After a visit to the Canadian Forces Base in Esquimalt on Wednesday afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks prospects are headed back to the mainland to wrap up the last couple of days of camp.

"This is much heavier than hockey gear..."

@bhutt10 sports a bomb suit @MARPAC. pic.twitter.com/Faf7MdiCoL

— Vancouver Canucks (@VanCanucks) July 8, 2015

Vancouver's marketing team is on the ball, using the momentum from prospects camp to start the sales drive for the Young Stars Classic in September.

It should be a great show this year—not just for a chance to see the Canucks' prospects in a competitive setting, but also to see the first spin for Edmonton's Connor McDavid, as well as a slew of prospects from Calgary and Winnipeg.

Tickets for the tournament go on sale this Friday. Click here for all the details.

I think now that the outrage has quieted surrounding the departures of Eddie Lack and Zack Kassian, folks are starting to see that the team might not look better on paper *right now,* but the results next season—and into the future—will be determined by what this crop of kids can bring to the table.

thinking re Canucks - cant get younger unless young guys drafted and eventually pan out (Baertschi,McCann,Boeser etc) / tough for fans to

— Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) July 9, 2015

see current roster and believe, but unfortunately it takes time .. will they make it? who knows - but mgt cant stray from plan

— Ray Ferraro (@rayferrarotsn) July 9, 2015

Bo Horvat's leading this charge. He told News1130 today that he's doing everything he can to be prepared to step into a bigger role:

Horvat on 2nd line centre role : "It's in the back of my mind, but wherever Willie puts me, I want to help the team win." #Canucks

— NEWS 1130 Sports (@NEWS1130Sports) July 9, 2015

Horvat on higher expectations : "I put the most pressure on myself, I want to be the guy they rely on late in the game." #Canucks

— NEWS 1130 Sports (@NEWS1130Sports) July 9, 2015

Ben Kuzma's also got a story here on the ongoing development of Sven Baertschi.

The best part of this tale is the perspective of Travis Green, who coached Baertschi at the junior level with the Portland Winter Hawks, then saw him again this spring in Utica.

"He was a dominant player at our (AHL) level and all signs indicated that he’s ready for the next jump,” Green said Wednesday. “You have to give players the opportunity and it should be a prolonged look to give the player confidence that you believe in him. I have a lot of belief in Sven. He has a chance to be a top-six forward who can play on your power play and is a guy who deserves the chance.

“What we tried to stress is that there’s a fine line of when to think offensively and when you have to be safer with the puck. Those areas are more from his own blue-line back to the goalie and when to make a pass off the wing and into the middle. He’s like a lot of young guys who want to score, but we would play him in the last minute and he was a go-to guy.

“He’s going to have ups and downs, but does he have the potential to be a second-line NHL winger? Absolutely, 100 per cent. Of all the kids I’ve had, there are a handful who I have said should play in the NHL and he’s one of them."

The Province also features a Jim Jamieson interview with Jared McCann, who's looking good and hoping to make an impression at training camp this year. Click here to read that piece.

As a 19-year-old, McCann's in the same boat that Horvat was last year. He'll need to make the Canucks outright or be sent back to junior, because he can't be assigned to the AHL.

Along with Jake Virtanen, who played at last year's World Juniors, McCann has also been invited to Team Canada's summer camp this year. He's hoping to make the team this time around.

“I want to be one of those guys who can make an impact at that level,” he said. “I remember Jordan Eberle scoring the tying goal against Russia (in the 2009 tournament). I was disappointed (last year), but I understood why and it motivated me. I’m going to work hard there and show them I deserve a spot on that team.”

A Solid Signing?

One final nugget to wrap up today, which runs counter to the narrative that Jim Benning's a poor negotiator.

Tom Collins of fantasy sports website Dobber Hockey ranks Benning's signing of Yannick Weber at No. 2 on his list of this year's underrated free-agency moves! Click here for the article.

The nitty-gritty: "He signed a one-year deal that will pay him just $1.5 million. There's only eight defencemen in the league that had at least 10 goals, five power play goals, 30 pims and a positive plus-minus, and the rest make a lot more money."

That would have made for one strong argument in arbitration, but Benning and company were able to avoid that situation completely and get Weber signed without much fanfare, at very reasonable money.

Weber's never going to be the toughest defender on the ice but at the other end of the spectrum, consider that he really only got settled into his role with the Sedins on the power play towards the end of the season. If the group can produce next year like they did for the last couple of months of 2014-15, that'll go a long way towards calming any concerns about a lack off offense.

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