2023-24 Training Camp Thread

[Smashian Kassian]

On 9/22/2023 at 2:10 PM, RWJC said:

Well, been a fan since I was a kid.

My two closest “uncles” when I was young were Larry Ashley and Ron Delorme. I’ve been really close to the team and seen how well supported it’s been. 
 

seeing CDC end is one thing, but that’s just a sign of the times. What bothers me is how the fans are basically being abandoned in the process. For you and me to come here and post, source news, vent, takes a lot of work from people behind the scenes and that should at least be recognized.

 

as well, with the limited success this club has achieved over the years, the fanbase never abandoned them and likely never would. 
 

as such, I think that should be addressed even simply as a courtesy.

 

also I don't know if CFF is going to be an obvious place for new fans to come.

 

Back in the day I came across CDC just by being on the Canucks website, it was pretty easy to find for new fans, this may not be as easy - so acknowledgment from those with a platform is valuable.

[Slegr]

Such a fun scrimmage / training camp today. Some impressions:

• Boeser didn't look quite as good as some have been suggesting, but he looked focused for sure
• Garland kept being the pest he is, getting under Joshua's skin
• JT Miller looked very solid, but almost a bit disinterested at times
• Pettersson continues to be on another level from the rest
• Kuzmenko's personality was felt all over the place. He was all smiles, chatting it up with teammates between whistles, even giving out a hug
• Quinn Hughes - so smooth, ready to roll
• Woo was noticeably very poised with the puck, one of the best dmen today in my opinion. Played physical and showed skill.
• Myers was jumping into rushes quite a bit - I wonder if he feels more daring to jump into plays now that he's likely on the 5-6 spot
• DeSmith looked very solid - he's going to be a great back-up
•  

[RWJC]

15 minutes ago, Smashian Kassian said:

 

also I don't know if CFF is going to be an obvious place for new fans to come.

 

Back in the day I came across CDC just by being on the Canucks website, it was pretty easy to find for new fans, this may not be as easy - so acknowledgment from those with a platform is valuable.

Hit it right on the head!
it’s great as a “clubhouse” for existing members, but that base can grow if it’s given some shine. Would only create a stronger/healthier community imho.

[DANJR]

If Joshua got that mad over that little bump, he had better drop the gloves instantly if any of our players gets hit!

Edited September 23, 2023 by DANJR
missing space

[aGENT]

4 hours ago, Rob Eh said:

 

It's good Soucy can play  the right hand side but i think this will be the way it shakes down.

 

Hughes Cole (both from Michigan)

Soucy Hronek (looks like a solid top 4)

Irwin Myers (luxury to have a solid 3 pairing)

Wolanen

Brisebois/Juulsen/Johansson/Hirose/McWard/Woo (that's a lot of depth, all these guys are knocking at the door)

                 

 

 

 

Doubtful.  Coach seems to see a fit with Hughes-Soucy, and Cole with Hronek. Which make sense if you look at who they previously had success with. Soucy plays more like a younger, faster Schenn, which we've all seen have success. And frankly Hughes can make just about anyone look good, even above their head on the first pair. Hronek has played best with a more "cerebral" defensive D, which Cole is likely closer too. That allows you two very solid top pairs vs probably a slightly better first pair, but at the expense of not really putting Hronek's pair in as much position to succeed.

[Rusty Shackleford]

 

@-AJ-  Sounds like coach is on the same page for the PP we talked about yesterday,  just no Hronek.

 

[-AJ-]

18 minutes ago, Rusty Shackleford said:

 

@-AJ-  Sounds like coach is on the same page for the PP we talked about yesterday,  just no Hronek.

 

 

Does sound like he's still thinking the four forwards, but honestly, if Brock is back in form, it's hard not to use him on the top unit. Hronek can be a great QB for the 2nd unit as well if we go with the one defenseman method.

[Barnstorm]

1 hour ago, RWJC said:

Hit it right on the head!
it’s great as a “clubhouse” for existing members, but that base can grow if it’s given some shine. Would only create a stronger/healthier community imho.

Perhaps we could each throw in $10 and hire a Cessna 180 to fly a banner around town. 
 

