at training camp.
The boys have hit the ice two times now, and the energy around the team is high – and so are the expectations. After coming agonizingly close to advancing past the Oilers to the Western Conference Finals last year, the team has raised their bar on what is going to be acceptable for next year. From the GM to the coaches to the players, they know this team isn’t one to just be happy to make the playoffs. But for now, the guys are happy to be back on the ice and ramping things up in Penticton.
Here are some quick hits on what’s been going on for the Canucks:
- Demko is still sidelined from the training camp – though he’s on the ice in equipment working out with goalie coach Marko Torenius. Demko has a really rare muscle injury, and one of the things holding him back is that there isn’t much info out there on this kind of thing.
“There’s not one case of a goaltender or a hockey player in general (who’s had this injury),” said Demko. “It’s been wild. It’s been part of the frustration is just not having a ton of information. You’re kind of just going into it blindfolded. It can be scary at times, I think we’ve done a good job of handling that as a group with the medical staff and organization.”
There’s no timeline for Demko’s injury as of right now. Things apparently stagnated a bit after the playoffs, but have been improving the past few weeks.
- Boeser is cleared from the blood clots and back skating on a line with Miller. Their chemistry has held over from last year, and they’re looking good out there. Allvin caused a little stir when he said Boeser could have/should have scored more than he did last year:
“For now, his main focus is to come back here and play to the level that he showed last year, and even be more consistent. I told him he could’ve scored 50 goals, but I felt he took his foot off the gas when he scored 30. And we want to see him pushing through.”
Boeser agreed with the statement, actually.
“I think I could have had 50, too,” Boeser said. “I had four disallowed and I got cold there for a little bit. That's the thing, like, it's hard to be consistent in this league. That's why there's not many 50-goal scorers or 100-point guys. It gets hard to stay consistent all year. That's one thing I think I'm focused on this year — making sure I'm bringing it every single night.”
The intensity from the players is there right now, which is great to see. Even though Boeser is in a contract year, it’s not bugging him as much as it was with his previous one.
“We've made it known to them that I'll sign long term here, so we'll see what happens. I mean, it's kind of out of my control. I'm just worried about winning, honestly. With the guys we signed, I think we have an amazing group of hockey players. I think we're going to be unreal this year.
- Speaking of contracts, Elias Pettersson. With the weight of his negotiations last year, and then the knee injury, Petey slumped at the end of the year and has taken heat for it. But, from all accounts, he is dialed in right now. Even with his knee still bugging him, Petey is skating on a line with Jake DeBrusk and showing great signs of things to come this year, and he’s feeling good.
“I feel recharged,” Pettersson said. “Obviously, it was a lot of noise (last season), but it was expected. It took a long time to sign, and then I signed and signed a big dollar and was not performing as I wanted. But that’s behind me now and I’m looking forward to what’s ahead.
“I still feel it (tendinitis) sometimes, but it feels good now — better than where we left off last season. We had to work around it in the off-season training, but, yeah, I feel good and I feel better on the ice. It gave us more time to work on conditioning and work on speed. Everything is fine.”
It’s only two days of camp, but it’s a promising start after a tough end.
- New acquisitions Danton Heinan and Jake DeBrusk are situating themselves well in camp.
Heinan is skating with Boes and Miller, and while his offensive skills aren’t the same as their, apparently his defensive work is immaculate. That’s a huge plus, as Miller’s line usually goes head-to-head with other top lines.
DeBrusk has been skating with Petey and Lekkerimäki, and finishing all the chances Petey has been tossing his way. If they’re able to get some chemistry going through the first couple weeks here, it will go a long way to a more balanced attack for the team.
- Hoglander, Sprong, and Sammy Blais have all been name-checked as impressive by Tocchet through the first two days. Those three were some of the most in-shape guys coming to camp, which is a huge thing for Tocc as they learned last year.
- Dakota Joshua isn’t at camp, as he was diagnosed with testicular cancer and is out because of the ensuing surgery. Hopefully he has a speedy recovery and can get back to the team with full health.
More training camp upcoming, more news coming out soon. Until then, chat away:
Quotes from Sportsnet and The Athletic.
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