A bit of a slow news day before the Canucks head south again to re-test their mettle against the Kings and Ducks. Here's what I've dug up for you:
Super Skills Record:
The Vancouver Canucks held their annual Super Skills event at Rogers Arena on Saturday.
It you're looking to pass some time, the entire show is available on YouTube.
Here's the link.
Injured players Roberto Luongo and Alex Burrows served as coaches for the two squads, with Luongo's Team Blue ultimately edging Burrows' Team White by a score of 15-14.
Highlights included Jason Garrison winning the hardest shot competition with a score of 105.1 miles per hour—a franchise record. Dale Weise (!) defended his title as fastest skater at 14.266 seconds and Daniel Sedin won the shooting accuracy competition, taking just five shots to fit the four targets.
Props to Darren Archibald for finishing second in the fastest skater category.
David Booth was scheduled to participate, but was a no-show, leading to some speculation that he's on the trade bubble. The Canucks are practising on Sunday morning, though, and Booth is already present and accounted for:
Roberto Luongo, Alex Burrows and Alex Edler are all taking part in Sunday's full practice, so that's good news. Zac Dalpe continues to skate with the Sedins.
I'm taking a look at a couple of Canucks' prospects today, so I'd be remiss if I didn't include the best three-year-old in the system. Check out little Ryker Kesler's smooth moves:
Prospect Checkup:
- Recent free-agent signing Dane Fox continues to light the lamp for the Erie Otters of the OHL.
Click here for the Otters' game story from Friday night, where they blanked the Sarnia Sting 4-0. Fox scored his 48th goal of the season and is now just five away from tying the team's franchise record of 53—though that was set by someone named Corey Pecker back in 2001-02. A humbling reminder that junior-hockey success does not always translate to the big leagues. I'm interested to see if Fox will be able to make the jump next season.
- There was some talk on the message board yesterday about prospect Ben Hutton, who's having a strong season in his second year with Maine in the NCAA. Hutton was a fifth-round pick back in 2012; a 6'3" defenseman who started his Junior A career at left wing, then made the switch in 2010-11.
Click here for more background.
Maine participated in a rain-soaked outdoor game against Boston University on Saturday at Fenway Park. Despite the poor conditions, Hutton shone with a power-play goal and an empty-netter, helping to pace his team to a 7-3 win. Hutton now has nine goals and 16 points in 20 games, easily outpacing his production from last season. He could be another one for the Canucks to watch.
Quick Hit:
- They lowered the boom in Winnipeg today. Coach Claude Noel was fired, along with his assistant, Perry Pearn. Paul Maurice is the new boss. For Canucks fans, the question is—how will this affect player personnel decisions? Will Evander Kane thrive under Maurice, or is he one step closer to being shipped out of town?
I'll be back tomorrow to tee up the Kings game. Enjoy the football if that's how you're spending your Sunday!
Follow me on Twitter @pool88. 
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