[RWJC]

5 minutes ago, Barnstorm said:

Perhaps we could each throw in $10 and hire a Cessna 180 to fly a banner around town. 
 

 

Again?!?

[Barnstorm]

4 hours ago, AatuD2 said:

I love that... 

 

When Garland and OEL came in two years ago, they were visibly more aggressive then anyone on this team. 

 

We have had too many passive players for way too long. What Garland brings is very valuable for us. 

I’ve liked Garland from day 1. He’s streaky in terms of point production but he sure has heart. Reminds me of Cliff Ronning although Cliff had better line mates and a stronger overall team. 
 

[Barnstorm]

4 minutes ago, RWJC said:

 

Again?!?

Different proposed message though. Apparently it’s super effective in conveying messages and gets the desired results.

[Gawdzukes]

2 minutes ago, Barnstorm said:

I’ve liked Garland from day 1. He’s streaky in terms of point production but he sure has heart. Reminds me of Cliff Ronning although Cliff had better line mates and a stronger overall team. 
 

 

Ronning was way better at using his line mates though. A very gifted playmaker. Miller and Pettersson are pretty good players in their own rights as well.

[BlockerHigh]

2 hours ago, Slegr said:

Such a fun scrimmage / training camp today. Some impressions:

• Boeser didn't look quite as good as some have been suggesting, but he looked focused for sure
• Garland kept being the pest he is, getting under Joshua's skin
• JT Miller looked very solid, but almost a bit disinterested at times
• Pettersson continues to be on another level from the rest
• Kuzmenko's personality was felt all over the place. He was all smiles, chatting it up with teammates between whistles, even giving out a hug
• Quinn Hughes - so smooth, ready to roll
• Woo was noticeably very poised with the puck, one of the best dmen today in my opinion. Played physical and showed skill.
• Myers was jumping into rushes quite a bit - I wonder if he feels more daring to jump into plays now that he's likely on the 5-6 spot
• DeSmith looked very solid - he's going to be a great back-up
•  

Thanks for your views,

 
Good to hear about Woo in particular. We really need him to get back to the guy we drafted (from those who watched him in abby last year, it appears he was getting there). If he can be one of those guys who develops from within beyond just a 'depth guy' it's a huge win given he brings alot of what we lack. He kind of seems like a young Schenn who's a better skater, or a young Bieka without as much offense. Either way. a hard nosed RD who can skate would be great! I am really pulling for him!

 

How was Boeser's skating? Has it improved? Is he moving his feet more? That's all I care about at this stage, has his fitness helped and has his skating improved. If so, he'll be fine with all the mental stuff finally dealt with.

 

On a side note, thank you for not calling them things like "Millsy, Meysey, Garly, etc etc, as if you play with them. I find that terribly annoying on these sites LOL

 

 

 

[BlockerHigh]

5 minutes ago, Barnstorm said:

I’ve liked Garland from day 1. He’s streaky in terms of point production but he sure has heart. Reminds me of Cliff Ronning although Cliff had better line mates and a stronger overall team. 
 

Garland was borderline top 6 production 5 on 5 last year. and I believe he was the year before. The fact no one wanted to trade for him unless it was a cap dump really surprised me. Perhaps it was teams playing hardball. But I would have expected teams with cap and a need for some decent 2 way vets would have loved him, particularly given his ability to play anywhere in the top 9. The fact Chicago or Anaheim didn't offer something of value is odd. I think many teams will regret not taking him for a very low cost last year, as I also think he is a pretty good player and will have a solid year.

Almost top 6 5 on 5, playing 3rd line minutes and barely any PP is impressive.

[Barnstorm]

1 minute ago, BlockerHigh said:

Garland was borderline top 6 production 5 on 5 last year. and I believe he was the year before. The fact no one wanted to trade for him unless it was a cap dump really surprised me. Perhaps it was teams playing hardball. But I would have expected teams with cap and a need for some decent 2 way vets would have loved him, particularly given his ability to play anywhere in the top 9. The fact Chicago or Anaheim didn't offer something of value is odd. I think many teams will regret not taking him for a very low cost last year, as I also think he is a pretty good player and will have a solid year.

