Game 2 of the Canucks' YoungStars tournament goes at 2 p.m. this afternoon at the South Okanagan Events Centre, against the Winnipeg Jets.
JetsTV does a nice job of setting up the match from their point of view. I'll be looking forward to seeing what their top prospects Nic Petan and Nikolaj Ehlers bring to the ice.
Out of all the coverage I saw after Game 1, I think the most interesting piece is this story from Jim Jamieson of The Province about Hunter Shinkaruk.
Apparently the speedy winger was able to add 16 pounds of muscle to his upper body while he was rehabbing his hip injury—and it hasn't impacted his speed. If that's true, it should certainly bode well for his chances of handling NHL-type competition.
Some people didn’t think I was physically strong enough to compete with men. I looked at it as I had six months more to train than anyone else in this room. I came back here heavier than last year, all muscle. I’m stronger and that’s one of the things I’m focusing on right now.
Also interesting: coach Travis Green's assessment of Bo Horvat as "average" after Game 1, from Elliott Pap over at the Vancouver Sun.
Despite that assessment, we can add Green's voice to those saying that Horvat's talents lie in the little things that he dos on the ice:
He does a lot of good things that go unnoticed. He’s a guy you know is going to play the game the right way. He doesn’t cheat to make offence. He just plays a good 200-foot game. I really like him as a player.
I thought Brendan Gaunce had a reasonable game, but he's another player who was labeled "average" by Green.
Jamieson's article also includes some notes from yesterday's practice, with different line combintations likely for today's game:
Green had Horvat between Shinkaruk and Jensen – which is the way they finished Friday night — while Valk skated with Dane Fox and Mike Zalewski. Brendan Gaunce, the Canucks’ first pick in the 2012 draft, was doing drills with tryout wingers Klarc Wilson and Cordell James.
While TSN's Bob McKenzie was in Penticton for a couple of day, he sat down to speak to Jim Benning. It's a fairly long interview, which covers the talking points we've been hearing Benning hit all summer. Click here to watch.
Sedins Announce New Charity Initiative
Turning back to the lower mainland for a moment, Daniel and Henrik Sedin trekked out to Agassiz on Saturday to announce the launch of their families' new charity initiative, the Sedin Family Foundation.
Along with their wives, the brothers will be using the Foundation as a tool to support children and families throughout British Columbia. Their first gifts were playground and gym equipment for Kent Elementary School and the Kent Community Recreation and Cultural Centre.
This story from the Agassiz Observer really captures the excitement that a visit from the twins can generate in a community.
The hockey superstars hadn't announced their visit, and for some young fans, the event was too good to be true."I just can't believe this," one child said, running toward the playground. It's hard to know whether his excitement was over the brand new play equipment, or the visiting Canucks.