Last week, I expressed concern that the Vancouver Canucks had not yet announced a replacement for AHL goaltending consultant Rollie Melanson. A couple of days later, Curtis Sanford was named to the position.

Here's a little more on how he'll operate next season—which will go beyond simply working with the Comets:

Sanford lives in Ontario, will go back and forth to Utica and keep an eye on Michael DiPietro in OHL. #Canucks

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) August 18, 2017

Talking to Rick Dhaliwal, Sanford echoes what we generally hear about the Canucks' two top goaltending prospects. Thatcher Demko has "tons of potential. Great size and can move for a big guy," while Michael DiPietro "never gives up on a puck. Reminds me of Jonathan Quick."

Our next chance to see both Demko and DiPietro should be at the Young Stars tournament, which is now just three weeks away. Rosters have not yet been announced, but the Canucks have definitely made some strides in terms of prospect depth in goal compared to even two years ago, when the team's Young Stars goaltenders were Jackson Whistle and Clay Witt.

Actually, the Canucks might be bringing the brightest stars to the tournament this year. According to the press release that came out in late July to announce single-game ticket sales, Vancouver will have first-rounders Brock Boeser and Olli Juolevi in the lineup as well as their promising goalies. Second-rounders Jonathan Dahlen and Kole Lind also get name-checked. I assume this year's other second-rounder Jonah Gadjovich will also be on hand.

Elias Pettersson will not—he's already tearing up the ice back in Sweden:

#Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson had 2 assists in 2 games at the TPS Cup

Both were primary assists. pic.twitter.com/TOQ15UlXpy

— Canucks Mobile (@CanucksMobile) August 19, 2017

We also won't see college players Adam Gaudette or Will Lockwood, whose amateur status prohibits them from participating in NHL training camps.

Boeser is the only Canucks draft pick from the last three years who has played any NHL games (nine), but he is still expected to be at the tournament.

Here are the top prospects who are highlighted from the other three teams in the tournament, and are expected to appear:

Calgary Flames:

• Juuso Valimaki - D - drafted 16th overall in 2017
• Dillon Dube - C - drafted 56th in 2016
• Tyler Parsons - G - drafted 54th in 2016
• Matthew Phillips - C - drafted 166th in 2016
• Mark Jankowski - C - drafted 21st in 2012

The only Flames prospect from the last three drafts to have played more than one NHL game is Matthew Tkachuk (2016).

Edmonton Oilers:

• Kailer Yamamoto - RW - drafted 22nd overall in 2017
• Dylan Wells - G - drafted 123rd in 2016
• Caleb Jones - D - drafted 117th in 2015
• Ethan Bear - D - drafted 124th in 2015

The Oilers prospects from the last three drafts who have cracked the NHL are Jesse Puljujarvi (2016) and, obviously, Connor McDavid (2015).

Winnipeg Jets:

• Logan Stanley - D - drafted 18th in 2016
• Skyler McKenzie - LW - drafted 198th in 2017
• Jansen Harkins - C - drafted 47th in 2015
• Michael Spacek - C - drafted 108th in 2015
• Luke Green - D - drafted 79th in 2015

Recent Jets' draft picks who have already graduated to the NHL include Patrik Laine (2016) and Kyle Connor (2015).

No information has been released yet about the Canucks' 2017 training camp. Last year, it was held at Whistler—and the details were released in early July.

Young Stars is running a week earlier than it did last year, but lines up with the timing of the 2015 tournament. Everything might have been pushed back a bit in 2016 because of the World Cup of Hockey.

This year, the monkey wrench will be the preseason trip to China. To fit that in, the Canucks and Kings will be the first teams to start playing exhibition games, with their first matchup on September 16 at Staples Center. The Canucks also play the Vegas Golden Knights 24 hours later in Vancouver, so they'll need all hands on deck. Main camp will have to be squeezed into those four days between the end of Young Stars on September 11 and the beginning of the exhibition schedule.

Why does this matter? I'm trying to figure out how much longer Bo Horvat can remain unsigned before he officially becomes a holdout.

He's not the only player coming off an entry-level contract who's still waiting to get a deal completed. David Pastrnak's name made headlines earlier this week when a rumour surfaced that Boston might consider trading him. Other good players in similar situations also include Calgary's Sam Bennett, Toronto's Connor Brown, Colorado's defenseman Nikita Zadorov, Anthony Duclair of Arizona and both Alexander Wennberg and Josh Anderson from Columbus.

I'd hope that the Canucks and Horvat's agent are getting down to the nuts and bolts at this point, and that we'll get a deal announced soon.

Markus Granlund, for one, does not seem concerned.

Granlund on Bo Horvat still not signed : "I believe it's going to be done soon so we can start playing again. " #Canucks

— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) August 17, 2017

Granlund also told Rick Dhaliwal that after his wrist surgery in March, "It's 100%, it's feeling good and I am now skating."

His objective for the upcoming season?

"Last season I had 19 (goals), next season I want more. That's my goal to score more goals."

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