Almost top 6 5 on 5, playing 3rd line minutes and barely any PP is impressive.

Unfortunately I think the fact he’s not 6 feet plus and 190 lbs has him often passed by. Particularly at deadline when teams are sizing up for playoffs. 
I love the guy and am annoyed by people making derogatory remarks or using childish names in his respect. 

[Hairy Kneel]

6 hours ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

I asked Batchelor on twitter about Studnicka's training camp.

 

"Studnicka's had a strong camp, physical and lots of speed".

 

Could be a dark horse to make this roster.

Stunicka is hard to figure out. 6 1" 187 lbs.

5 g in 85 career games

87 hits in 85 games

Not a top 6 and I like Joshua better as a bottom 6 instead. And PDG, both bring more toughness. 

A Benning leftover piece?

 

 

 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Hairy Kneel

[Locke Lamora]

As others have mentioned, great to hear the positive reviews on Woo. He is exactly the type of d-man we need.

[Hairy Kneel]

18 minutes ago, BlockerHigh said:

Garland was borderline top 6 production 5 on 5 last year. and I believe he was the year before. The fact no one wanted to trade for him unless it was a cap dump really surprised me. Perhaps it was teams playing hardball. But I would have expected teams with cap and a need for some decent 2 way vets would have loved him, particularly given his ability to play anywhere in the top 9. The fact Chicago or Anaheim didn't offer something of value is odd. I think many teams will regret not taking him for a very low cost last year, as I also think he is a pretty good player and will have a solid year.

Almost top 6 5 on 5, playing 3rd line minutes and barely any PP is impressive.

A lot of the lower teams in the playoffs could have used someone like Garland in their playoff games. Heart and soul guy, plays with an edge. And decent offensive numbers. Playoffs, no time for slackers. 

[Slegr]

31 minutes ago, BlockerHigh said:

Thanks for your views,

 
Good to hear about Woo in particular. We really need him to get back to the guy we drafted (from those who watched him in abby last year, it appears he was getting there). If he can be one of those guys who develops from within beyond just a 'depth guy' it's a huge win given he brings alot of what we lack. He kind of seems like a young Schenn who's a better skater, or a young Bieka without as much offense. Either way. a hard nosed RD who can skate would be great! I am really pulling for him!

 

How was Boeser's skating? Has it improved? Is he moving his feet more? That's all I care about at this stage, has his fitness helped and has his skating improved. If so, he'll be fine with all the mental stuff finally dealt with.

 

On a side note, thank you for not calling them things like "Millsy, Meysey, Garly, etc etc, as if you play with them. I find that terribly annoying on these sites LOL

 

 

 

Boeser’s skating didn’t seem improved to me, just seemed average for him. Some of his plays seemed uninspiring - he’s not the best playmaker - but that shot looked great.

[RWJC]

1 minute ago, Slegr said:

Boeser’s skating didn’t seem improved to me, just seemed average for him. Some of his plays seemed uninspiring - he’s not the best playmaker - but that shot looked great.

Are you describing just today or past couple days as well with regards to his skating?

 

[Slegr]

14 minutes ago, RWJC said:

Are you describing just today or past couple days as well with regards to his skating?

 

Just today. There were videos and reports of good skating Thurs / Fri, and it sounds like he dropped some weight, so hopefully it shows and has an impact in the games. In the scrimmage today though he wasn’t showing the best hockey IQ in terms of developing plays, but that’s just my opinion. In the special teams practice at the end he did have two very nice plays (one goal and one light speed pass assist to Kuzmenko).

[DrJockitch]

42 minutes ago, Hairy Kneel said:

Stunicka is hard to figure out. 6 1" 187 lbs.

5 g in 85 career games

87 hits in 85 games

Not a top 6 and I like Joshua better as a bottom 6 instead. And PDG, both bring more toughness. 

A Benning leftover piece?

