It's Christmas in July, hockey is back! As the NHL transitions into Phase Three, each individual club is set to kick off their summer training camp. This summer, instead of prepping for a long and brutal regular season, they'll be prepping for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Bright and early Monday morning, the third seeded Vegas Golden Knights opened up camp. A total of 33 players were invited to camp, with incremental cuts coming along the way. In a pre-camp press availability, Kelly McCrimmon stated "the best 33 players to win a Stanley Cup" got invites.
The Regulars:
Jonathan Marchessault - Paul Stastny - Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty - William Karlsson - Mark Stone
Chandler Stephenson - Nicolas Roy - Alex Tuch
William Carrier - Nick Cousins - Ryan Reaves
Brayden McNabb - Nate Schmidt
Alec Martinez - Shea Theodore
Nick Holden - Zach Whitecloud
Marc-Andre Fleury 🌸
Robin Lehner 🐼
Extras: Tomas Nosek, Brandon Pirri, Jon Merrill, Deryk Engelland.
Additional Invitees:
Forwards: Patrick Brown (W), Reid Duke (W), Peyton Krebs (C), Gage Quinney (W)
Defensemen: Jake Bischoff, Dylan Coghlan, Nic Hague, Jimmy Schuldt
Goalies: Oscar Dansk
Players to Watch:
Alex Tuch:
Let me start by saying I'm a sucker for a good power forward. Tuch is slowly filling out his 6-foot-4, 222lb frame. He has slick hands, good speed, and could be a real game-breaker on the third line.
Playing alongside quick, aggressive forwards in Nicolas Roy and Chandler Stephenson will only help unlock Tuch's limitless potential. The 24-year-old is still trying to find consistency at the NHL level, but the talent is there. The question with Tuch is: Which version of No. 89 will take the ice in August?
Nicolas Roy:
Speaking of Nic Roy, he comes in as my second player to watch. He was starting to carve out a role for himself with the big club, when the COVID pandemic paused professional sports. Roy's speed, size, and versatility served him well once the calendar flipped to 2020.
In the ten games leading to the pause, Roy recorded 2 goals and 2 assists, while predominantly centering the fourth line. DeBoer has quickly become a fan of Roy, evidenced by his sustained usage on the third line. DeBoer has even gone as far as saying he sees Power Play time in Roy's future.
Zach Whitecloud:
It took about a half season, but Whitecloud made the jump to the NHL level and stuck. He clearly stood out in summer camp, during a heated roster battle with three other young, skilled d-men. Unfortunately for Whitecloud, he suffered an injury during the preseason.
He eventually got his shot and has seamlessly fit into the Golden Knights' plans. He currently anchors the third defense pair, opposite Nick Holden. If he falters, the team could easily turn to Jon Merrill or Deryk Engelland who are readily available. He will be especially fun to monitor with another camp on his hands and some familiar faces from his roster battle last summer.
Marc-Andre Fleury:
Marc-Andre Fleury has one of the best resumes of all active and many inactive goaltenders in the NHL. He was a No. 1 overall draft pick, has won multiple Stanley Cups, and boasts freakish athletic ability for a netminder. Why is he a player to watch?
One word: panda. Robin Lehner, affectionately known as panda, was acquired at the trade deadline and is as solid as they come in goal. In the six games since his acquisition, he has outplayed the incumbent starter, who isn't getting any younger. Fleury still has it, but his declining counting stats and metrics can't be ignored with another great option in the mix.
He's a gamer and has never shied away from a battle, but Fleury has been on the losing end of one of these battles in the past. He and Lehner could end up operating as a great tandem, but come playoff time, coaches tend to ride the hot hand. It's also worth noting that Fleury skated in many Phase Two skates, but missed the first media-attended portion of the Phase Three training camp session.
Peyton Krebs:
Krebs is the Golden Knights' 2019 first round pick (17th overall), who suffered a gruesome Achilles injury that delayed the start of his 2019-20 season. Once he got healthy, he joined the Winnipeg Ice of the WHL and produced offense. His playmaking ability shone, on his way to 12 goals and 48 assists in 38 games.
"For now I'm just here, trying to enjoy my camp. Obviously, I'm just gonna keep working hard and having fun. I'm gonna take this experience in and who knows what happens?"
- Peyton Krebs
General Manager Kelly McCrimmon made it clear that the 33 players in camp are the best 33 available, with no look at growth or development. It's a huge compliment to Krebs to include him in that list, with a chance to get NHL playoff time. His chances are slim, but teams can never have too many playmakers.
Schedule:
The media release, direct from the Golden Knights, shows five practice sessions, one each day this week. A full detailed schedule has yet to be released, but with their first official Round Robin game on August 3, the team will be hard at work.
They'll be "eased" into the playoffs with their first game coming against the fourth seeded Dallas Stars. Their three game, Round Robin slate is largely a tune-up to help them get up to speed. Something makes me think the almost meaningless games will end up being competitive, spirited, and will be used as a benchmark for the later rounds.
Games two and three will be played against the Colorado Avalanche and St. Louis Blues, respectively. These will be the big tests for the Golden Knights. Both teams have had success against Vegas and are the only two that can really hang stride-for-stride with the VGK.
A three-day break splits games against the Stars and the defending Stanley Cup Champion Blues. They'll wrap the Round Robin, with their toughest stylistic matchup, in an August 8 game against the Avs.
Saving the best for last? It's a scary proposition, having to match the speed and aggressiveness of the Avalanche. It truly is a sight to see. They've collectively taken it to the Golden Knights this season and there's no way Head Coach Pete DeBoer has ignored this problem during the stoppage. It's very possible that the Avalanche are the biggest threat to a second Western Conference Championship for the Golden Knights.
Following their three Round Robin games, the Golden Knights will take on a winner of one of the Play-In Round matchups. In a previous article, I detailed each potential matchup and none of them look particularly dangerous for the Golden Knights.
Due to COVID, the VGK practice sessions are limited access and by appointment only. Players are being made available to the media via Zoom, following each practice session. Check in on Twitter and Facebook for commentary and reactions from those sessions.
Vegas Golden Knights Blogger • 
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