The prospects have arrived. Today marked the opening day of the on-ice portion for the Nashville Predators 2009 Developmental Camp. It was a pretty well attended day, especially by the local media. All the regular writers were there and even the local TV stations stopped by to get some footage and some quotes.
From this writers perspective I found it to be quite an interesting day as most of the attention was on the newcomers at first. Ryan Ellis and Zach Budish drew the most eyes at first, but soon familiar names such as Chet Pickard, Jonathon Blum, Nick Spaling, and Teemu Laakso were being talked about just as much.
Don’t forget, you can read my Twitter feed (twitter.com/Brandon_Felder) for live updates while at these sessions.
Here are some of my thoughts I tweeted (plus a little more than 140 characters) and some others I didn’t get to mention. After that, I have some quotes to share.
There were some considerably tall kids there. Immediately I noticed Budish was quite the big boy. Ian McKenzie is quite the tower at 6-5, 223 lbs. Although I doubt McKenzie ever makes it to the NHL, I could easily see him be a bruiser in the AHL. Then there was this kid between the pipes. He was the tallest guy there in fact. I’m talking about Anders Lindback, the 6-6 goaltender from Gavle, Sweden.
Ryan Ellis was pretty impressive from the times I saw. We never really got to see him rear back and let go of a slap shot, but the few times I saw him let go of a wrister at the blue line I was impressed. Always on net, a heavy shot, and it seemed to deceive the goalie a bit, handcuffing both Pickard and Lindback somewhat. That could certainly create some rebound opportunities. On top of that, when he was playing D in some drills, the other prospects tried to get physical and throw him off them. Well, I give R. Ellis some credit because he gave it right back and was very crafty. Yes, he is small and that was very apparent, but I have to say I was pretty impressed with his first day. I’m certainly looking forward to seeing more from him tomorrow and Saturday.
Budish has an amazing wrister from what I saw. At one point he let one go that looked like lightning struck as it sailed past the goalie and in the net. This guy was a great 2nd round pick up if his game translates to the next levels. I’m honestly excited about what he can bring. On top of that, I found it very encouraging that he was even out there. Find out more in the quotes from him.
Blummer has gained some size for a 2nd straight year, which is good. Also, Laakso was very solid, even scoring once in tight, and some of the chatter along the glass was that he has a real solid shot to be on the 3rd D-pair come October. If Poile doesn’t add anyone to the blueliners via free agency or trades, then it sounds as though Cody Franson, Laakso, and Alex Sulzer will battle it out for the final 2 D-spots. Early thoughts are that Sulzer and Laakso will be the ones if they both have their shoulders stay strong coming back from their injuries.
Last, but certainly not least, was Nick Spaling. He was lighting it up on the offense side of things. He had a couple of really standout goals during the session. I’ll try to talk to him tomorrow.
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On to the QUOTES!
Brandon Felder - “This isn’t your first prospect camp so what are some of the things you are focusing on now that you are more comfortable with the organization?”
Jonathon Blum - “You’re always trying to get better and have more improvement. I’m working on the techniques that make the Nashville Predators use to make them successful, even if that’s in the weight room, on the ice, and you learn from the coach in Milwaukee. It’s all a good learning tool for the week and you really get to meet all the new guys that hopefully you’ll be playing with for the next couple of years.”
Felder - “Since you’ve been drafted a lot of the concern was size. How much have you worked on that throughout last season and this off-season?”
Blum - “That’s something I’ve been working on my whole life. I’ve stayed in Vancouver this summer to train up there with guys like Milan Lucic and a couple NHL guys trying to gain a couple pounds. I feel like I’m getting bigger and bigger every summer.”
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Felder - “Obviously all the talk (at the Draft) was around the ACL injury, but there you were out there. So you’ve been cleared for full contact?”
Zach Budish - “Yeah. I got cleared for contact a couple weeks ago, at the end of May beginning of June and I’ve been skating and working out, pretty much everything. It’s been good to be back in it.”
Felder - “What have been your first impressions of the Nashville Predators franchise?”
Budish - “The ice was very fast today. You’ve got 30 guys out there and it’s a lot quicker (pace) from what I’ve played in the past. It’s definitely a big adjustment. You got to be smarter with the puck and make good decisions.”
Felder - “What kind of things are you personally focusing on? Obviously coaches and people are watching you but is there anything you personally want to achieve?”
Budish - “I want to learn as much as I possibly can this week. It’s a development camp so you have to take it in and enjoy but also take a lot out of it. On the ice I want to work on my quickness, moving the puck quicker, and just getting adjusted to a quicker faster game.”
Felder - “How would you describe your game? A lot of people call you a power forward but when I was watching you I saw a really electric wrist shot.”
Budish - “I feel like I have a pretty well rounded game. Obviously I’m a bigger guy so I play physical and use my body so people label me as a power forward but I feel like I can make plays in the offensive zone and move the puck as well as finish plays off.”
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Felder - “What types of things have you been trying to focus in on for you during this prospect camp?”
Blake Geoffrion - “Just trying to get better each and every day. We talk a lot about mental toughness and there’s a lot more to the NHL these days. Obviously its on the ice but there’s a lot more physical and mental preparation off the ice. Just trying to learn from those.”
Felder - “You’re coming off an injured season. How are things progressing?”
Geoffrion - “Oh I feel great. This is actually the best I’ve felt because of the injuries that I’ve had and the surgeries I’ve had I feel unbelievably strong and I feel great right now.”
Felder - “Being in a leadership role at Wisconsin, do you feel like that’s able to translate here as you help the newer guys at the Development Camp?”
Geoffrion - “Absolutely. I had a lot of experience with that this year at Wisconsin being a captain and a junior captain. I guess the biggest thing I learned as a leader this year is to make guys feel comfortable and apart of the team as they come in. Meeting Ryan Ellis here and Zach Budish and those guys, I told them to relax, have fun, and enjoy it.”
That’s it from me today. By the way, if you would like to view some of today’s session, you can check out my buddy Mike Barnes Qik feed from his phone. It can be found here: qik.com/mikebarnes5
Till tomorrow’s update, take care.
Questions, comments, and criticisms can be sent to [email protected] if you wish to contact me personally.
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