Latest news with #developmentCamp
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Carolina Hurricanes 2025 Development Camp Gets Underway
The Carolina Hurricanes held the first official day of the 2025 prospect development camp on Monday. I may hear you ask, what is the goal of development camp? Well Carolina AGM Darren Yorke put it best. Advertisement "The biggest thing is just introducing them to the organization and getting a sense of where they are today," Yorke said. "So our development coaches will meet with them and have already sort of been in communication with our scouts here to get a sense of what the player's strengths and weaknesses are. It's really to establish 1) a relationship and then 2) start to develop a development for them whether it's for off-ice fitness or whether it's specific areas of their game that we want the players to work on." The first day of camp usually isn't too interesting and this year was no different than those in the past, as the focus was pretty much on off-ice fitness testing as well as some skating benchmark testing. "The first drill is the 1080 Sprint," said Director of Player Development Peter Harrold. "It measures a lot of different variables and it helps our strength staff come up with more customized programs for them in the weight room. Force production and things like that. From a technical standpoint, we also videotape their skating to look at what their stride looks like and what their mechanics look like and so then we can have discussions with them and give them things to work on in order to come back and maybe just be that little bit faster." "They're watching how good we are at top speed," said 2024 draftee Noel Fransen. "They will know how good we are at skating and where we're at. You want to be better every time. So you just go as hard as you can every time." Advertisement Nearly every player participated in the testing minus 2025 second-round picks Charlie Cerrato and Kurban Limatov. Limatov took a spin on the ice before the testing began, but didn't take part in the actual drills while it seems like Cerrato will be a late arriver. It is impressive that six of the seven players the Hurricanes drafted on Saturday were able to make it to Raleigh for camp though as there wasn't a ton of turnaround time between the events. Luckily all of the Russian players that the Canes drafted already had their visas and were in the US, but for the two Swedish players (Viggo Nordlund and Filip Ekberg) there was a bit more of a chaotic turnaround. Advertisement "[Getting drafted] was an amazing feeling," Nordlund said. "I was home with my parents watching on TV and seeing my name pop up there was a real nice feeling. Then I got a call like five minutes after telling me that I was flying out the next day. Just started packing and got ready." "I was at home with my family in my hometown, so it was just a quick step to the airport in Sweden," Ekberg said. "I flew to Toronto and then to here." No worries about potential jetlag affecting your performances? "I don't feel like I have it but maybe there is," Ekberg said. "But I don't feel it [now]. It's a little bit nice though. Because you're tired at 9 o'clock and you wake up at 6 o'clock by yourself. So that's kind of nice actually." Advertisement Nothing like the first step toward your dream to keep you energized. Viggo Nordlund Filip Ekberg Development camp isn't just for the new faces in the organization either. You'll always have a handful of prospects who took part in one or two prior camps and this gives the staff a great opportunity to reassess how their development has been progressing. "A lot of these guys come in at 18 years old and they're kids still," Harrold said. "A year of working out, a year of playing professional games and then they come back and are more mature in every sense of the word. It's fun for me because you get to see the growth in those guys and that's the part I love, but for them, I think they become more confident, more comfortable in their game and themselves. That's big for them. Confidence is huge." Advertisement "I think I made progress on everything basically," said 2024 draftee Dominik Badinka who took part in camp last season. "It's still hockey. You've played the game and sometimes the things on and off ice aren't there, but I think I've made progress on everything. ... I hear from [the organization] all the time throughout the year too. Talking about my games and stuff on a weekly basis." The camp also helps teach the players life lessons about nutrition and sleep habits and gives them a chance to get to know each other as well as the organization too. "So far it's been quiet, but it's a great group," Badinka said. "We didn't get a chance to talk that much, but I know some guys from last year. But I feel so far that it's a good group of guys. It's been going well. Nobody is doing stupid things. Everybody is polite." Day 2 of development camp, which falls on the same day as the opening of NHL Free Agency, will more than likely focus a bit more on puck and stick skills. Dominik Badinka Additional Notes Nearly all of the Russian prospects (eight in total) were practicing as a group. Canes amateur scout Oleg Smirnov is here at camp to act as a translator and to help them get around and understand all that is being asked of and communicated to them. Harrold said that Smirnov has been "invaluable" to have at camp. The Hurricanes' Russian prospects listen in to instructions for testing. A few fans collected some autographs from the Canes prospects at the conclusion of their off-ice testing. These kids are already getting some spotlight treatment down in Raleigh. "It's fun that they're here," Fransen said. "Really good fans." A few Carolina prospects sign some autographs for fans. Recent Stories • Carlina Hurricanes Acquire Goaltender Cayden Primeau From Montreal Canadiens • Should The Carolina Hurricanes Re-Sign Brent Burns? • Rod Brind'Amour Once Again Snubbed By Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee • What Might A Jason Robertson Trade Package Look Like? • The Carolina Hurricanes' 2025 UFAs • Carolina Hurricanes Extend Qualifying Offers To RFAs; Three To Become UFAs Stay updated with the most interesting Carolina Hurricanes stories, analysis, breaking news and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.
