Sunday Training Camp Impressions 2018
Missed the morning practice, but got there in time for the noon scrimmage and the following practice. Disclaimer: I am just a crazy fan, not a professional hockey scout so these are just my impressions from what I saw of the organized chaos on the ice.
NOON SCRIMMAGE - White (Stamkos, Kucherov, Hedman, Coburn + kids including Foote and Volkov) vs Blue (Johnson, Miller, Strålman, Koekkoek + kids including Sosonov and Somppi)
This was SUCH fun to watch!! No one was giving a half-assed effort in this scrimmage. The kids were playing their hearts out for the possibility - however slim - of a spot or even just to impress the coaches which how far they'd progressed. And the vets were playing hard partly to not be shown up by the kids. lol You'd think that the White team would dominate the Blue, not only because of all the All-Stars on it, but because the Blue team had already had their practice before the game. However, the scrimmage was pretty darn close! Huge amount of back and forth action.
BLUE TEAM VETS:
Johnson - Some nice agile skating. Looked like he might have a bit of his old zip back. Good faceoff work.
Miller - He can be an absolute beast along the boards at times.
Looked a lot more comfortable and meshed well with Johnny.
Strålman - tasked with helping the kids shut down Stammer and Kuch and did an excellent job of it. He knows them only too well.
Koekkoek - Moved really well. Nice offensive flair. Didn't get that 'deer in the headlights' look as often when playing D. Hope he gets some more TOI so we can really see what he can do.
DYNAMIC PROSPECTS who stood out the most during the scrimmage:
Volkov - this kid is GOOD! I mean, scary good. More about him in the White Team write up below.
Somppi - was very impressive throughout camp Sat and Sun. Hard to stop when he's on a roll.
Colton - another excellent scrimmage for him, has a wicked quick shot
Barre-Boulet - very impressive debut! Has some great moves. Fun to watch.
Joseph - not as flashy as some, but solid playing
Spencer - same as Joseph, solid but not flashy work.
This is NOT to say the other prospects were bad, they just didn't make as big of an impression on me during this particular scrimmage.
There were a couple of shifts where Koekkoek and Katchouk were on the ice at the same time and I chuckled.
WHITE TEAM PRACTICE
After a break, practice resumed with the White team. Practice was very intense. Similar to yesterday's practice. Much emphasis on puck battles, defensive structures and speedy transitions. Ended with an empty net shot contest from one end to the far net. If you missed the EN, you had to skate all the way down the ice to retrieve your puck. Kuch, Stammer and Heddy all had to skate down the ice. hehehe
VETS
Stamkos - typical Stammer. Zipping around like he'd never been hurt. Already in sync with Kuch. Put in some extra work on his one-timer with Heddy and Kuch.
Kucherov - I swear he found another gear! Fast, devious, sneaky little bastard. His passing and his deceptive release was in top form already.
Hedman - It's just not fair how good Heddy can skate considering his size!! He's halfway across the rink before a forward knows he's there. Don't think he'll have the relatively slow start he had last season. Did get a giggle from his lack of accuracy when he, Kuch and Stammer were all working on their power play passing/one-timers/slapshots. I just kept thinking of the ongoing joke that it's not a game unless Heddy shoots at least one wide.
Coburn - Solid positioning as usual but looked just a wee bit slower than last season's playoffs.
WHITE TEAM PROSPECTS WHO STOOD OUT
Volkov - holy crap is this kid amazing! Even better than last year's camp. Faster and sneakier. At the end of practice, he and Kuch spent some time working on "sneakiness" drills together, stick handling around each other's feet and sticks.
I swear he's Kuch's mini-me. I would NOT be surprised to see him make the roster.
Colton - just plain good. Really, really good release. Had great offensive instincts
Ouellette - this kid goalie managed to shut down both Stammer and Kuch a couple of times during practice.
Other prospects were there and they weren't bad, but they just didn't stand out like those three did.