I'm starting to book in some appointments for September, so I've just written the first half of next season's Canucks schedule into my calendar.
Here's a quick primer of the key dates to keep in mind for 2015-16:
September 11-14: YoungStars Classic in Penticton
The Canucks prospects will face off against star-studded young lineups from the Winnipeg Jets, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers—including one Connor McDavid.
Click here for more details on the tournament.
September 17: veterans report to Rogers Arena for medical testing as training camp begins
September 18-20: training camp takes place in Prince George
The Canucks have held camp away from Vancouver in the past, but this will be the first time they've gone as far north as Prince George.
All on-ice sessions will be open to the public, which should create some great energy and give the local fans an exciting first view of next year's team.
September 21: Kraft Hockeyville in North Saanich
The Canucks will open their preseason on Vancouver Island with the Kraft Hockeyville game in Panorama Recreation Centre Arena B, with a game against the San Jose Sharks.
The Canucks have played in a Hockeyville game before, in Terrace in 2009. It's a great promotion—in addition to bringing a big-league vibe to a small town, North Saanich will also receive $100,000 for arena improvements.
September 22: first home preseason game at Rogers Arena, also against San Jose
Because of Hockeyville, the Canucks will have only three home preseason games this year. The other two are against Calgary on Saturday, September 26 and against Edmonton on Saturday October 3.
The road preseason games will be September 25 against Calgary, September 28 against Arizona, September 29 against San Jose and October 1 against Edmonton.
As for the regular season, remember how the Canucks' good start last season seemed like it was inflated by an easy schedule? That will *not* be the case this year.
A series of long road trips during the first half of the season will make for a tough hill for the Canucks to climb.
The 2015-16 campaign opens as last season finished, with home-and-home games against the Calgary Flames. Vancouver will get an early look at how Dougie Hamilton and Michael Frolik fit into the Flames lineup, starting their season in the hostile environs of the Saddledome on October 7, then returning to Rogers Arena for their own home opener on October 10.
From there, it's straight down the coast for the first back-to-back of the year against Anaheim and Los Angeles. I hate to say it, but it's not inconceivable that the Canucks could open the season 0-4.
Local fans will be treated to some interesting visitors to Rogers Arena during a five-game October homestand: the St. Louis Blues will be followed by Connor McDavid (presumably) and the new-look Edmonton Oilers, then Justin Williams and the Washington Capitals, Mike Green and the Detroit Red Wings, and Zack Kassian and the Montreal Canadiens.
October closes out with another quick two-game trip down south and another set of back-to-backs. Our first look of the year at the new Dallas Stars comes first, with a visit to Glendale to take on the Coyotes one night later.
The Canucks are away for much of November. They open the month with home games against Philadelphia and Pittsburgh before embarking on an epic SEVEN-game road trip which will include stops in Buffalo, New Jersey and Columbus before the Canadian swing through Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Winnipeg.
Then, it's home for two nights—back-to-backs against the Blackhawks and the Devils—before heading right back out on the road for four tough Western Conference games against the Wild and Stars, then another round of back-to-backs against the Ducks and Kings.
By December 1, Vancouver will have played 16 of its 26 games on the road, and it doesn't get much easier from there.
The Canucks come home in early December for four games against Dallas, Boston, Buffalo and the Rangers, then it's back out on the road for another six-gamer that'll go right through to the Christmas break. The trip starts in Chicago, then routes through Minnesota, Philadelphia and Detroit before wrapping up on a sunny note, at least, with games in Florida and Tampa Bay right before the holidays.
By Christmas, the Canucks will have knocked off 22 of their road games, while playing just 14 games at home.
That pattern continues in January, with another massive road trip, before the team settles in to Rogers Arena for a good chunk of the second half.
If the Canucks do manage to withstand the tough early schedule, they'll be well-positioned to pick up some points, solidify their playoff standing and build some hype heading into the postseason. But if they fall off the pace early, expect to see a lot of empty seats during all those late-season home games—and hear the doomsayers respond accordingly.
Maybe I'm making too much of this. The Canucks were an impressive fifth overall on the road last season, with their 24-14-3 record actually earning them one point more away from Rogers Arena than their 24-15-2 record at home. They'll need to tap into that resilience again this season if they hope to stay in the playoff hunt.
I'll look at the details of the second half of the schedule tomorrow.
Vancouver Canucks Blogger • 
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