The Vancouver Canucks have announced that tickets for the 2018 Young Stars Classic in Penticton will go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m.
Now that Elias Pettersson has inked his entry-level deal, he is being included in the promotional materials. This year will mark the first appearance at the tournament for both him and Jonathan Dahlen, who missed the 2017 event due to illness.
Adam Gaudette will also make his YoungStars debut. As an NCAA athlete, he was not eligible to participate in the past. Quinn Hughes' 2018 participation will also be dependent on whether or not he turns pro this summer.
The big-name returnees highlighted in the Canucks' press release: defenseman Olli Juolevi, forward Kole Lind and goaltender Michael DiPietro.
The tournament has a new format this year, as the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers have elected to stage their own event.
That leaves the Canucks to play two games against the Winnipeg Jets' prospectsâFriday evening and Sunday afternoon. The schedule will be filled out with some Canadian collegiate hockey, as the UBC Thunderbirds face off against the University of Alberta Golden Bears on Friday afernoon and Saturday evening.
I was very impressed by the event when I attended last year. Lots of engagement for minor hockey players and other family fun as well as high-quality hosting by the folks at the South Okanagan Events Centre. And you can't go wrong, weather-wise, with Penticton in early September.
Last year's roster was highlighted by Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko and Juolevi. It also offered up an early look at new signees like Zack MacEwen and Jalen Chatfield. Worth attending if you want to get a look at the future of the Canucks in 2018.
After Young Stars, the full Canucks team will convene for training camp in Whistler. The preseason schedule starts with three games at Rogers Arena from Sept. 18-20 before the Canucks hit the road for four games, including neutral-site affairs in Salt Lake City on Sept. 24 and Kelowna on Sept. 29th.
The regular season begins at Rogers Arena on October 3, against Calgary, before the Canucks head out for an early six-game road trip that'll include visits to the Florida teams, Carolina and Pittsburgh.
The Canucks' schedule usually follows some pretty consistent rhythms from year to year, but it looks different next seasonâin large part, I think, because Rogers Arena will be unavailable over he Christmas season due to the World Junior tournament. They're usually home a lot during that time.
I am planning on posting my usual detailed schedule breakdown in the not-too-distant future.
For now, let's get back to Pettersson, who appears to be healed from his thumb injury and is now back on the ice!
He and Dahlen have their Canucks gearâgetting in the mood, even while they're still in Sweden.
Sounds like we'll have a new Swedish interview to parse through later this week.
Also in rehab news, this isn't much to go on, but at least it's some positive news on Olli Juolevi's recovery from his back surgery.
Since summer is a time of new beginnings in the hockey world, here's Alex Burrows with a new haircut as he begins his coaching career with the Laval Rocket.
Finally, don't forget, Wednesday is game night for Da Beauty League:
James van Riemsdyk, Alex Goligoski, Mike Reilly and Justin Braun have joined the fun this week, but there are no new additions to Brock Boeser's Team Bic. They'll take on Zach Parise and TRIA at 6 p.m. PT.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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