National Post
15 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Calgary Flames top prospects start development camp on Wednesday
The future of the Calgary Flames will be on display at WinSport this week. Article content The Flames will be hosting their annual development camp on Wednesday and Thursday, bringing together 24 prospects for mid-summer training. It's a group that includes the team's four first-round picks from the last two years, including Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin from 2024 and Cole Reschny and Cullen Potter, who were taken in the draft last weekend. Article content Article content As explained by the Flames, the 'purpose of the camp is to enhance each player's development process through direction on conditioning and familiarity with the Flames organization.' Article content On-ice sessions will take place each day at 9:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m., with the prospects divided into six separate groups. Article content Flames fans are welcome to attend the sessions and watch from the stands to get a first glance of the group that is expected to be a big part of the Flames roster as they begin their climb back towards contention over the next couple of years. Article content Forwards Article content Andrew Basha, LW Jacob Battaglia, LW Matvei Gridin, RW Trevor Hoskin, RW Carter King, C Hunter Laing, RW Aidan Lane, LW Luke Misa, LW Cullen Potter, C Cole Reschny, C Theo Stockselius, C Aydar Suniev, LW Ethan Wyttenbach, LW Article content Defence Article content Axel Hurtig Jakob Leander Henry Mews Etienne Morin Isa Parekh Zayne Parekh Mace'o Phillips Article content
National Post
19 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
With Leafs trying to improve in-house, development camp is vital
The Maple Leafs most recent draft class is going right to school. Article content All six picks from Saturday will be among 48 players invited to the Ford Centre this week starting Wednesday for the club's annual development camp. Among the 29 forwards, 15 defencemen and four goaltenders are 17 draft picks in all, seven from 2024 including first -round defenceman Ben Danford of the Oshawa Generals. Article content Article content Article content The newest picks are Slovenian-Norwegian Tinus-Luc Koblar, Chinese-born William Belle and four OHLers, Tyler Hopkins, Harry Nansi, Matthew Hlacar and the lone defenceman of the six pack, Ryan Fellinger. All are between 6-foot-1 and 6-4. Article content From the 2023 draft is the highly regarded London Knights winger Easton Cowan, hoping to use his third devo camp as a springboard to a strong prospects tournament in Montreal to the main camp in September. Mississauga-born winger Nicholas Moldenhauer, a 5-11, third rounder from 2022 who has been two years at the University of Michigan is also participating. Article content The rest are young AHL Marlies and free agent invites overlooked in the draft last weekend. Guests from overseas are Russian goalie Semyon Konopsky, forward Alexander Plesovskikh and Latvian Martins Lavins. Article content Assistant general manager of player development Hailey Wickenheiser and her staff will oversee the camp, beginning with Wednesday medicals and three days on ice. Article content
New York Times
a day ago
- Business
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about Pius Suter's market, Canucks' approach to free agency
The Vancouver Canucks spent Sunday filling out their roster for development camp, and regrouping after the NHL Draft. The club was thrilled with its 2025 draft class, as most teams are in the immediate aftermath. In particular, the Canucks were happy with the outcome from their process. They're confident that first-round pick Braeden Cootes is a special person, with an opportunity to be an organizational fixture for years to come. There is also excitement about second-round selection Aleksei Medvedev, the London Knights netminder who goaltending scout Ian Clark insisted on throughout the scouting process. Advertisement As the attention turns to the upcoming free-agent frenzy, there is some frustration that the Canucks have been unable to meaningfully tend to their significant short-term needs at centre to this point. Vancouver acquired winger Evander Kane last week to add some heaviness and skill to the forward group, but there's still a gaping hole in the middle of the top six. The Canucks had an understanding dating back two months that the unrestricted free agent market was unlikely to yield a high-impact forward. Vancouver's hockey operations leadership had also understood that attempting to