[Official] 2021 Training Camp Thread

[mll]

45 minutes ago, Maniwaki Canuck said:

While I'd love to see Eriksson sent down to Utica or even put on the taxi squad, there are some strong financial reasons why it may not happen.  Apparently players in the minor leagues don't pay escrow.  From the owner's point of view, that's a compelling non-hockey reason to keep him on the 23-man roster.  Same applies to Baertschi.  Maybe they both end up spending most of the season formally on the team but never playing, with players from the taxi squad subbing in for whatever injuries happen.  We need to be mentally ready for this, even if they are waived to start the year. 

Not this season.   Players on 1-way deals will earn the exact same amount had they stayed on the NHL roster.  There’s also a 10% deferral and salary is further reduced by 20% earning them the same 72% on the taxi squad/AHL as in the NHL.  The demotion could even benefit ownership as time in the AHL/taxi squad shouldn’t be part of revenue sharing, so the 20% doesn’t go towards reducing the escrow balance but allows ownership to limit their spending for the season.  

[Maniwaki Canuck]

2 minutes ago, mll said:

Not this season.   Players on 1-way deals will earn the exact same amount had they stayed on the NHL roster.  There’s also a 10% deferral and salary is further reduced by 20% earning them the same 72% on the taxi squad/AHL as in the NHL.  The demotion could even benefit ownership as time in the AHL/taxi squad shouldn’t be part of revenue sharing, so the 20% doesn’t go towards reducing the escrow balance but allows ownership to limit their spending for the season.  

Great, thanks for that.  Send 'em down!

[Alienhuggyflow]

2 hours ago, Mad Jon said:

Are you 85 years of age and living in a retirement facility?

His post in no way implied anything like what your implying. 

FWIW. My Mom was one of the first to get a vaccine, she as against getting it but was convinced\forced she had a terrible reaction so it's not like what he's saying is wrong.

People are so quick to attack anyone who has a different view on COVID, or anything really, that doesn't conform to their POV. 

 

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https://theprovince.com/sports/hockey/nhl/vancouver-canucks/canucks-notebook-baertschi-rafferty-michaelis-give-their-best-shot-at-camp

Quote

Author of the article:

Patrick Johnston

Publishing date:

Jan 10, 2021  •  Last Updated 50 minutes ago  •  7 minute read

 

Sven Baertschi should be in the NHL. He was a productive winger for the Vancouver Canucks before concussions slowed him in 2018-19.

He was squeezed off the roster last season and spent most of the year with the Utica Comets of the AHL. He wasn’t happy about it to start, but he sucked it up, taking on the role of veteran leader and piling up points along the way.

 

“I was able to show some more leadership and be some sort of guide for certain guys in their first few years as pro hockey players, and was able to help them out a bit and maybe guide them toward certain things on the ice,” Baertschi said.

“I was more vocal in the locker room and was trying to help the team win. It’s too bad we got shut down (by the COVID-19 pandemic), because I really think we had the chance to go far with the team.”

On Friday, he was bumped to the second group of skaters, players who look destined to be either assigned to the practice squad — the half-dozen players who will stay in Vancouver and practise with the Canucks but will technically be considered to be in the minors — or sent to the AHL Comets, the Canucks’ AHL affiliate, or perhaps loaned to one of the four Canadian AHL teams.

 

Whatever happens, Baertschi insists he’s putting his best foot forward.

“It’s been all right, I think, you know, I feel good out there on the ice, doing what I can to show that I’m a good player,” he said. “I haven’t played since last (March) so it’s a little different.

“I’m going to do whatever I can to get on that main roster at some point. I don’t know if it’s going to be right away, but I sure hope and I want an opportunity there and show that I can help the team win. That’s my goal; that’s been my goal since day one and camp here. I’m going to give my best.”

Baertschi opted out of the summertime return-to-play camp but didn’t this time around.

“We made that decision as the family and coming in now, I think we know a lot more about this pandemic. We’re a lot more prepared and I was willing to come in and come to camp and be with the team this whole season,” he said.

 

The seven-year itch

Seven years ago, a 19-year-old forward from Mannheim, Germany, made his way to the United States to see where hockey might take him.

Marc Michaelis split the 2014-15 season between two junior teams, the Minnesota Magicians of the North American Hockey League and the Green Bay Gamblers of the United States Hockey League.

Eventually he ended up at Mankato State, a small university southwest of the Twin Cities. During his four years there he caught the eye of a couple of Canucks scouts, first Jonathan Bates and then Pat Conacher.

 

Michaelis is a good skater. He makes smart decisions with the puck. He’s reliable in all zones. That’s the kind of player the Canucks look for in collegiate free agents and so here he is, with his dream now within his grasp.

“It certainly means a lot to me,” Michaelis said Friday. “I’m not young, I’m not 18 or 19 years old. … This is something I’ve thought of growing up, that I’d get the opportunity, and I’m really glad that I’m here.”

