Canes Development Camp: Thursday Night Observations

I was on hand again for the second night of the Hurricanes’ development camp sessions. As the players continue to get comfortable in this setting, there were a few more standouts. Here are my observations from Thursday night.

• Martin Necas continues to look like a man among boys. His skating is smooth and quick; his passing and shot are a step above the rest. He scored a slick shootout goal early, and later made a tight turn out of the corner, swung across the crease and buried a shot top-shelf from a tough angle. There was a scary moment early on when Necas caught a rush and crashed into the end boards, heading to the locker room in visible pain. He quickly returned to the ice, however, and said afterward he was feeling no ill effects. Crisis averted.
• I continue to be impressed with Andrei Svechnikov’s strength on the puck, and his chemistry with Necas. Something that has also impressed me about both players is, for kids under the age of 20 speaking their second language, how well-spoken they both are. Learning English is clearly something they’ve worked hard at, which bodes well as it speaks to their drive and work ethic as future NHLers.

Jamie Kellner

• Adam Fox, obtained in the Lindholm/Hanifin trade with Calgary, is very aggressive. He attacked the puck on pretty much every shift of the scrimmage he was on the ice for. Definitely brings a lot of energy to the table.
• This year’s second-round pick, Jack Drury, looked good tonight. He seems to have good offensive instincts with his passing, and buried a few shots in the rush drills.
• While we’re on the subject of second rounders, one of last year’s, Eetu Luostarinen, also stood out in a good way tonight, and looks like he brought a much-improved shot to this year’s camp.
• I didn’t notice Jake Bean as much tonight, but for a defenseman, that’s not always a bad thing.

Development camp continues with a 10 a.m. practice Friday, the last on-ice session before Saturday’s scrimmage.