It has been nearly two months since the Vancouver Canucks played their last game of the 2015-16 season, but the hockey-related events keep on coming.
Nick Bonino missed practice today but is expected to be good to go as the Pittsburgh Penguins host the San Jose Sharks in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday, and the 2016 Draft Combine also kicks off on Monday in Buffalo.
Click here for the lowdown on the event, which will feature 114 draft-eligible players going through their medical tests, fitness testing, and interviews with the teams.
According to this article from Steve Silverman at
Bleacher Report, the interviews will take up most of the first few days of the event. The always-entertaining fitness testing won't happen until next Saturday, June 4.
The big names who will be part of the combine include Auston Matthews, Patrik Laine and Jesse Puljujarvi. Canucks fans will be keeping an eye on centre/wing Pierre-Luc Dubois of the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL and winger Matthew Tkachuk of the OHL's London Knights.
Tkachuk has one more order of business before heading to Buffalo. His Knights are squaring off against the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the final of the Memorial Cup this afternoon in Red Deer.
The Knights—always a junior hockey powerhouse—are coming into the final on a 16-game winning streak that dates back to April 3. They're 3-0 so far in Memorial Cup play and have outscored their opponents 20-5, led by Mitchell Marner's 13 points and 10 points from Christian Dvoark. Tkachuk is third in team scoring and fifth in the tournament, with six points.
The Knights' other draft-eligible player who's worth watching is defenceman Olli Juolevi—though I feel like this week's Erik Gudbranson trade makes it almost certain that the Canucks will use their fifth-overall pick to select a forward when their turn comes on June 24.
The Memorial Cup Final goes at 1:30 p.m. PT today, televised on Sportsnet.
Mattias Ohlund Next Ring of Honour Inductee?
Speaking of franchise defencemen, the Canucks will be announcing their next inductee into the Ring of Honour at their draft party. At this point, it sounds like the name that will be called is that of Mattias Ohlund.
Ohlund was a first-round draft pick that paid off magnificently for the Canucks. Chosen 13th overall in 1994 out of Pitea in Sweden, Ohlund played 770 of his 909 NHL games with the Canucks, collecting 93 goals and 325 points—tops among all Vancouver blueliners, four points ahead of Jyrki Lumme and Dennis Kearns, who each had 321.
Ohlund was named runner-up to Sergei Samsonov for the NHL's rookie of the year in the 1997-98 season. His best ranking for the Norris was a 10th-place finish in 2001-02, when he hit his career high of 36 points. He was a reliable stay-at-home defenceman who had a physical element to his game, but injuries were frequently an issue.
Only twice in his 13-year NHL career did Ohlund play in every game during a regular season. During his time as a Canuck, he suffered a serious eye injury during the 1999 preseason and had knee issues that dated back as far as 2002.
Ohlund left the Canucks as an unrestricted free agent as a 32-year-old during the summer of 2009, signing a seven-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning with a cap hit of $3.6 million per season. He played for just two years with the Lightning before developing inflammation in his right knee during the team's 2011 training camp—an injury that effectively ended his career.
After five seasons on long-term injured reserve, Ohlund's contract has now played out. This allows him to officially retire and be honoured by the Canucks, where he spent his best hockey years.
Daniel and Henrik Sedin are the only Canucks players that have been named as making an appearance at the draft party. It would make sense that they'd be on hand as their fellow Swede and long-time teammate is honoured by Vancouver.
Jeff Paterson has more on Ohlund in this weekend's edition of
The Province.
Hutton's Final Blog
One more note from the blue line: Ben Hutton's final blog about his gold-medal experience at the World Championship is now up at the Canucks website:
My favourite part here:
This experience really lit a fire under me. No one ever wants to sit out, I wanted to be playing...I was reminded that I can’t take playing time for granted. I can’t come in for camp next year thinking I’ll play a ton because you never know. Sitting in the stands motivated me to become a better player so that whatever team I’m playing for, I’m on the ice, not in the stands.
Even if he did end up scratched from the second half of the World Championship, Hutton's career took a tremendous leap forward in his first year after college, and he looks to have a spot secured in the Canucks' top four next season.
Hutton's now back home in Prescott, Ontario for the summer—and says he'll be traveling to Nashville during the offseason for Matt Bartkowski's bachelor party.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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