 

 

 

PA traded for Studnicka 

[RWJC]

3 minutes ago, Slegr said:

Just today. There were videos and reports of good skating Thurs / Fri, and it sounds like he dropped some weight, so hopefully it shows and has an impact in the games. In the scrimmage today though he wasn’t showing the best hockey IQ in terms of developing plays, but that’s just my opinion. In the special teams practice at the end he did have two very nice plays (one goal and one light speed pass assist to Kuzmenko).

 

Yeah, totally agree with that. Cheers

[JeremyCuddles]

38 minutes ago, Hairy Kneel said:

Stunicka is hard to figure out. 6 1" 187 lbs.

5 g in 85 career games

87 hits in 85 games

Not a top 6 and I like Joshua better as a bottom 6 instead. And PDG, both bring more toughness. 

A Benning leftover piece?

 

 

 

Studs watched his bottom 6 center spot dry up really quickly over the summer, not that it was ever really his given Dries and Aman were the regular bottom 6 centers to end last season. If he struggled to beat out Aman and Dries last year, he sure as hell isn't likely to beat out Suter and Bleugs. He has to find a spot on the RW. Our winger depth right now looks like Beauvillier, Kuzmenko, Boeser, Garland, Joshua, Podkolzin, Hoglander, PDG, and Mikheyev when healthy. Still left out a few other long shotters like Bains and Dries. Roughly 10 dudes all fighting for 8 winger spots.

 

Studs is likely feeling the pressure. Which would explain the energy. But the hill is pretty lopsided. He isn't getting a LW spot. We have left handed wingers out the ass, Suter and Bleuger also play LW on occasion. Studs real saving grace is he's one of the few right handed players we have. But I don't see him beating out Podkolzin, Hoglander, and Garland for bottom 6 RW. Wish him luck though, competition is always good.

[RWJC]

 

Canucks training camp scrimmage: 3 players who helped themselves and 3 who didn’t

 

VICTORIA, B.C. — The Vancouver Canucks have held an idiosyncratic, systems-work-heavy training camp at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre this week.

There have been battle drills and flow drills, of course, but the emphasis has been on breakouts, retrievals, regroups and other structural elements. There’s been more time spent huddling around the whiteboard than what’s typical for NHL teams at this time of year, and accordingly, fewer opportunities for those more competitive environments that are often so telling in shaping the outcome of the various training camp battles for what open jobs exist on a 23-man roster.

 

On Saturday morning, however, that changed, as the Canucks held their first scrimmage of training camp, with Team Blue — led by J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes — coming out with a 3-1 victory over Elias Pettersson’s Team White.

 

The first scrimmage of training camp is an essential battleground for those depth players jockeying for roster spots. It’s less crucial for veteran players, who will ramp up in the final week of preseason and at this point in camp tend to still be finding their feet and hands. Pettersson, for example, was quiet at Saturday’s scrimmage, but that’s zero cause for concern. A roster hopeful having a quiet game, however, is more troubling given how fine the margin can be between earning that 12th or 13th forward job and ending up on waivers over Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.

 

Here are notes on three players who stood out and helped their cause at Saturday’s scrimmage, and three who probably didn’t.

 

 

Players who helped themselves:

 

 

Jack Studnicka

 

Jack Studnicka struggled mightily to ingratiate himself to new Canucks coach Rick Tocchet down the stretch last season. After Tocchet took over, in fact, Studnicka was a healthy scratch in 16 of Tocchet’s 36 games.

Given that first impression, Studnicka appeared to be in tough coming into training camp. He’s responded, however, with the urgency that any coach would hope for.

“A lot of guys were maybe forgetting about me, so I took it personal,” Studnicka said after Saturday’s on-ice session. “I’ve put it upon myself to make some noise here.

“I was just honest with myself, yeah I didn’t play well down the stretch after the All-Star break, but I’m capable of a lot more and I’m looking forward to showing that.”

In terms of making noise, Studnicka hit a high decibel level during Saturday’s scrimmage, during which he was Vancouver’s most active and noticeable forward. He threw a couple of heavy hits — and smartly pulled up on another that could’ve been devastating on Filip Johansson — was a handful on the forecheck, had a good defensive stick along the wall to clear the zone and aggressively looked to take the puck to the net.

