'Canes Training Camp Notes, Day 12: Headed to Manitoba
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 27, 2011 4:43 PM EDT
in Carolina Hurricanes Training Camp
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The Carolina Hurricanes have 36 players left in the 2011 Training Camp, and all but one participated in 90 minute practice sessions this morning at the RBC. While Chad LaRose, Patrick Dwyer, Derek Joslin, and Tim Brent seemed to be at 100%, Tuomo Ruutu was held out once again following what is officially called a minor LBI coming out of Friday's game vs the Nashville Predators.
Following practice, 29 of the 36 players headed to the airport to take the team's first flight to Manitoba to face Southeast Division rival Winnipeg Jets in a preseason rematch of Sunday's lopsided tilt in Charlotte. Veterans Eric Staal, Alexei Ponikarovsky, Chad LaRose, Tuomo Ruutu, Tim Gleason, Joni Pitkanen and Cam Ward remained in Raleigh. Coach Paul Maurice said he would announce tomorrow which 18 skaters would play in Wednesday night's game. Previous reports said Brian Boucher would be in goal the full 60 minutes with Charlotte- bound Mike Murphy as backup.
I was able to make it to both the practices earlier today and I've got some quick notes. Plus some links from others on what's new on Edwards Mill Road.
Group one (9am)
Group one included 10 forwards, 6 defensemen and goalies Cam Ward and Mike Murphy.
The biggest news was that Maurice had Zac Dalpe up on Staal's right wing opposite Ponikarovsky. We'd seen this combination for the latter parts of the game in Charlotte Sunday, and apparently the coaches agree it was worth further consideration. Personally, I thought it looked tremendous, with the speedy rookie RW making some beautiful plays and quick passes to both his linemates as they brought the puck up the ice at full speed.
The hockeymom in me says that though he wasn't exactly nervous, Dalpe was definitely paying extra close attention, like someone with some elevated adrenaline levels in the mix. All in all, a good thing.
The other two lines were Tim Brent between Drayson Bowman and Zach Boychuk; and four players finishing out the final line with Jon Matsumoto centering Chris Terry, Brett Sutter and Jerome Samson who switched out with the drills.
The defense of the first group comprised of Gleason and Pitkanen, Bobby Sanguinetti and Ryan Murphy, then Chris Murray and Justin Krueger.
Maurice was leading the drills for the entire 90 minutes, and his voice was hoarse when he shouted. Rod Brind`Amour, Dave Lewis and Tom Barrasso offered one-on-one input at the breaks, but this was Maurice's show today.
There were a variety of drills eventually working up to five-on-five. I have seen nothing yet on special teams. Much of the instruction was developing solid break out patterns requiring the forwards skate back hard thereby giving the defensemen options for "quick ups" when transitioning the puck. Many of you will be glad to know that the message was to skate the puck in, suggesting dump-ins will be highly frowned upon going forward. Working the timing and positioning of a five man unit cohesively garnered the bulk of the time today.
To finish out the final 15 minutes, they endured between-the-bluelines suicide skating drills (back and forth, quickly with hard stops) and in the various groupings you could see that Ponikarovsky moves incredibly well for someone of his size (and recent injury history), and generally completed first in his group, ahead of Zac Dalpe, whose straight-line speed is his claim-to-fame.
Another grouping included Ryan Murphy and Eric Staal, who are 6" different in height, but whose skating speed in this drill was closely matched. With each repetition (and there were probably 2 dozen reps) they seemed to notice and were pushing each other with smiles. When one or the other started jumping the whistle to get a headstart you could see neither wanted to concede defeat.
Before heading off the ice, Ponikarovsky and Dalpe went down to one net, and Poni took probably 20 rapid wrist shots from fairly close range as Dalpe was there to feed him pucks.
Group 2 (11 am)
With Ruutu held off the ice, the second group worked out to 9 forwards and 6 D, with Justin Peters and Boucher in the nets.
Line #1 was Jeff Skinner centering Jussi Jokinen (LW) and Anthony Stewart (RW). Yes - that's an option with Ruutu out, to put Skinner back to center. Number 53 got some extra facetime with Maurice, likely getting guidance on Skinner's move to the pivot position.
Line #2 was Brandon Sutter between LaRose and Jiri Tlusty. Line #3 was centered by Riley Nash , flanked by Chris Durno and Patrick Dwyer.
Defense was paired up as Tomas Kaberle with Jay Harrison, Bryan Allen with Justin Faulk, and Derek Joslin with Jamie McBain.
