Observations from yesterday’s Blue/Gold Scrimmage…
- Another great, overflow crowd came out to Ford Ice Center yesterday, right in the middle of a Titans game to watch the scrimmage.
- To look at a position that stood out? Goaltender… all four goaltenders looked in mid-season form. Team Navy posted the 1-0 win with strong performances from rookie camp standout Matt O’Connor and fan favorite Anders Lindback. That’s not to say Team Gold netminders Juuse Saros and Jake Paterson weren’t stellar as well. Lindback and Saros posted shutouts in their play.
- Evidence of speed and skill were on display… lots of speed and a little bit of rusty skill, plenty of iron worked as posts were hit with regularity. Despite the lack of scoring… Trevor Mingoia posted the only goal in play… plenty of fire on the ice as most of the players in the game are fighting for a roster slot.
- Some of the standouts from rookie camp continue to impress, names like Tyler Kelleher and Matt O’Connor. I will be interested if they get any time in tomorrow’s doubleheader.
- I have been impressed with Kelleher’s speed, he was pushing the pace every time he was on the ice yesterday.
- Kevin Fiala… my lord was that kid all over the ice yesterday. Broken leg? What broken leg? A hungry, speedy Fiala will bode well for this team.
Overall a decent performance from the players involved. The goaltenders appeared to be waaay ahead of the offense. Puck movement was good, passing was solid, maybe a little too much of it. I always want to see a team shoot more.
The first cuts happened today as forward Pavel Koltygin (Drummondville/QMJHL) and defenseman Jacob Paquette (Kingston/OHL) were sent back to their junior teams. The team is on the ice at Centennial today for normal camp sessions. Preseason gets going tomorrow with a doubleheader at Bridgestone Arena. The Florida Panthers come to town to play two. Game one has a 3:30pm faceoff, game 2 starts at 7pm. Come on out and let’s get this season started!
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Random Notes
- 53 players left in camp, expect to see almost all of them skating in tomorrow’s doubleheader except for 13.
- Freddie Gaudreau showed well in yesterday’s scrimmage, his creativity drove a couple of scoring chances. He knows that a potential role on the big team is not assured this early in camp.
- Alexi Emelin didn’t stand out yesterday… which is a very good thing. For a stay at home defenseman, he was solid positionally, the only way that type of defenseman stands out is if he is out of position. PK Subban was pretty excited to have his old defense partner in the fold and was highly complementary of his game.
- Tomorrow the Predators are sponsoring a Blood Drive at Bridgestone Arena from 4 – 8pm in the Corporate Reception Room at Bridgestone Arena
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