Finally, the Puck Has Come Back to Anaheim
After the most uneventful summer in recent memory, training camp opens today at Anaheim Ice. 64 players were invited to camp, but only about a third of that number will be will be members of the team when regular season play begins next week.
Baring trades, most of the roster spots (not including injuries) are taken. Breaking it down:
Locks (14) – Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry, Ryan Kesler, Jakob Silfverberg, Andrew Cogliano, Pat Maroon, Carl Hagelin, Hampus Lindholm, Cam Fowler, Sami Vatanen, Kevin Bieksa, Clayton Stoner, Simon Despres and Frederik Anderson
Virtual Locks (3) – Jiri Sekac, Chris Stewart, Rickard Rakell
Surprised If They Were Cut (3) - Anton Khudobin, Mike Santorelli, Shawn Horcoff
Fighting For a Spot (5) – Korbinian Holzer, Chris Wagner, Stefan Noessen, Josh Manson, Tim Jackman
Long Shots (4) – Shea Theodore, Nic Kerdiles, Nick Ritchie, John Gibson
Injured (1) – Nate Thompson
Thompson probably won't return until Christmas time. That leaves five players fighting for two jobs in camp. The four long shots have a chance to win a job, but its highly unlikely given that Ducks GM Bob Murray had previously said he won't rush the development of his young players.
Out of Thin Air
Earlier in the week, the Ducks surprisingly invited two of their former defensemen to camp, Vitaly Vishnevsky (35) and Sheldon Brookbank (34). Anaheim is legitimately 10 deep on the blue line, so the inclusion of these two players is somewhat mysterious.
Sneak Peek
The Ducks will play three intrasquad games in addition to practice Saturday through Monday, They are free and open to the public. The sessions run from 9am – 2 pm