This group was more veteran and more vocal (hint: they call him Rosebud). Brandon Sutter was also hardly the wallflower in the chirping department himself. It probably helped it was 2 hours later in the morning too.
Almost all the drills were identical to the first session with similar calls and corrections coming from Maurice and echoed by the other coaches "Forwards have to come back! Get back!"
During the five-on-fives, Brind`Amour was dropping pucks and used the opportunity to share some faceoff tips with Nash and Skinner.
After the skating drills, I was encouraged to see Kaberle skating around looking for some more action and took some practice slapshots. So yes it seems 1) he's in decent shape and 2) he can shoot.
Wednesday's schedule
With only 7 staying behind, I'm not sure what tomorrow's practice session here at the RBC Center will be like, but stay tuned for reports from Winnipeg as to who will be getting one last shot before significant cuts are made Thursday.
It's possible the TSN broadcast of the Winnipeg game will be carried by NHLNEtwork live. Gametime is 8:30pm ET. The schedule does show as being repeated at 3am and 11am Thursday for your DVR.
Practice Links
Canes Now - Dalpe excited to get look on Staal line "They like to play north-south and that's my game too," Dalpe said of Staal and Ponikarovsky. "Hopefully we'll complement each other well and hopefully I'll get a couple more games with them and get more comfortable."
The folks at NBCSports.com have picked up on the chatter around Dalpe and his move to Eric Staal's wing in this post also today.: Can Zac Dalpe have a Jeff Skinner-like breakout for Carolina? | ProHockeyTalk Chances are you haven't heard much about Carolina's Zac Dalpe. If his performance in training camp carries over to the regular season, you might be hearing a lot about him.
Under the heading the "conspicuous absence" no mention of Zach Boychuk in this latest article talking with Bowman and Samson and life on the bubble: Time Crunch for Cusp Players - Michael Smith, Tracking the Storm With the regular season just a week and a half away, roster decisions are looming.
Post practice audio with Maurice 9/27/11 (4 minutes)
Notes from Charlotte's Camp: Shugg Starting Fresh - Paul Branecky, gocheckers.com After as successful of a junior career as a player could ask for, Justin Shugg is essentially starting over.
Plus Chip Alexander caught up with Peter Karmanos, Jr at the Hurricanes luncheon yesterday and had this on the owner's perspective on the State of the Canes. Canes owner talks of future, new owners, and playoffs - Canes - NewsObserver.com Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos appeared optimistic about his team's chances this season, adding the Hurricanes had a legitimate shot at making another strong Stanley Cup run "if everything comes together."
Three hockey players went into The Pit....
Meanwhile this is the kind of tweets Carolina's latest head-turning rookie forward is sending out, showing he is clearly buckling under the glare of the NHL limelight (not). From last night:
@ZacDalpe22: Eating at the World famous restaurant "The Pit" why haven't I ate at this place before? Its unbelievable! The Sutters are in heaven.
An hour or so later, this missive went out to his 3700+ followers:
@ZacDalpe22: 3 hcky players screaming remind me by brad&carrie in the car is probably something you don't see everyday, man is it a good tune though lol
What's worse? The mental image or the mental soundtrack? If you don't know the song....
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what i want to know
who was singing underwood’s part
by Caniac1026 on Sep 27, 2011 4:56 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Which leads to deciding which one of them shaved their legs to look like that good in her role?
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 27, 2011 9:49 PM EDT up reply actions
It's not like it takes much to match her in vocal quality.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
Panthers '011: This is what we've been waiting for...we get to overpay the core of a 2-14 team!
by MichaelProcton on Sep 29, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
The Florida/Winnipeg game could be the longest traveled division game in any of the 4 major NA sports.
The new Dynamic Duo, Eric Staal & Zac Dalpe!
True. The only one I can think of that may be longer would be when the Panthers were in the NFC West and would have travel to San Fran to take on the 49ers. Carolina-Winnipeg is probably the longest in any current divisions of the 4 NA sports though.
Yeah, well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.
I can only think of one
And it’s 49ers/Seahawks and Rams, not sure how long they are apart though
As always, an excellent roundup
Thanks for keeping the rest of us up to date, Carolyn.
by curiouscanesfan on Sep 27, 2011 7:48 PM EDT reply actions
wewll seeing
it’s only 6:45 here…I am NOT too late…i want to thank Miss Carolyn as she again gave us Caniacs alot to look over !! in Hockey..can there ever be TOO much info ?? and just who is this underwood person and can she sing as good at the 10 going on 11 year old phenon Jakie Avanko who won last years America’s got talent ?? as i’ll take little Jackies set of pipes over this underwood person’s…Hehehe..OBTW..ischer husband still with the Preds ?? hehehe
9/11/01 - Never Forget !!