fill short-term needs on the trade market would represent improving their team 'the hard way.' Aside from a trio of trades for John Gibson, Charlie Coyle and Noah Dobson, there was surprisingly little major player movement over the weekend. Most of the acquisitions fell into the Jordan Spence, Declan Chisholm or Justin Sourdif tier of minor deals. Like the leaguewide cash crunch in the fall of 2020, or the cap crunch conditions that teams operated in throughout the flat cap era, we're now seeing a talent crunch gum up the NHL marketplace. Simply put, there is more available cap space in the system at the moment than there are high-quality unrestricted free agent players on whom to spend it. Teams have enough cap flexibility that, to this point, there's limited external pressure to proactively fix roster problems or to trade NHL-level contributors for cap-neutral asset capital like draft picks or prospects. And given how much market desirability is impacting contractual outcomes, every team is scrambling to identify the players open to being part of their organization. Everyone is terrified of falling too deep into a Chicago or San Jose-like scorched-earth rebuild. As I worked the phones on Sunday to try to get a sense of where the Canucks stood ahead of July 1, the word of the day from the organization was 'caution.' Advertisement The Canucks need to be careful in navigating their way through what remains of the so-called silly season, and balancing their short-term goals with the long-term reality of a franchise that's both in transition and under significant pressure to build momentum next season. Some of the players who will be available could help Vancouver now, but they're unlikely to be especially efficient additions. As much as the Canucks want to improve their roster and try to win now, there's an understanding that overpaying for short-term upgrades could inhibit their ability to make a more impactful move down the line, when the leverage is greater, and the options more impactful. This is the time of year, after all, when mistakes get made. Conscious of that, and the significant pressure the organization is feeling to improve, the Canucks are going to spend the next 48 hours or so trying to be selective. It's fair to be skeptical. It's been well over a decade, after all, since anybody won a cent betting on the Canucks being selective with the long view in mind. Whether they're intent on managing expectations locally, or more actively recalibrating their short-term goals in light of their options and the sky high prices in free agency and on the trade market, that's the balance the Canucks are attempting to judiciously weigh as the clock ticks down toward July 1. Every time I ask my industry contacts about pending unrestricted free agent Pius Suter and what his market value could look like, the number gets a little bit higher. It's like the opposite of Jose Canseco's 40 time. What was $3.2 million ('he could double his salary') at the deadline, rather quickly became '$4 million or more' after Suter's 'ka-ching' goal-scoring run late in the season. Now, over the past two weeks, the conversation has morphed from 'maybe $4.5 million with term,' climbing all the way to between $4.5 million and $5 million, which is the figure an executive on Sunday evening suggested that Suter could realistically land on the open market. And that was before the new Morgan Geekie comparable. Advertisement Clearly, the market has broken heavily in Suter's favour. Not only have centres continued to demand a significant premium on the trade market and at the draft table, but most of the older pivots with name-brand value — Matt Duchene, Claude Giroux, John Tavares, Brock Nelson and Sam Bennett — have already extended with their teams. Outside of Mikael Granlund, Suter is probably the most credible top-six centre option still unsigned as July 1 approaches. It's also worth noting that Suter scored more goals this season (25) than Granlund did (22). The Canucks have remained in contact with Suter's camp throughout this process, but the two sides haven't been grinding away to find common ground. Given Vancouver's inability to land a significant centre upgrade on the trade market during draft weekend, however, Monday is shaping up to be a key day in determining whether or not Suter will ultimately make it to market this week. For the Canucks, it's last call on Suter, and I wouldn't be surprised if Vancouver took one final run at retaining the versatile, productive forward, with an understanding that he's surely gone if he makes it to market on Tuesday. The Canucks have always