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Brandon Kruse's Hilarious Draft Story, Brannstrom & Schuldt's "Efficiency"

June 29, 2018, 1:18 AM ET [2 Comments]
Sheng Peng
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Finally, a scrimmage!

Day 3 of Development Camp was highlighted by Team White's convincing 5-1 victory over Team Grey.


The guys who you expected to stand out -- Cody Glass, Nick Suzuki, Erik Brannstrom, Nic Hague, Zach Whitecloud, Jimmy Schuldt -- did. Dylan Ferguson did a bang-up job of keeping Team Grey in it, allowing just one goal in his starting half of the game.

The under-the-radar player who caught my eye was centerman Ben Jones. Defensively, the 2017 seventh-rounder's head was constantly on a swivel. Positionally, he looked sound. He was top-three on the OHL Coaches Poll for Best Defensive Forward and Penalty Killer for a reason.

Offensively, Jones completed perfectly-placed passes -- easy in the wheelhouse -- in tight spaces on multiple occasions. He also set a smart, subtle pick at his blueline to allow teammate Corey Schueneman an unfettered exit.

It's just one scrimmage, but there was some evidence of why Brock Otten of OHL Prospects called Jones the most underrated player in the Eastern Conference last year.

It's also worth noting that Jack Dugan-Glass-Keegan Kolesar and Nic Hague-Zach Whitecloud were regular groupings. Even in development camp, there's a pecking order.

Anyway, for Team White, Nick Campoli (Ryan Wagner), Tarek Baker (Rafael Harvey-Pinard), Tarek Baker (Brannstrom), Charlie Curti (Wyatt Ege), and Glass ENG (Kolesar) scored. For Team Grey, Dawson DiPietro 4v4 (Hague) scored. Unless otherwise noted, all goals were 5v5; I don't think they announced secondary assists. You can go to the Golden Knights Twitter to see the highlights.

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I caught up with Glass after the game and he talked about what it was like to play with Dugan.

2018 fifth-rounder Brandon Kruse told the best "Where were you when you got drafted?" story.

2017 third-rounder Jonas Rondbjerg teaches us how to say his name.

Swedish hockey expert Uffe Bodin discusses what was impressive about the 19-year-old Dane's SHL campaign.

2017 fifth-rounder Lucas Elvenes points out his own personal biggest Development Camp challenge.

Bodin tells us why Elvenes might be a sleeper prospect.

Finally, Assistant Coach Ryan McGill, who works with the defensemen during the regular season, broke down Schuldt and Brannstrom's games down beautifully.

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Cody Glass

Glass, on full house at scrimmage:

It's ridiculous. I don't think any other development camp has that.

I remember last year in development camp, they'd have 20-30 fans tops. Now we have a full set of fans.

The "Go Knights Go" chant gives you a little adrenaline rush.

Glass, on if anybody on opposing team is as loud as teammate Kolesar:

I have no idea actually. I couldn't really hear over there. Mostly because I can't hear over Kolesar's voice. (laughs)

Glass, on playing with Dugan:

He's a really good player. His hockey sense is high. We didn't really shoot the puck today as much as we wanted. I know he's got a great release.


***

Brandon Kruse

HockeyBuzz: You have to tell me the Buffalo Wild Wings story.

Brandon Kruse: Buffalo Wild Wings was having a 2-for-1. So you buy one wing, get one free that whole week. And it was the last day.

Obviously, I knew the Draft was on. Me and my buddy, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings, sat down, ate as many as we could. We ate like 50 wings for like $20. We had so many to take home.

We were about to leave, and then I saw one of my best friends, Blade Jenkins, go up on the board [at 134]. As I was texting him, I looked back up, and I saw my name was up [at 135].

My buddy went nuts. We were just in the middle of B Dubs.

I didn't really say anything. My stomach just kind of dropped.

I didn't really know if it was true yet, because I didn't get a call.

HB: Did you have any inkling about getting drafted?

BK: I knew it was up in the air. I wasn't going to go down to the Draft for it though. If not, it wasn't the end of the world. But I was still watching the Draft, just in case.

HB: How is it being drafted with Paul Cotter? You guys played together in Brookings two years ago, both from Michigan.

BK: It's unbelievable. I saw him go earlier when we first got there. So I texted him too. I've known Paul my whole life. It's pretty cool to come here together and hang out this whole entire week.

We've been playing on select teams in Michigan and against each other our entire lives. Then juniors in the [NAHL]. He's only 25 minutes away from my house.

We only really hung out around the rink. We'd go dinner, lunch sometimes. It's good.

HB: On Elite Prospects, you're listed at 154 pounds. The Development Camp roster has you up to 165.

BK: Yeah, I'm a pretty small guy. I've been small my whole life. High metabolism. It's just hard for me to gain weight.

HB: So you have to go to Buffalo Wild Wings, right? Hey, you're in Vegas. Going to some buffets this weekend?