Long Live #63 The Condor
Go Canes & Checkers !!!
Any word on the Jets lineup tonight? I imagine it will be mostly starters, which won’t bode well for the Canes group up there.
Not yet – it’ll be here when it’s announced. http://illegalcurve.com/category/winnipeg-jets/gamepreview/
Canes practice at 11:30 Central time, so likely the Jets roster will be apparent around that time after they’ve taken their morning skate. (or noon ET)
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 10:25 AM EDT up reply actions
And you’re right, the roster will be stacked the opposite way from Sunday. But I bet the Canes have Stewart playing (because it’s Winnipeg/Atlanta), and Allen and Joslin, Boucher in net for 60 minutes.
Wonder if Troy Bodie will play, he’s had an up-and-down camp and lots of attention as a native son the last week.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions
hopefully the NHLN grabs it, shouldn’t be much of a game, but it will still feel like a playoff atmosphere with the crowd based on the other pre-season games in the Peg. Boucher’s going to hear all night long. Bodie, yes he’s got to be feeling it. He’ll probably spend most of the season on the farm, as we saw, he’s really not NHL caliber, which of course most Canes fans will agree with me because he’s no longer a Cane.
It’s actually only the 2nd game there at MTS – so yes it will be loud. They played 3 on the road over the weekend. Here’st the game preview from Illegal Curve with their guesses on who the Jets will play tonight.
What’s funny is that the post give Canes Country credit for the Canes lineup but I’m not sure they have it right or where we said these would be the players. Okay then.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Saint Johns – you mean where there AHL team is – close to Winnipeg? That’s in the Maritime provinces – way out east.
The Jets played games in Nashville, Charlotte, and Nova Scotia somewhere the last few days. The Halifax game was part of the Kraft hockeytown thing with a bunch of teams coming in to play exhibitions, with Don Cherry and the Cup and lots of Canadiana.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions
http://jets.nhl.com/club/recap.htm?id=2011010063
Not sure why the game recap had the game in St. Johns, NF – “The Rock”.
That’s in the Maritime provinces – way out east.
Thanks tips, not sure I would have figured that out.
So I guess St John’s is where this Hockeytown thing was (?). It’s also the location of the WPG AHL franchise – the Ice Caps. That’s the city that’s furthest East. I think it’s where they had Team Canada’s development camp last year, when Jeff Skinner went.
There’s a Saint John (spell out Saint and no apostrophe s) which is just up the coast from Maine in New Brunswick.
Heck, I wasn’t sure exactly where Winnipeg was till this summer. Saskatchewan and Manitoba were interchangeable in my mind’s map. But then the TSN announcers referred to Charlotte, Carolina Sunday so apparently everyone’s suffering from geographic ignorance for awhile.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
damn American’s; I’ve been to the Canadian maritimes a half-dozen times because I’ve got family there, so I get the distinction between Saint John & St. Johns, this is all you need to know about Newfies and St. Johns – George Street:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Street,St.John’s
From wiki:
George Street has the most bars and pubs per square foot of any street in North America…
Newfie’s are a breed unto themselves. My hubby went on a caribou bow hunt up there years ago. The tales he told after only 10 days there. Lest we not forget that a former Carolina Hurricane player is a Newfie: Darren Langdon.
Harrumph
And I may be all confused on this – maybe they played in St Johns like we played in Charlotte as an AHL cross-promotion thing, and had nothing to do with the hockeytown events. If someone knows and wants to straighten me out , please do!
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 12:10 PM EDT up reply actions
It isn’t just you guys who needed some geography lessons. Our readers we’re instructing me on the difference between St. John’s, Newfoundland (home of the Jets AHL farm team IceCaps) and Saint John, New Brunswick which initially I was using interchangeably.
The game between the Jets and Senators was played at the Mile One Centre (where our AHL franchise plays)
For more hockey news; Illegalcurve
That’s makes me feel better. And was that game between WPG and OTT in any way related to the Hockeytown events where they had the Cup and Don Cherry and all the hoopla?
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes. It was called Kraft Hockeyville. The actual town that won the event was called Conception Bay South which is close to St. John’s but since the arena could only hold under 1000 people and due to the immense hoopla the Jets return has created, it was moved to the Mile One Centre which is able to accommodate 5000+ fans.
For more Winnipeg Jets news; Illegalcurve
NHL delayed broadcast
According to the Directv on screen guide NHL Network will be broadcasting the game from 3AM to 5AM Thursday morning. I didn’t see it listed live.
