Fri 11:36 am: So now I'm realizing what may have had Nino somewhat disturbed last night. Other players who had played in the NHL got to sit and watch the game, Ness, Poulin, DeHaan, but Nino who played his entire season in the NHL was on the ice. Yep. That'll do it.
Thurs 6/28/12 11 pm: Some thoughts.
I finally had a chance to see the new crops of prospects mingled with familiar faces from the last THREE (count 'em THREE as Nino Niederreiter indcated to me) years. Boy, were they impressive -- size wise that is.
The tallest being a young Russian named Oleg Yevenko who stands 6'7" and attends UMass. You would think a man that tall can't skate, but he can fly. He also has so much power behind his shot that it scared many of the more than 250 people crowded into IceWorks tonight as the puck boomed against the boards.
Griffin Reinhart became a target for Brock Nelson. These two were on the ice against each other every time. Each time they lined up and got acquainted. Maybe Brock was letting Griffin know he wasn't that big.
Minnesota native, Jake Bischoff was also a target but was also a lot of fun to watch skate. Especially backwards.
Ryan Strome was good, but needs a little time. Kirill Kabanov has come a long way. He'll come further in Bridgeport. Scott Mayfield was a standout and not just for his height and Mile Halmo stood out to Chris Hessel.
Nino Niederreiter is developing more of an edge to his game than I'd like. I'd prefer him to be more of a finese player than someone who is overly physical. Had they actually been calling penalties, he would have probably had more than one.
Remy Giftopoulos seemed to have a considerable amount of ice time. I say that because every time I looked at the back of his jersey I mumbled. "I'm never going to be able to pronounce or spell that name. Ever."
Jack Capuano took it all in from the balcony standing most of the time closer to us psuedo media-types instead of over by Garth Snow and company. I was wishing I was a little closer to Jack because he was reviewing the details the game to a white-haired gentleman next to him.
Brent Thompson, Doug Weight and Mike Dunham were all at the far end of the balcony with Garth all taking mental notes. Eric Cairns, Chris O'Sullivan, Trent Klatt and Bernie Cassell were the coaches behind the bench. As Jack said, they did an excellent job considering the amount of defensemen they had to work with.
It was a low scoring game, 3 - 0, but there were plenty of chances.
I will get to the interviews in the morning. Right now. I'm passing out. Time to sleep
6:47 am: Good morning people. I woke to a thunderstorm at 5:30 am. Hope things are better by you this Friday.
Of course ITV has done a great job posting their interview videos, which are below. I spoke to Nino after ITV was done with him and while everyone was crowded around Griffin who sat within inches of the Isles OTHER first round draft pick. I asked how this camp is different for him. He told me after three years, now he's one of the veterans. "I have a good feeling about it. It's my third camp, but every year you can learn something more, something new."
Nino said he's going to work as hard as possible for the next few days at camp and few months at home trying to make a big push for the NHL in September.
Griffin Reinhart was seated when I spoke to him, which was good for little 5'1", even in my heels. I asked him if he had ever played against Brock Nelson and he said he didn't think so, but his name sounded familiar. (Not sure if this will turn into a friendship or a rivalry.)
Being curious about the draft process, I asked Griffin what the strangest question he was asked and he told me they weren't as strange as he thought they would be. "Some of the hardest ones were the simple ones, like describe yourself in three adjectives, or what would your coach think of you or different players on your team. You'd think that was so easy and you're trying to think, but all that's going through your head is 'Don't pick a verb or a noun, pick a couple of adjectives.' It's a pretty tough one."
He has a great smile and an easy way about him. Stan Fishler Tweeted that his father is a class act. I think Griffin will be too.
And then there was Jack. Jack Capuano who seems a little grayer and a little more at ease. So much so that when he was called for his post game scrum, he grabbed my recorder, "Do I get to do this to YOU guys NOW?" If he wanted to turn the tables, I wish he would. I would have no problem answering questions. "Go ahead, see how hard this is to do!" I said louder than I normally speak when stuck in the throng. Jack smiled and handed me back my recorder. The rest is on video.
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