been big fans of Suter as a player and person. He's earned a significant raise and is coming off a career year. The conversation really centres on that. Was it just a career year, a one-off, or a new level of performance that Suter is likely to be able to sustain? How the Canucks ultimately decide to answer that question will determine their willingness to meet Suter's price at the 11th hour. If I were to handicap this one, it seems more likely than not that Suter will go to market. The door remains open just a crack, however, and I do get the sense that Vancouver will engage Suter's camp one last time on Monday before the door shuts for good. Advertisement By 2 p.m. PT, the Canucks will have to tender qualifying offers to their 10 pending restricted free agents to maintain their right of first refusal. We've already reported that goaltender Nikita Tolopilo will receive a qualifying offer, and there's a variety of higher-profile restricted players like Aatu Räty, Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains who are obvious tap-ins to be qualified before the deadline. However, there are a couple of organizational depth players that the Canucks have wrestled with whether or not to qualify ahead of the deadline. I think we can take that as an indication that at least some of the 10 pending RFAs won't be qualified. Players who aren't qualified will become UFAs when the market opens on Tuesday. There's a tricky balance that the Canucks are going to try to maintain in the days ahead. This is a club that wants to improve short term, of course, they're the Canucks. I have begun to get the sense, though, in talking through offseason planning with team sources, that there's also an increasing internal recognition that this team is in transition. A realization that, perhaps, exercising some patience may be required. That recognition is in obvious tension with the fact that there is a lot of pressure, both in the Vancouver market and structurally on the Canucks, to find a way to take a big swing and connect on landing a difference-maker to improve this team. To excite this market. To convince Quinn Hughes to stay. But the Canucks want to be mindful of not doing something just to do something. Especially if that 'something' costs them an amount or an asset that they would view as reckless. Based on what team sources told The Athletic on Sunday, there appear to be moves that the Canucks could make to improve this team short-term. However, the most worthwhile among those options could cost them a key asset like their 2026 first-round pick, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander or defender Elias Pettersson. Advertisement That's not a price that Vancouver has been willing to pay. I even get the sense that it's a price the Canucks are unlikely to be willing to pay, period, unless the return is genuinely transformative. We'll have to see if the significant pressure and desire to improve wins out over the rational plan to be disciplined. For what it's worth, the Canucks do expect the trade market to shake loose somewhat in the days and weeks ahead, especially as some teams move money around to facilitate major acquisitions. That won't necessarily apply to every team, but management appears to be keeping close tabs on these types of situations in case a scenario presents itself, one that would permit the Canucks to land a short-term, contributing player at a more manageable acquisition price. In the event, which has been more probable than not for weeks, that both Suter and Brock Boeser walk as unrestricted free agents on Tuesday, I'm hearing that the Canucks will be shopping for a centre when the market opens. The Canucks would need to send cap commitments out the door to really get into the bidding on Granlund. While I believe that Vancouver would have some interest in the player, all things being equal, breaking the bank to add him doesn't seem to be an especially probable outcome. Even with a player like Jack Roslovic, a slick-skating, right-handed forward who can play centre and who the Canucks have kicked the tires on in the past, I expect that the market will price out their interest. The Canucks, it seems, are prepared to roll with Filip Chytil and Räty as top-nine centres to open next season, but I'd also look for the team to be linked to names like Radek Faksa. Even assuming Vancouver is able to stay disciplined and focus on the long view, the Canucks will still look to strengthen down the middle this week. They just may be looking somewhat further down their lineup than they had hoped to. (Photo of Pius Suter: Simon Fearn / Imagn Images)
