I've been waiting for an announcement about whether we'll get to watch the YoungStars games from Penticton this weekend.
Nothing has shown up yet on Canucks.com, with the team's first game against Edmonton on Friday night at 7:30 PT. Their website shows that the game will be available to watch on EdmontonOilers.com.
I suspect the same will be true for the Canucks—I remember Joey Kenward doing play-by-play last year—but at least we know for sure that we'll have access to a livestream.
Here's a look at the Oilers' rookie roster. Key players to watch will include this year's No. 3 pick, centre Leon Draisaitl and last year's No. 7 pick, defenseman Darnell Nurse. Nurse had a strong training camp last year as an 18-year-old. It'll be interesting to see how much he's developed and whether Draisaitl's able to use his big body to dominate among players who are a bit older.
For his part, Hunter Shinkaruk is making it clear that he wants all eyes on him. I really like this kid's confidence!
#Canucks Shinkaruk on Penticton tourney: 'I expect to be one of the best players in the tournament if not the best'
— Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) September 9, 2014Canucks Picture Comes Into Focus at Board of Trade Luncheon
With the Canucks starting their push to sell those last 1,000 or so season tickets to reach their goal, the team's big three rookies—Linden, Benning and Desjardins—took the stage in front of Vancouver's business elite at a Board of Trade luncheon on Tuesday.
There's plenty of coverage out there, and plenty of angles.
David Ebner of The Globe and Mail felt that the team overplayed its hand in its introductory video.
Images from the team’s earliest days unspool and roll through the unlikely run to the 1982 Stanley Cup final, again in 1994 and then 2011 – cutting away before that year’s Cup final and ignoring everything that followed.The voice-over makes major declarations: The team is the city’s “binding spirit…; to be a Canuck is to have “the heart of a warrior…; the team provides citizens something to belong to; it is the “common language… of the region, a veritable lingua franca of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland.
By contrast, Trevor Linden doesn't sound arrogant at all in this video from CBC.ca. He talks about why the team targeted Willie Desjardins and how his positive energy should bring back hope. Linden admits that last year, the players lost hope and looked like they weren't having any fun.
When I heard those words, the first player who pops into my head is Alex Edler—with Alex Burrows in second spot. Jannik Hansen's a solid candidate for third.
Linden's also very frank about the "negativity around the team when (he) came on board." He says he sensed a change when Jim Benning arrived. Now, "Willie needs to get the buy-in from the guys," and the team needs to win.
“The most important thing in this business is winning,… said Linden in Ebner's story, “I don’t blame any fan who says that ‘I want to see it happen on the ice first.’…
For more details on how the team plans to make it happen on the ice, let's turn to Iain MacIntyre of the Vancouver Sun, who spoke with Willie Desjardins after the luncheon.
MacIntyre's whole article is well worth a read, but the biggest cause for optimism is Desjardins' belief that he has the personnel to play an exciting, uptempo, attacking game that should be much more entertaining than what we saw last year.
“I’ve had teams that have always scored,… Desjardins said. “I think part of that comes from the style and allowing your players opportunities. I think we have talented players. I do. I look at the lineup and I think we have guys who can score. That’s what I believe — that we’re not going to be a team that can’t score. We have lots of talent, lots of skill.…
MacIntyre also reports that the Sedins will be deployed differently and a little bit less—probably used only at the end of penalty-kills, where they can get some offensive opportunities. Here's how coaching duties will be divided:
Desjardins also plans to use two full power-play units, coached by he and new assistant Perry Pearn. Holdover assistant coach Glen Gulutzan, who coached the 26th-ranked power play last season, will guide the penalty kill. New assistant Doug Lidster will run the defence, Desjardins the forwards.