We have a few Canucks tidbits to chew on today, so let's get right to it.
Linden Vey Signs
First off, after a week or so of speculation, the Canucks officially announced on Wednesday that Linden Vey has been signed to a one-year contract. According to CapGeek.com, it's a two-way deal that pays $735,000 at the NHL level—actually a drop from Vey's entry-level salary of $790,000.
They list $110,000 in performance bonuses as being part of Vey's first contract. I'm assuming that has something to do with how he was qualified at a lower number.
Vey has lots to prove at the NHL level but I think Canucks fans will be pleased with what they see from him this year. Jason Botchford
has a profile on Vey in the
Vancouver Province.
In addition to talking about Vey's strong play against Vancouver when he was a member of the Kings last season and touching on Jim Benning's positive impression of his play with the AHL Manchester Monarchs, the story also touches on Willie Desjardins' influence on Vey's development back in Medicine Hat. This reflects well both on Vey and on Willie:
The coach left for the NHL the off-season before Vey blew up for his 116 points. But even though Desjardins was moving on to be an associate coach for the Dallas Stars, he didn’t forget Vey.
“The funny thing is, even though he wasn’t my coach any more he was still very impactful that year,” Vey said.
“I spent a lot of time with him that summer. He sat me down and told me that was the year I had to really focus on training.
“It was probably the first year that I actually dedicated to working out.”
Notes From Development Camp
A fun piece from Derek Jory on Canucks.com, capturing a bunch of behind-the-scenes details of last week's prospect development camp. To get to know some of the prospects a little better,
click here.
Bo Goes Faster
Meanwhile, over on NHL.com, Kevin Woodley
reports that Bo Horvat's leaning-out process is going well—that he's already lost "six to eight pounds" in less than three weeks.
Woodley also mentions that Brendan Gaunce could be a force to be reckoned with as Horvat tries to fight for a Canucks roster spot and avoid being sent back to London for another year of junior.
Building an AHL Team
An informative piece from the Utica Comets website, breaking down the roster decisions that go into building an AHL team. If you've ever wondered about minor-league roster limits, NHL vs. AHL contracts, age restrictions or veteran rules,
this story lays it all out in one handy package.
One other note from the farm: on Wednesday, the St. Louis Blues signed away one of last year's Comets. Benn Ferriero was third in scoring for Utica in 2013-14 with 39 points in 54 games and was pointless in two games with the Canucks. The Blues have signed him to a two-way deal.
Old Heat Boss Takes Over Giants
Finally, the Vancouver Giants announced on Wednesday that they'd hired former Abbotsford Heat coach Troy Ward as their new bench boss.
Click here for Steve Ewen's story from
The Province. The Flames tapped former Kelowna Rockets coach Ryan Huska to lead their team for the first season in its new home, Adirondack.
The Giants are bidding to host the 2016 Memorial Cup, which would be a fun spring hockey event for the citizens of Vancouver. Last time they hosted, things went very well: the Giants won the Cup with a roster that included Milan Lucic and Evander Kane back in 2007.
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