BK: Oh, yeah. The food here has been amazing. I've been eating a lot this week.

(Thanks to Clayton Hamilton, Vegas Golden Knights Insider Show co-host, for the tip on the B Dubs story, which they first had on their show)

***

Jonas Rondbjerg



Rondbjerg, on why hockey is growing in Denmark:

We're focusing more on hockey in Denmark. It's becoming a bigger sport. Especially now, when we have the World Championships. There was a lot of focus on that.

Hopefully, we'll build some new rinks. Some new cities will start playing hockey, grow bigger.

Rondbjerg, on how proud he is to be part of Denmark's youth hockey wave:

It's great to see Denmark grow, be a part of that. Now we've been at the World Juniors for four years. Going to play next year too. World Championships for, I don't know, 12 years.

Rondbjerg, on his hockey hero:

It was Pavel Datysuk. All the things he could do with the puck. He was a magician.

Rondbjerg, on his Danish hockey hero:

Frans Nielsen. First [Danish-trained] guy in the NHL.

Rondbjerg, on if he's met Nielsen:

I haven't.

Rondbjerg, on how good Vaxjo teammate Elias Pettersson is:

He's good. He's the best player I've ever played on a team with. He's amazing. He can make all those crazy passes. Really hard shot.

***

Lucas Elvenes

Elvenes, on what he's focused on improving this development camp:

You have to get to know the smaller ice. I got to start here and prepare for it.

It's a much quicker game here.

Elvenes, on if there's any rivalry with fellow Swedish league players, Brannstrom and Rondbjerg:

Of course, when we play against each other. But it's always good to see them. They're really good friends of mine.

(Thanks to Chris Chapman, Producer of Vegas Golden Knights Insider Show, for the Elvenes tape)

***

Ryan McGill

McGill, on Jimmy Schuldt's play today:

I thought he was real, real consistent. He didn't do anything spectacular. But he was real solid. When he had a chance to pinch guys off on the wall, defending on the rush, he did a good job. Moved the puck up really well. He's a really efficient player.

McGill, on Brannstrom's play:

He's a dynamic player, for sure. He's got really quick feet. In every zone, he sees the play develop. He's a quick thinker.

But you can tell he's young too. He'll become efficient. He's not quite there yet. But he's got great raw ability. Really good at reading plays, defensively and offensively.

McGill, on Brannstrom's physicality:

He's very solid. He's very strong on his feet. He doesn't get knocked around. Every day he plays with older guys -- last year, he played in a men's league -- every day he plays with older guys over here, he's going to get better. He's going to understand his limitations physically.

McGill, on what Brannstrom can improve:

Just like every defenseman, the quicker you can get it up off your stick and up to the forwards, the better off you're going to be. If you can develop those skills one on one on the rush to take pucks away or put forwards in bad positions to turn the puck over and go the other way, then you'll do well. That just comes with experience.

McGill, on how a younger defensemen can improve his efficiency:

They let the game come to them. You have to be a patient player. Patience only comes with experience.

McGill, on how close Zach Whitecloud is to the NHL:

I'll give you the answer that every defenseman wants to play right now. But he's got to go through the process of taking Step 1 first before he gets to Step 2. Just like every other defenseman, it takes a long time.

You don't want to put that pressure, that timeline on any young defenseman, any young kid.

McGill, on how much it's helped Brannstrom to play with men in Sweden as opposed to juniors in North America:

Tremendous. Anytime you can play with people who are older than you, better than you, you're only going to get better. As long as your confidence doesn't go backwards, then you'll be on a good track to succeed. We've seen that so far with him.

***

Swedish hockey expert Uffe Bodin on Elvenes and Rondbjerg's SHL campaigns:

Both Elvenes and Rondbjerg were positive surprises to me last season.

Elvenes was loaned to Oskarshamn in the second-tier league and averaged almost a point per game. That is very uncommon for an 18-year-old, as it’s not too many players overall that score at that rate in that league. His progress gave him a call-up to Rögle, where he continued to impress. He was one of the last players cut from the Swedish WJC team. It was kind if a surprise he was even considered since he was a longshot at the start of the season. This season, he should be a key player for the Swedes.

Elvenes really took several steps on and off the ice. He matured and took better care of himself. I’m thinking that getting drafted by the Golden Knights might have sparked something in him. I’m very curious to see if he can continue this development this season because if he does, he’s on his way to become a steal.

As a player, Elvenes is offensively gifted, elusive, and smart with the puck. His speed is what sets him apart from a lot of other players in that age group.

Rondbjerg impressed me as well. He had a tougher time getting ice-time with Växjö, the top team in the league, but didn’t look out of place when he played. He’s a smart two-way center with really good reach who reads the game very well. It’ll be interesting to see if he can take on a bigger role in the SHL this year. The team has lost a lot of talent and it would seem he could get even more of an opportunity now.

***

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