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Quinn Hughes and brother Jack dazzle at World Junior Summer Showcase |
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Hello from Kamloops!
The second day of game action from the World Junior Summer Showcase is set to go at the Sandman Centre later on Tuesday, with Finland taking on Sweden at 1 p.m. followed by split-squad games between Canada White and USA Blue at 4 p.m., then Canada Red and USA White at 7:30 (all times Pacific).
Canucks defense prospect Toni Utunen will be skating for Finland, followed by Jett Woo on Canada White, then goaltender Michael DiPietro suiting up for Canada Red against Quinn (and Jack) Hughes on USA White in the late game.
There's no TV coverage for the tournament until the Canadian and U.S. split squads combine into a single roster on Thursday, which is too bad. Quinn and Jack put on a show in their USA White debut on Monday night, a 5-2 win over Finland.
The brothers were held off the scoresheet, but their skillsets and their chemistry together were on full display.
Here's a not-very-clear glimpse of Jack working with his linemates Joel Farabee and Oliver Wahlstrom, who are being deployed together once again after showing great chemistry in Russia back in April when they won silver at the World U18 Championship.
You can also see in the video that the attendance on Monday was—well, sparse. Which is also too bad. As the presumptive first-overall pick in the 2019 draft, Jack Hughes is said to have wheels and acceleration that rival Connor McDavid, and he showed off some of that explosiveness on Monday night.
In the first game, USA Blue was very much in summer hockey mode, struggling to make plays and complete passes. In the early game, a 3-1 win for Sweden, Brady Tkachuk stood out for the Americans for his high energy on the ice and the bench, committed to his role as a World Junior veteran and doing everything he could to support his teammates.
The more skilled Team White roster took a very different approach in the late game, overwhelming the Finns with an extremely high pace of play right from the opening faceoff and jumping out to a 2-0 lead by the 6:44 mark of the first period. Final shots in the game were 41-18 for the U.S., although the Finns made it interesting when they mounted a late push after Erkka Seppala made it 4-2 with 1:30 left in the third period. Ivan Lodnia added an empty-net goal to seal the win for the U.S.
Born 18 months apart, Quinn and Jack Hughes show some of the same chemistry together that we've been used to seeing from the Sedins in Vancouver. Because of their age difference, they haven't played together nearly as much, although Quinn explained after Monday's game that Jack has often played up a year—and occasionally even two years. Still, this tournament is a special experience for them, and World Juniors will be a chance for them to win a medal together. There was some talk that Jack might join Quinn at the University of Michigan this season, but Jack has now confirmed that he's returning to the U.S. National Team Development Program for a second season this fall, based 20 miles away in nearby Plymouth, Michigan.
Though he acknowledged his appreciation for the opportunity to play with Jack this week, when Quinn met with the media after Monday's game he carefully sidestepped the suggestion that he'd be looking for that opportunity in the NHL. Quinn politely said that while he expected Jack to be a very high pick in next year's draft, he hoped the Canucks would do well this year.
Quinn did skate on the left side on Monday, paired with Edmonton Oilers prospect Phil Kemp. Last week, I heard that John Tortorella describes his young star defensemen Seth Jones and Zach Werenski as 'rovers' with the Columbus Blue Jackets; Quinn's playing style looks very similar. His fluid skating allows him to easily move all over the ice to make plays and U.S. coach Mike Hastings said both Quinn and Jack had a bold playing style. They weren't afraid to make aggressive plays where they might lose the puck, because then they'd just go get it back. It was definitely fun to watch.
Though he didn't get a lot of work, U.S. goaltender Cayden Primeau was solid in the win for Team White and is making a solid case to stick around for the weekend after the two American squads are combined on Thursday. A long way down the U.S. depth chart when he was drafted in the seventh round by Montreal in 2017, Primeau's stock rose enormously during his freshman season at Northeastern last year. His Canucks connection comes in the form of his teammate Adam Gaudette. Both players were terrific in winning the Beanpot last February before Gaudette went on to earn the 2018 Hobey Baker Award.
I also spoke with U.S. forward Grant Mismash, who's known as a high-energy bottom-six forward but led Team White with a goal and an assist on Monday. A second-round pick by Nashville in 2017, he played in last year's Summer Showcase but didn't make the cut for the 2018 U.S. World Junior squad—something he's looking to change this year. Like Brock Boeser, Mismash is a Minnesota kid who decided to forego the opportunity to go to college in the State of Hockey in favour of joining the program at the nearby University of North Dakota. Mismash will be a sophomore this season.
As for Kamloops itself—if you're one of those people who's uneasy about all the changes and development that have taken place in Vancouver since Expo '86, this could be the community for you. I spent a couple of years here early in my career and to be honest, not much has changed. The arena is new to me—it opened as Riverside Coliseum in 1992—and the nearby Sandman Signature hotel was built in 2014.
Overall, the culinary scene seems like it has upgraded—lots of emphasis on house-made food and farm-to-table ingredients, and there's more variety than I remember. I had a terrific lunch at the Noble Pig before Monday's games, one of the first restaurants in town to adopt that philosophy. The room has been tastefully modernized from back in the day, with an up-to-date menu and intriguing craft beer selection.
But other than a couple of low-rise mixed-use condo complexes, the downtown core looks remarkably the same as what I remember, and I spotted many independent businesses that are still going strong. It's a marked contrast to a city like Kelowna, which has undergone huge growth and transformed dramatically over the last 20-plus years.
Even with the small crowds, I'm enjoying the mental break from all the drama that has surrounded the Canucks since Trevor Linden's departure last week. It feels great to be focused on up-and-coming players and have a chance to get a glimpse of the Canucks' future.
I'm looking forward to seeing if Team Canada draws more fans for today's games, and expecting that the crowds will grow further once the Canadian and U.S. split squads combine starting on Thursday.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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