Every rookie, no matter the age, always comments on the pace of play after their first NHL taste. Michaelis is no different.

“It seems like every time there’s a turnover, something happens off of that,” he said. “The pace from college to this level is a lot faster than I expected, but I think skating is one of my biggest assets so I’ll get along.”

Given his age, there’s not much development time left for him — either he has it or he doesn’t. He could make for an interesting option as a depth centre on the practice squad this season.

PK focus

We know Brogan Rafferty can dish. His passing skills have been evident all week at Rogers Arena and it’s no fluke that he scored as much as he did last season in the AHL.

The skating and the passing have got him this close to the NHL. If he plays NHL games this season, whether he’s able to stick around will be determined by how he plays without the puck.

“I just had a lot of confidence and played without any hesitation,” he said about why he had quick success stepping up to the AHL from the NCAA.

 

Rafferty, who was with the main group on Friday and so is clearly in the mix to be on the practice squad at the very least when the season starts, also knows this.

“Being harder to play against in my zone and being a bit meaner around the net and not letting forwards getting in front of goalies’ eyes and just finishing my checks,” he said of what he was focusing on at camp.

He got to be in the bubble with the Canucks last summer, and that experience will likely play a role when he gets his chance. But he’s taking nothing for granted.

In his spare time over the past nine months, he said he’s watched a lot of tape, especially how the Canucks kill penalties.

“Watching what guys do and, you know, reiterating the systems in my head and kind of visualizing that,” he said.

He didn’t kill many penalties for the Comets but he did in college (he’s another Bates find, as Rafferty played at Quinnipiac).

“I know I’m capable of doing that, and so it’s something I’m always watching video of and trying to add to my game, to be one of those guys that if they need me to do that, then I’m comfortable doing that,” he said.

 

Saturday’s scrimmage

Saturday evening’s blue vs. white game, the second of two head-to-heads in this training camp, was far from the barnburner that was the first edition last Wednesday. There were just two goals scored in regular time, from Brandon Sutter and Justin Bailey (on a penalty shot).

The Sutter goal came on a rebound off a Jake Virtanen shot, a scoring chance created after Virtanen’s initial point shot hit Jack Rathbone in the jewels and the young defenceman hit the ice. It created an open lane for Virtanen to drive through, with Sutter cleaning up the garbage to pot the goal.

 

Elias Pettersson scored the only goal of the shootout.

The game as a whole was crisper than Wednesday’s, which you would hope since the players have had two more days to get back into the rhythm of things. They have a practice day Sunday, are off again on Monday and then another practice before the NHL squad flies to Edmonton to start a four-game Albertan road trip to start the season.

There was a fight between Adam Gaudette and Tyler Motte, the first time two Canucks had dropped the gloves in training camp in a donkey’s age.

 

Rathbone played with Rafferty and looked a lot better tonight than he did Wednesday. You can see how it likely won’t take long for him to really get close to being ready for some NHL action; we’ll see how he gets handled this week? Might he start on the taxi squad, just so he can get more practice time in before he’s sent to the AHL for games next month, either in Utica or perhaps loaned to a Canadian team?

‘If you’re not being asked to do more, soon you’re being asked to do less’

Ray Ferraro said this on the radio the other day and I thought it was great.

It’s a true thing about life at the elite level. There’s always someone coming up behind you, and unless you keep advancing, whether by acquiring new skills or doing things better than you did the day before, you’re at risk of being replaced.

 

The streaming mess

I was surprised when I found out the Canucks were going to stream the scrimmage for fans. “With what staff?” I thought.

The economic impact of the pandemic has been like a scythe on all parts of the team’s off-ice operations. Hockey staff took pay cuts. There are fewer people working in the communications department (one down to basically two and half, and they’re also doing community relations stuff), the content team (eight down to three) the graphic design department (seven down to one) and there’s no one in the game production department.

So when it didn’t launch on time, without audio, I wasn’t surprised. It struck me as a case of, if you aren’t going to do it great, don’t bother at all.

 

Just do it right. The staff who are still here are working their tails off, but there are limits to what’s possible. Given the challenges every team in the league is feeling at this time, we’re going to see a lot of gaps that we usually don’t.

And even after the early hiccups, it was striking that more than 5,000 people did watch the feed. That’s a reminder of the thirst of the fans.

Teves a scratch

Josh Teves was the only player not to appear Saturday night. There was an empty forward spot so maybe he could have suited up there, but it was a certainty he was going to end up in Utica this season anyway and it seems likely he’ll be farmed out on Sunday, when Travis Hamonic is due to clear quarantine and practise for the first time with his new team.

pjohnston@postmedia.com

twitter.com/risingaction

 

[RakuRaku]

To this day ppl should know damn well already how to avoid Covid risks... wear a damn mask both indoors and outdoors.... keep a real good distance from others.... to me there is no excuse unless you're a healthcare worker constantly exposed to viral loads.... I've heard ppl can easily get Covid dining out....so u decide if it's worth taking the risk! Sorry for the rant!