 

For Studnicka, the recipe is a simple game, a “north-south game,” and that’s by design.

 

“You look at the makeup of our roster, and we have guys that are going to put the puck in the net, we have our power-play guys and we have our skill guys,” Studnicka said. “I think we need a bit of meat and potatoes. Everyone has to start somewhere, so if I can form that identity then hopefully there’s more layers to my game that come out later on. I see the situation. I’ve got to be a good forechecker, I’ve got to be a heavy presence and I’ve got to win my battles.”

Studnicka’s performance didn’t just turn our heads, either. After the scrimmage ended, Miller, who was playing for the other side, sought out Studnicka to offer him praise for how he’d competed.

 

“Yeah, I just went over to him and said, ‘Great practice,'” Miller said.

 

“Studsy has looked good. He came in in great shape, he’s been here for a while and you can tell he’s hungry. … He’s looked great and he’s dead serious about filling a role for us.”

Make no mistake, through the first three days of training camp, Studnicka has perhaps surprisingly put himself squarely into the mix in the battle for a fourth-line or depth forward role to open the season.

 

 

 

Jett Woo

 

Jett Woo was rock solid during Saturday’s scrimmage.

 

His skating played and he won battles on retrievals and evaded forechecking pressure effectively — most notably winning a 50/50 battle with Miller off of a dump-in in the early portion of the game. His shot selection was solid, and although he’s unlikely to ever be a real offensive threat from the offensive blue line, he did very well to get his shot past the first defender on multiple occasions in Saturday’s scrimmage.

 

To our eyes, his playmaking looked pretty close to NHL level, too. On one sequence, he made a clever play to hold the blue line with his feet, kicking the puck to keep his team’s possession onside Kevin Bieksa-style. Later on that same sequence, he marauded down the right-side half wall and, when pressure arrived and took away his options, made a clever backhand pass into space down low that permitted a teammate to retain possession as the heavy shift continued.

 

If the club is going to be steadfast in preferring to play defenders on their strong side, then opportunity knocks in a major way for Woo given Vancouver’s relative shortage of right-handed options. To this point at camp, he’s made a strong case to get a longer look once preseason begins.

“There’s competition there, and he’s trying to climb that depth chart, and I think he has a little bit,” Tocchet said after Saturday’s practice.

“Now it’s about the NHL level can he think (about) the game fast? The puck gets to him, does he know where to put it?” Tocchet continued. “In the minors, you get maybe an extra second, here you don’t. He’s got to fast-track that, so we’ve got to get him into exhibition games and things like that. And he’s got to practice like that, and I think he’s trying really hard out there.”

 

 

Nils Höglander

 

 

It’s funny how drastically a player’s opportunity can change from one training camp to the next.

In 2022, Höglander opened camp at Whistler with two projected AHL players, Linus Karlsson and Nils Åman. That surprising decision foreshadowed the limited minutes and difficult season he’d have under Bruce Boudreau, before eventually being demoted to Abbotsford.

 

This year, he’s opened with the best role any Canucks winger could ask for, getting the first look on the top line alongside Pettersson and Andrei Kuzmenko.

 

Höglander had a strong showing on the Pettersson line in Saturday’s scrimmage. It started from the first shift where Höglander made a quick, decisive bump pass along the boards in the defensive zone on the breakout. He made the play fast enough to catch the opposing team’s pinching defenceman, which sprung Pettersson and Kuzmenko for a two-on-one rush that resulted in a terrific scoring chance.

 

The sequence was very similar to this wall play we saw from Höglander in his rookie season.

 

One of the noticeable differences between Höglander’s successful rookie campaign versus his struggles the last two seasons was his ability to make those quick passes under pressure on the breakout. When Höglander’s at his best, he cleanly moves the puck in those situations along the boards, which is instrumental for driving play and helping his line transition the puck. But over the last two seasons, he seemed to struggle in that department — there were too many plays where opposing defencemen were successful with their pinches and able to hem Höglander and his line in the defensive zone.

