The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up their 2015 Young Stars tournament on a positive note with a 3-2 overtime win over the Calgary Flames on Monday.
Here are your highlights:
After a tough start to the tournament defensively against Edmonton, the Canucks settled down significantly in their games against Winnipeg and Calgary. I'm impressed that Travis Green got the group to gel so quickly.
Jordan Subban was the standout on the blue line during the first two games, but was given the day off on Monday. So were Brendan Gaunce, Mike Zalewski and Ashton Sautner.
There's no doubt that Jake Virtanen lived up to his considerable hype in Penticton. He earned coast-to-coast attention for his hit on Connor McDavid in Game 1 and though he picked up just one point, it was a beauty. Check out this OT game-winner against the Flames:
I have also been impressed with Virtanen's maturity when dealing with the media. He listens to questions and offers up some insightful analysis of what's happening out on the ice.
If Monday's game is any indication, 3-on-3 overtime is going to be some kind of fun to watch! It'll take NHL coaches a little while to develop some sort of system to defend against all that open ice, so the trial-and-error during the first few months of the season should lead to some thrilling finishes.
Monday's game between Edmonton and Winnipeg also went to OT and also ended in with a 3-on-3 goal. The demise of the shootout is upon us.
All told, Canucks fans have a lot more reasons to be optimistic this year than they typically have at past Young Stars tournaments. Considering the high-end talent that the opposing teams brought to Penticton, Vancouver acquitted itself reasonably well—and we saw skillsets from several players that bode well for the future.
After Virtanen, Brendan Gaunce probably did the most to improve his chances of making the Canucks. His three points in two games tied him for the team lead, and he made a good impression on Jim Benning.
Jim Benning just told the media that Brendan Gaunce got the night off as "a reward" for his play in the 1st 2 games of the tournament.
And whaddaya know? The Mackenze Stewart experiment looks like it's going just swimmingly. Despite his status as a seventh-round draft pick and a converted defenseman-turned-winger, Stewart didn't look out of place at all in his fourth-line role. He finished with a tournament-leading 24 penalty minutes in three games and handled himself nicely in two fights—against Mitch Moroz of Edmonton in Game 1 and huge Hunter Smith of Calgary in Game 3.
Stewart has great size as well as solid fighting skills—and a killer backstory of overcoming adversity to get to where he is today.
He's a tough customer on a number of levels—and probably still has room to grow as a hockey player. Am I crazy to think he has a real shot to be a future NHL enforcer?
Elsewhere among the forward ranks, I thought Jared McCann acquitted himself well but I have to admit, I'd hoped to see more from Hunter Shinkaruk and Cole Cassels.
Both blue-chippers, I'm sure Shinkaruk and Cassels will both be given every chance to impress when main camp opens this weekend.
If you have nine minutes to spare, you can get Jim Benning's full take on the weekend here. It's a good scrum—he seems very comfortable.
Benning says all of the team's draft picks, including the 18-year-olds, will be joining the big club in Prince George.
I imagine the early cuts will come pretty quickly—maybe after the first two exhibition games against the San Jose Sharks next Monday and Tuesday?
The good news for the players who get sent down to Utica? A trip to Europe.
The Comets and Syracuse Crunch are holding a joint training camp in Lyon, France this year, with exhibition games to be played on October 1, 2 and 4. This will be the first trip to France for the Comets—Syracuse partnered up with Binghamton last season.
Still no word on an ECHL affiliate for the Canucks this season. My guess is that if they don't have an affiliation of their own, players will be sent to various teams around the league as space permits.
There is lots of minor-league shuffling going on, as most the Canucks' western rivals have set up new AHL affiliations with California-based teams. The L.A. Kings new AHL affiliate, for instance, is the Ontario (California) Reign, which leaves the Manchester Monarchs now as their ECHL squad.
Edmonton's old AHL team, the Oklahoma City Barons, has now shut down completely after the franchise was moved to Bakersfield, CA, to become the Condors.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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