So a great report on practice that I didn’t get to read until this morning! How did Nash and Skinner look on face-offs? From what I have gathered over the course of camp, Nash’s chances to make the NHL roster would have been significantly better had his face-off percentage been acceptable. The other thing that interests me is Mo giving #53 some extra face time. I have felt that if the goal is for Skinner to ultimately end up playing center in the NHL that they should be moving towards that goal sooner rather than later. Could Mo and Brindy’s work with young Jeff be the team moving that way? Really good stuff in this one Carolyn, great notes!!
There weren’t enough faceoffs to really judge their comparable success (which is to say, I wasn’t paying close attention). I saw they were spending time talking at each faceoff with the wings and Dmen too to understand the optimal positioning in the near circles to help in the wins – again a 5-man effort . They’d move them around to see what worked and why.
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Riley Nash
My impression from all I’ve read and heard is that Riley Nash is coming as something of a pleasant surprise to some of the coaches. My guess is that Ron Francis felt all along Nash would be a good player for the Canes, but needed time to grow into his body and to adjust to an NHL style of play. Nash strikes me as a cerebral player; and also one who is organized about the steps he needs to take to make it in the NHL. It is going to be an adjustment for me with the way the Hurricanes organization is going to handle players like Nash, Bowman, Boychuk, and Terry. It seems to be more of a Detroit Wings style in which the talent pool of young players is deep and players are keep in the AHL until they are not only ready; but they are ready to prove themselves as NHL ready each night. It puts enormous pressure on the players on the bubble because they can see the talent pool is not only deep, but will continue to increase. Riley Nash, I think, is likely to get some NHL games this season. By next season, he may be a difficult person to keep off the roster.
Why is it....
That one sentence in to any of your posts I can tell that it’s an abramsdoug post without even checking to see if I was correct? I’m not complaining. Love your excellent use of punctuation and grammar. Wish everyone could follow suit…
grammer correction !!
I have felt that if the goal is for Skinner to ultimately end up playing center in the NHL, the team and Jeff should be moving towards that goal sooner rather than later.
Skinner as a wing or a center
Maurice said someplace that ultimately Skinner would be on Staal’s line (as in for his career). On the other hand, I think Skinner could be a fantastic center. Ruutu could have his career extended, I think, by playing center and that’s a great thing for the Hurricanes. Ruutu came up as a center; and was considered one of the best non-NHL centers. It’s a great problem to have, that is where to put all the talented players. Last season, one of the best lines on the team was Skinner/Ruutu/Jokinen. Jokinen is often almost overlooked because he does everything well without being especially flashy. I think the lines will be quite fluid this year as Maurice mixes and matches lines to throw off the other team’s plans. If Maurice wants a high-powered line of scorers, he’ll put Skinner/Staal/Dalpe together and watch the pucks fly.
Jets/Canes Line-up card
For anyone interested, we’ve put together a handy line-up card for tonight’s game.
For more Winnipeg Jets news; Illegalcurve
Mike Sundheim just tweeted this
Twitter @HMof2
by Carolyn Christians on Sep 28, 2011 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions
What a great sight that is. A sheet of ice waiting for a hockey game! While Mo has stated the next round of cuts would not be solely based on tonight’s game, I have to think this is sink or swim for a few players. The oft talked about Mr Boychuk I think being the one most in need of a breakout game. I like the lineup the Jets will ice tonight. It will be a great barometer for the players not only jockeying for a spot on the NHL roster, but for players to make a case for their rank within the big club as well.
thanks, great work over on Illegalcurve, I’ve been over there quite a bit since the news broke, and congrats. Couldn’t be happier for the city of Winnipeg and the province of Manitoba that they got an NHL team back.
Thank you. Appreciate that.
This has been a summer without parallel in the city and province and shockingly as great as it was (sunny/hot weather, no rain and no Mosquito’s) I think everyone is eager for winter to begin so hockey can finally get going.
For more Winnipeg Jets news; Illegalcurve
I think everyone is eager for winter to begin so hockey can finally get going.
That is a little shocking given the weather, I grew up outside of Edmonton, so I know what that wind feels like from November til March.
I picked the Jets to be a surprise team this season in the Southeast, everyone thinks I’m nuts, I think the city will be the shot in arm they’ve needed for so many years.
Well we aren’t actively courting the cold weather, lol.
I’m still not getting too excited. I think home ice might help but they still need a ton of scoring. Should be a great season regardless of how they finish.
For more Winnipeg Jets news; Illegalcurve
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