 

Höglander looked fast and annoying as the first man in on the forecheck. He generated a couple of high-danger scoring chances, including a slick pop pass to Tyler Myers on the rush. And the key is that Höglander’s success wasn’t dependent on Pettersson, who looked rusty in the scrimmage. Höglander looked good on his own accord, he wasn’t riding anybody’s coattails.

 

A big question that still needs to be answered is whether Höglander has the finishing ability to mesh with that line, and we did see a rush one-timer that he flubbed. But Tocchet’s commentary has made it clear that Höglander’s role on that line is to create havoc with his speed, make plays and not make any big turnovers or defensive mistakes. Höglander clearly checked those boxes in his first look next to Pettersson and Kuzmenko.

 

 

 

Players who didn’t

 

 

Carson Soucy

 

Soucy isn’t competing for a roster spot, but he didn’t exactly make a meal of his first look on the top pair Saturday.

Now, this isn’t cause for real concern or anything. One scrimmage isn’t enough time for anyone to make judgments on what combinations can and can’t work together over the course of the season. It was, however, a tough debut for the Hughes-Soucy pair.

 

Soucy was the defender who pinched in the offensive zone and got caught out of position on Höglander’s quick wall pass, which resulted in a two-on-one rush against Hughes. The biggest problem, however, was that the pair seemed to get hemmed in the defensive zone nearly every time Soucy had to go back to retrieve a dump-in and start a breakout. He consistently lost races to the puck and even got pickpocketed by the first forechecker on some occasions. One of those failed retrieval sequences led to Teddy Blueger’s goal against them. The D-to-D passes Soucy made when under pressure were sometimes launched too hard for Hughes to cleanly and quickly corral.

 

The pair came on in the second half of the scrimmage, but that’s because Hughes started handling all the retrievals and breakouts. It’s probably not sustainable for Hughes to be responsible for every transition play considering the huge minutes he’s going to log every game.

 

There was a clear difference between how uncomfortable Soucy looked handling the puck and making plays compared to another defensive defenceman like Ian Cole, who was really solid next to Filip Hronek while playing on his strong side.

 

 

 

Vasili Podkolzin

 

Vasili Podkolzin was given the premium spot on Miller and Brock Boeser’s wing in Saturday’s scrimmage and didn’t do much with the opportunity.

There weren’t too many glaring errors necessarily — he was beaten a bit too easily by Myers after taking a suspect lane on the forecheck and stickhandled into traffic on a rush chance sprung by Akito Hirose — it’s more that Podkolzin wasn’t nearly as physically assertive as Studnicka and didn’t have as many productive, play-driving touches as Höglander, Arshdeep Bains or Åman did on their lines.

 

Although Team Blue won 3-1, Podkolzin didn’t combine much in the way of heavy shifts or productive rush chances with Boeser and Miller on Saturday. He’ll presumably have more opportunities to complement skilled forwards in the preseason, but in a plum spot in the lineup and with a chance to really kick the door down, Podkolzin wasn’t a standout Saturday.

 

 

Christian Wolanin

 

 

Christian Wolanin didn’t play poorly in the scrimmage. He was totally fine. The reason he’s listed here has less to do with his play and more to do with how strong the depth defence competition around him has looked.

 

Hirose was calm and poised making plays with the puck. He used his stick really intelligently to make defensive stops, too. There was a clear two-way impact with his game.

Guillaume Brisebois was his usual reliable self defensively. The cherry on top is that he made some sweet outlet passes, including a stretch one that sprung Danila Klimovich for a breakaway. Puck moving is the clear advantage Wolanin needs to have on Brisebois because when it comes to physicality and defensive prowess, Brisebois probably has the edge in the eyes of the coaching staff. With that context in mind, the fact Brisebois looked comfortable making plays with the puck is a promising sign for him.

Even Jack Rathbone looked dynamic and confident at driving play.

 

Wolanin, in comparison, didn’t really stand out at all. He was beaten once on a rush chance sequence by Åman, but there weren’t any concerning moments. It’s just that you were still left wanting a bit more from him, especially considering how excellent his competitors have come out looking in the early part of camp.

 

 

By Thomas Drance and Harman Dayal
 

https://theathletic.com/4892623/2023/09/23/canucks-training-camp-scrimmage/