We've made it to August! Just one more hockey-free month to go before the wheels will start turning towards training camp and the start of the 2014-15 NHL season.
Next week, 41 of Canada's best prospects will be gathering in Brossard, Montreal and Sherbrooke, Quebec, for Team Canada's Annual World Juniors Summer Development Camp.
Link verbiage for the complete list of invitees, which includes two Canuck prospects: Bo Horvat and Jake Virtanen. Thatcher Demko will also be participating in the camp as a member of Team USA.
Not much word on Horvat or Demko's activities since the Canucks' prospect camp wrapped up a couple of weeks ago, but Virtanen was back on the ice this week in North Vancouver,
according to Steve Ewen of
The Province.
Virtanen's only about two months into rehab after shoulder surgery, with a projected timeline of four-to-six months for complete recovery. I don't want to get too optimistic, but it sounds like the kid might be a quick healer:
Virtanen, an Abbotsford native who had an operation in late May to correct a torn labrum in his left shoulder, has been skipping contact drills, but he has been shooting the puck, and if Thursday’s session is any indication, he’s not holding back.
"Right now, it feels like normal. It feels like I could hit, but I don’t want to do that, just in case," Virtanen says. If he's assessing his progress correctly, he should have no trouble reaching his goal of being in game-shape by early October with the Calgary Hitmen.
This is good news. Before the draft, I was worried that the layoff from the surgery would hamper Virtanen's development at a crucial stage. A smooth, quick recovery like this shouldn't prove to be too much of a setback. It could also speak to a strong work ethic during rehab and some good genes helping him to heal quickly.
Virtanen must be very well thought-of by Team Canada management to be invited to the summer camp even though his participation in on-ice workouts will be limited. I'm sure it will be a great experience for him nonetheless.
Also impressive—Virtanen's attitude. He's volunteered to help out with the nine and 10-year-olds who are using the ice before his group this week:
“I know that giving back to the community is important. I know when I was that age, if guys from the Western league or Junior A would come out, it would be a blast,” said Virtanen, a 45-goal man in 71 regular season games with Calgary last season.
“I don’t want to be a guy who just plays hockey and doesn’t help out the community. It’s a lot of fun.
“I know the Canucks are very good at helping out the community and giving back. If you didn’t do it before, you’re going to have to get used to it. But I love doing that. It’s special for me.”
I like what I've seen and heard from Virtanen since he was drafted. Shouldn't be too much longer before we see him back on the ice!
Canucks Hire New Video Coach Ben Cooper
It sounds like the Canucks' long-time video coach Darryl Williams will not be part of the Willie Desjardins era. The Burnaby Winter Club has just announced that Ben Cooper
has resigned to become the Canucks' new video coach.
Pass It To Bulis has more on Cooper, a 36-year-old Vancouverite with some coaching experience himself. Impressively, he also served as the video coach for Canada's gold medal-winning 2010 Olympic team here in Vancouver.
Video coaching is not easy to scrutinize or assess from the outside, but I'm happy to see the Canucks taking steps to try to be more prepared against their opponents next season.
Del Zotto Not Likely to Be Vancouver-Bound
In closing today, it seems highly unlikely that Michael Del Zotto will land in Vancouver when he signs his next NHL contract. In addition to Trevor Linden stating that the Canucks are finished with player acquisitions for the summer, we have this:
I think the Canucks are happy with the group they have and plan to give Luca Sbisa plenty of opportunity to show how he fits into the blueline group.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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