The Vancouver Canucks 2017 Development Camp kicks into high gear today. The prospects spent last weekend up at Whistler, where the adventures included river rafting...
On Monday, the scene shifted to UBC. The 20 prospects that attended the Whistler weekend did their medical testing on Friday at Rogers Arena. The additional invitees for Development Camp got that done on Monday—as well as meeting guest coach Sami Salo, who's on hand for the week.
I have a few work things I need to tend to today, after the long weekend, so I'm not going to be able to make it out to UBC for the first on-ice session.
To set the stage, I'll run through the forwards attending the camp today, then do the defense and goaltenders on Wednesday:
Brock Boeser - RW - Drafted 23rd overall by the Canucks in 2015 - Scored four goals in nine games with the Canucks at the end of last season after finishing two years at the University of North Dakota.
Michael Carcone - RW - Undrafted - The 21-year-old had five goals and 18 points in 61 games with Utica last season.
Jackson Cressey - Forward - Undrafted Invitee - The 21-year-old from West Vancouver had seven goals and 33 points playing for Princeton last season. Before that, he spent four years with the Coquitlam Express in the BCHL.
Jonathan Dahlen - Centre - Drafted 42nd overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2016 - Dahlen was acquired by the Canucks at the trade deadline in exchange for Alex Burrows - He scored five goals in seven games for Sweden at the 2017 World Junior Championship and went 25-19-44 in 45 games with Timra in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden.
Alexis D'Aoust - RW - Undrafted Invitee - The 21-year-old went 29-31-60 in 50 games in his fifth season with Shawinigan of the QMJHL in 2016-17. D'Aoust was part of last year's development camp and YoungStars tournament and signed a one-year contract with the Utica Comets on June 20.
Jonah Gadjovich - LW - Drafted 55th overall in 2017 - The 18-year-old had 46-28-74 with the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL last season. Has been roommates with Canucks draftee Petrus Palmu in Owen Sound for the last three seasons.
Adam Gaudette - C - Drafted 149th overall in 2015 - The 20-year-old had 26-26-52 in 37 games to finish third in scoring in a strong sophomore season with Northeastern in 2016-17.
Steven Iacobellis - Forward - Undrafted Invitee - The 23-year-old from Port Coquitlam just finished up his fourth year at UMass-Amherst, where he collected 21 points in 36 games and served as team captain. Before college, Iacobellis spent four years in the BCHL. He was teammates with Troy Stecher on the 2010-11 Penticton Vees.
Nick Isaacson - LW - Undrafted Invitee - Just 17 years old, Isaacson already has good size at 6'2" and 180 pounds. He had five goals and 15 points in 66 games in his first full season with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL this year. With an August birthday, he was eligible for selection in this year's draft, but wasn't chosen.
Kole Lind - RW - Drafted 33rd overall in 2017 - A high-energy winger, Lind led the Kelowna Rockets in scoring with 30-57-87 in 70 games in 2016-17.
Will Lockwood - RW - Drafted 64th overall in 2016 - Lockwood is described as a hard-nosed two-way winger despite his slight 5'11", 172-pound stature. After posting 20 points in 30 games during his freshman season at the University of Michigan, Lockwood will be a part of the Summer Showcase selection camp for Team USA, with a shot at making the 2018 World Junior roster.
Aaron Luchuk - C - Undrafted Invitee - The 20-year-old went 28-32-60 in 68 games in his fourth season with the Windsor Spitfires of the OHL this season, playing as the team's second-line centre behind Gabriel Vilardi. Luchuk had four points in four games at the Memorial Cup and scored the tournament-winning goal for Windsor.
Zack MacEwen - C - Undrafted - The big 21-year-old was signed to an entry-level contract by the Canucks as a free agent last March. He finished second in scoring on the QMJHL's Gatineau Olympiques last season with 31 goals and 74 points in 66 games and added another nine points in seven playoff games.
Brett McKenzie - C - Drafted 194th overall in 2016 - A late-round selection in the 2016 draft, Brett McKenzie led the North Bay Battalion in scoring in 2016-17 with 29-38-67 in 67 games.
Griffen Molino - C - Undrafted - After two seasons at Western Michigan University, the Canucks signed the two-way forward to a two-year entry level contract last March. Molino played in five games with the Canucks at the end of last season, but did not register a point.
Petrus Palmu - RW - Drafted 181st overall in 2017 - Described as a 'fire hydrant,' the 5'6" Palmu finished fourth overall in OHL scoring last season with 40 goals and 98 points. Roommates in Owen Sound with another Canucks prospect, Jonah Gadjovich.
Justin Parizek - F - Undrafted Invitee - Returning from the 2016 camp, Minnesota native Justin Parizek is now 25 years old. He has just completed his senior year at the University of Omaha - Nebraska, where he served as team captain and logged 20 points in 33 games.
Elias Pettersson - C - Drafted fifth overall in 2017 - The prize of this year's draft, the lanky Pettersson collected 19 goals and 41 points as Jonathan Dahlen's linemate with Timra of the second-tier Swedish League last season. He recorded eight points in seven games and won a silver medal at the 2016 U18 tournament in Grand Forks, North Dakota, but logged just a single assist in six games at the 2017 World Junior tournament.
Joey Ratelle - LW - Undrafted Invitee - The 21-year-old spent the second half of last season as teammates with now-departed Canucks prospect Dmitry Zhukenov with Chicoutimi, where he tied for the lead in playoff scoring with 17 points in 16 games. Daniel Wagner of the Vancouver Courier compares the chippy Ratelle to Alex Burrows in him QMJHL days. "They both play a similar high-energy, sparkplug kind of game, with speed and goalscoring a hallmark."
R.T. Rice - RW - Undrafted Invitee - The 22-year-old from Invermere put up 85 penalty minutes in just 25 games at the University of Prince Edward Island last year, to go along with his 12 points. Never a big point producer, Rice looks like he's more of an energy guy.
Jakob Stukel - LW - Drafted 154th overall in 2016 - Chosen in the sixth round of the 2016 draft, the former Vancouver Giant plateaued in his fourth year in the WHL, finishing third in scoring with the Calgary Hitmen with 23 goals and 53 points in 70 games.
A couple of quick notes to finish out today:
• First, if you haven't seen it, the Canucks released this video as a snapshot of Jim Benning's weekend in Chicago at the draft.
• Also, if you missed it, two farmhands from Utica have moved on to the Florida Panthers on one-year, two-way contracts.
Alexandre Grenier was a third-round pick by the Canucks in 2011. He teased potential at the AHL level over four seasons with the Utica Comets, where he became the team's all-time leader in goals (67), assists (108), points (105), power-play goals (28) and games played (273). Despite his 6'5" frame, Grenier couldn't translate that production to the NHL level. He went pointless in nine games with the Canucks over the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.
Curtis Valk, 24, went undrafted of out the Medicine Hat Tigers, but earned a minor-league contract with the Canucks after showing good tenacity at development camp and the YoungStars tournament. After spending the better part of two seasons in the ECHL with Kalamazoo, Valk worked his way up to become a full-time Comet last season, recording 16 goals and 46 points in 75 games to finish second in team scoring. Listed at 5'9" and 170 pounds, Valk scores a one year NHL entry-level deal from the Panthers, who appear to be willing to give him a chance to show whether or not he can break through to the top level.
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