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Canucks beat Oilers after cutting 18 players from the training-camp roster

September 18, 2019, 2:11 PM ET [83 Comments]
Carol Schram
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Tuesday, September 17 - Vancouver Canucks 4 - Edmonton Oilers 2

One thing I'm really liking about the Vancouver Canucks' preseason so far is seeing the team turn on the jets in the late stages of the third period.

Maybe that's a result of Travis Green's strong emphasis on conditioning. In our small sample size, we've seen eight of the team's 10 goals through the first three games come in the final frame — including three on Tuesday as the Canucks overcame a 2-1 deficit to come back and beat the Edmonton Oilers by a score of 4-2.

Here are your highlights:



Brandon Sutter had a productive game. He opened the scoring with a nice move on a first-period penalty shot, then added an easy tip-in goal off a tasty feed from Alex Edler in the third. Elias Pettersson also scored, through the five-hole after Shane Starrett gave up a big rebound from a shot by Micheal Ferland. Tanner Pearson added the empty-net insurance marker. Thatcher Demko had a strong outing, making 34 saves as he went the distance in net.

Tyler Myers played like a Six Million Dollar Man in his Rogers Arena debut. He led all Canucks with 23:03 of ice time and finished with a team-high six blocked shots, four shot attempts, two hits, a takeaway and one giveaway.

Quinn Hughes' night didn't go quite as smoothly. He played 15:33, but missed more than half of the first period after taking a stick to the mouth, then was shut down after four shifts in the third. Before he went to the dressing room, he was shown standing on the bench on the TV broadcast, perhaps trying to loosen up a hitch in his lower body.

Travis Green said after the game that Hughes' departure was just precautionary. He also mentioned that even though Olli Juolevi hasn't gotten into any preseason game action yet, his health is fine; they'll assess him on a day-to-day basis.

The Canucks are practicing at 11:30 on Wednesday at Rogers Arena. Their next three games will be Thursday in Edmonton, Saturday in Salt Lake City against the Los Angeles Kings, and Monday in Abbotsford against the Ottawa Senators. Then, they'll finish out the preseason with back-to-back home games—hosting Ottawa on Wednesday and Arizona on Thursday.

Before Tuesday's game, the team announced its first round of cuts—assigning 13 players to Utica, four to their junior teams and releasing Will Warm from his PTO.

With Jake Kielly on his way to Utica and Arturs Silovs heading to the Barrie Colts, we're down to five goalies—Markstrom, Demko, Bachman, McIntyre and DiPietro.

As for skaters, here are some of the bubble players who are still with the Canucks for the time being.

Forwards: Vincent Areneau, Justin Bailey, Reid Boucher, Landon Ferraro, Jonah Gadjovich, Adam Gaudette, Tyler Graovac, Lukas Jasek, Kole Lind, Zack MacEwen, Francis Perron

Defensemen: Alex Biega, Guillaume Brisebois, Jalen Chatfield, Oscar Fantenberg, Olli Juolevi, Brogan Rafferty, Ashton Sautner, Josh Teves

Travis Green said after Tuesday's game that more cuts will be made before Thursday's game in Edmonton.

All of the junior-eligibile players have now been re-assigned, including Jett Woo and Carson Focht of the Calgary Hitmen, who I spoke with in Victoria. Here's a slightly condensed version of that joint interview, which covers their junior careers, Woo's recovery from his knee injury, World Junior hopes and how they became such tight friends.

Though they played on different WHL teams last season, they'll both be with Calgary this year, and leaned on each other as they went through their first pro training camp in Victoria:

WOO: It's been good coming here together; a fun experience. Then, we'll go back our club teams and kind of have that opportunity to share what we learned here.

Like you said, we're having fun coming to the rink every day.

FOCHT: Yeah, it's great. Having Jetter here it just makes things a bit easier, a bit lighter. Just being really good buddies, to go out and do stuff together afterwards makes it a little bit more fun.

How far back does the relationship go?

FOCHT: Yeah, we've actually known each other for a really long time. Started a couple of years back—we were on the Youth Olympic Team for Team Canada. It's kind of when we first met each other.

We played against each other when we were super young, but that was the first time being on the same team. It just progressed from there. We played U17s together on Team White — Jetter was the captain — and ever since then, played against each other and now we're just together. Same club team, same NHL team, so it's cool.

WOO: I think even like when we would play against each other, we would always see each other after the game and hang around with some of the other guys on Calgary. When I played on Moose Jaw we'd kind of joke about what if I came to Calgary or we played together someday. It's kinda cool how it all happened.

Focht had a hand in recruiting Woo for the Hitmen.

FOCHT: We kinda sat down and said 'What do we need to do to win this year?' and I threw it out there — we need to get Jett Woo on our team. It's lucky enough that it happened.

Was Focht surprised to get the call to participate in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Michigan this year?