[Alienhuggyflow]

25 minutes ago, EdgarM said:

You sure have a lot of assumptions.  I agree , he has a very good chance of making the team but until he goes through all of the steps leading up to that point, there is no for sures here. 

Concept of the big picture? Wow you got that from me making a few statements? OK. 

Was LE part of the big picture? because it sure looked like it last year. 

I know LE is the whipping boy on hockey forums but there is no denying for what ever reason he worked on that 2nd line and every stat plus the eye test backs it up.

Trying Hogs there is the right choice since LE lacks any offense in his game but if it doesn't work having a known option is not a bad thing 

Not sure why some hate on Pearson so much.

He's a guy who will get you 20 goals every season while playing a very responsible drama free game.

He makes 4 million a year, people act like he's getting paid top line money and not earning his pay.

 

As for Podz, I seldom pencil in a rookie but in this case I will go with the experts like Burkie, Button, Benning, The professor etc etc, who all say the exact same thing as to why he is ready.

If he was having issues in the KHL defensively I would be hesitant but he dominates possession there and still has amazing numbers even with the low point totals.

He is as ready as the other prospects that have been added the last 3 seasons and nobody questions if they were ready.

His game isn't goals, but I fully expect him to excel based on what his strengths are, in the same way, Brock came in and excelled at what his strengths were.

[Mad Jon]

1 hour ago, Alienhuggyflow said:

His post in no way implied anything like what your implying. 

FWIW. My Mom was one of the first to get a vaccine, she as against getting it but was convinced\forced she had a terrible reaction so it's not like what he's saying is wrong.

People are so quick to attack anyone who has a different view on COVID, or anything really, that doesn't conform to their POV. 

 

How dare you imply that you know what I was implying. I was merely illustrating that an 85 year old in a retirement home might feel more of a sense of urgency when it comes to receiving the vaccine than the writer. Sorry about your Mom by the way.

[VegasCanuck]

Just speculating here, but I think Opening day, this is our Defense against Edmonton, in no specific pairings:

 

Edler

Schmidt

Hughes

Myery

Benn

OJ

Chatfield

 

Taxi:

Hamonic

Sautner

Brisbois

 

Possibly one other. I think Hamonic starts on Taxi, because he hasn't played in a year, I think we will sign him at the start of the season and give him 7 to 10 days of practice time with the team, before bringing him over from Taxi. I think Rathbone, Woo and possibly even Rafferty wind up in Utica as they want them getting playing time. Its possible that either Rafferty or Rathbone stick around until closer to the start of camp for Utica, to gain more experience practicing with the main group.

 

Just my thoughts and ramblings.

 

[Chris12345]

So will Hogz make the opening night roster?

[D.B Cooper]

5 hours ago, debluvscanucks said:

They said earlier in the week they won't push to the front of the line.  But maybe that will change?!

Rich people always get to the front of the line.  
I can pretty much guarantee you can skip the line with enough money

[Devron]

2 minutes ago, Chris12345 said:

So will Hogz make the opening night roster?

Signs point to yes 

[Kobayashi Maru]

1 minute ago, Chris12345 said:

So will Hogz make the opening night roster?

Yes.  He’s definitely earned it up to this point.  There is no way they go back on the word of “come to camp and earn it and we’ll make room”

[iceman64]

15 hours ago, AlwaysACanuckFan said:

And yet we got all the bolded for only a 3rd round pick. 

That makes JB, 2 for 2 in steals in upgrades, TJ Miller was a huge score for for the price despite what the boneheads who thought otherwise without even checking out his skills as a player, and then followed by Nate..  icing on the cake!!! So JB got off to a slow start but much like the team has been getting better every year, other than the 2 other shots we had at a cup, this team is looking promising for a series of yearly pushes for Lord Stanley and not just a soft cream puff, good regular season team like the past but couldn't get past the first/second round

That was F'g painful to watch... I was happy that someone finally tore it down and started it over, it was long over due!  

 Finally our D is coming together but still might need a tweak or two and same at forward BUT we're finally close to being done.. 

Edited January 11, 2021 by iceman64

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[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[Kootenay Gold]

Just now, -Vintage Canuck- said:

 

Your slipping Vintage lol. Deb beat you this time.

 

[-DLC-]

27 minutes ago, Kootenay Gold said:

Your slipping Vintage lol. Deb beat you this time.

 

I've been chomping at the bit looking for something...ANYTHING.  Texting my kids (my son trying to talk me off the ceiling...lol).  "It's ok Mom, there'll be hockey on Wednesday".   Big exhale.  For now.  

Also:

  (I really need to get back to work and a life again....)

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[-Vintage Canuck-]

 

[-DLC-]

It really shows the fragility in it all.  I'm not just talking NHL....but everywhere.  That each and every contact we have has "potential" to do harm. These vaccinations can't be rolled out fast enough....like someone else said earlier, I can hardly remember what it was like before COVID.  And I was so happy just talking hockey again.  So sick of COVID.