FOCHT: Yeah, I was a bit surprised. I knew I'd made a good impression in the playoffs and the second half of the season, but I wasn't sure where i stood with Hockey Canada, so it was a real honour to get the call for that.

Woo explains his limited game action at the Showcase, where he only played in one game as he continued his rehab from knee surgery.

WOO: Going into the camp, obviously I wanted to participate and do my best and see where I was at as well. I also knew, going into it, that it might not be where I wanted to be.

We talked to the trainers and the staff there and after a few practices as well as the travel and the game, it was a little bit too much so we decided as a whole to kind of keep me off the ice a little bit, try to keep going with my rehab.

I think it was a good call. I'm feeling pretty well right now. We were talking about it before, we're excited for the start of the season, try to have a good first half.

What will it take to get back to the physically punishing form that he showed a year ago at the Summer Showcase in Kamloops?

WOO: I think for me, I'm just trying to take it one step at a time. Obviously at camp, it's everyone's opportunity here to try to crack this team, first off, and then if that doesn't happen, go back to your junior team and have a good first half.

I obviously like to play that way and I think this summer after taking a good little bit of rehab and getting my body where i want it to be, I feel good with where I'm at and I'm looking forward to getting back to that pace and that level of playing hockey.

After a solid performance at the Showcase, does Focht have a sense of his chances of making the World Junior team?

FOCHT: I didn't have a real idea. I had a really good exit interview though. They said they liked my game while I was there and it was a big emphasis on being a team this year and coming together as a team. So, they said to look to fit into that.

If I'm lucky enough to get the call, I'll get the call, but I think it's up to me to perform in the first half of the season.

Was Focht's impressive season last year in Calgary motivated by having been passed over in his first year of draft eligibility in 2018?

FOCHT: I think it was a bit of an eye-opener for me, and I think I just had a really good summer last summer. Definitely motivated by that fact and trying to get back on NHL teams' radars.

I found myself in a really good spot in Calgary, where I was getting the opportunity that I really wanted. So I think those things coming together for me were a big reason why I was able to get back to where I knew I could play.

Was Focht surprised by the jump in his offensive numbers last season?

FOCHT: I guess I wasn't really surprised, because I've always been a guy that's been able to put up points. But even in the first half of the season, I wasn't where I wanted to be. I think I really took a lot of strides in the second half to be where I wanted to be at.

What about you, Jett? Your numbers also spiked last year.

WOO: Going into the season, our team wasn't really — we weren't counting on making the playoffs in the first place, so going into the season we had a talk with our team, figuring out what we wanted and obviously making the playoffs was a big one.

Going into the season, it wasn't really a goal of mine to put up any points or anything — just play strong, play my position. But as the season went on, I got more confident. I think a lot of other players really stepped up as well and played well. I think that, as well as our power play, I think they all kind of led towards my offense and our team doing well.

Impressions of their first pro camp?

WOO: It's actually a little bit intense. I didn't realize how fast it was going to be. I mean, obviously, I kinda had an idea. But having so many different drills in one practice as well, and not going to the bench for water, kind of keeping it going, keeping our pace up and then also the scrimmage, how fast that was.

It was awesome. It was pretty cool as well to see myself, where I was at, and a little bit of a confidence boost to see where my knee was at to play at that pace. So I had a lot of fun and I think Carson did too. And obviously getting the win today with our team was nice as well.

FOCHT: It's been awesome. I've really loved being around this pro environment — getting to see how the pace is at the next level. Everyone's bigger, faster, stronger. I kinda knew that going in. It's just nice to be out there competing with these guys.

Have the veterans supported you during camp?

WOO: Personally, I noticed coming here that everyone was actually pretty friendly and pretty accepting of all the young guys.

You look around the room, you see guys that are in their 30s. It's kinda funny seeing us 19s and a few guys are 18 and whatever it is.

It's a big jump, but those guys have been pretty accepting of us and you'll see some of the younger guys talking to the older guys later on the ice, after practice, whatever it is. it's pretty neat to kinda see that.

FOCHT: Yeah, I've had the same experience. Everyone's really friendly. I've gotten to know my linemates a bit, Sven and Motter. Just being able to play on a line with those guys, it's really awesome. You get to learn from them, see what they do and they can give me some tips too. But yeah, it's been awesome to play with those caliber of players.

Did you set goals for this training camp?

FOCHT: It's my first year. I didn't really come in with too much expectations or goals. I just want to play my best, play the way I know I can play and I just want to make a good impression on the guys and the staff and hopefully through hard work I'll be able to do that.

WOO: Kind of like what Carson said. Just soak it all in and take as much as I can with me. Obviously try to make this team. If that doesn't happen, go back to our club teams and use what we were learned here to be better on that team, so it's been really fun so far.

How would you sum up each others' games?

WOO on FOCHT: Talented

FOCHT on WOO: Hard to play against, always makes the right play, throws the body.
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