In just four days the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets will take to the ice in Penticton in the form of the Young Stars Classic tournament, a showcase of the up-and-comers in each of the four NHL organizations. It’s an entertaining precursor to the big Canucks training camp that opens in Whistler on September 23rd.
Here’s the weekend schedule:
Winnipeg and Calgary play an afternoon game on Friday followed by Edmonton vs. In the evening in Vancouver.
The lone game on Saturday features a mini “Battle of Alberta” at night as the Flames take on the Oilers. The Jets and Canucks play Sunday afternoon at 2 pm. The round robin concludes with two games on Monday with the Oilers and Jets playing late in the morning and the Canucks and Flames rounding things out at 2:30 pm.
VHN will be on hand for the duration. In the meantime…
Let’s Skate!
– Speaking of young stars, the Montreal Canadiens shocked many when they selected Slovakian Juraj Slafkovsky with the 1st-overall pick at the 2022 NHL Draft. He has a golden opportunity this week as his journey with the Canadiens begins.
– Also on this side of the border, Sportsnet has the latest news and rumors about unsigned RFAs, including Jason Robertson and Rasmus Sandin.
The Commonwealth
– Hold on a second, are the Pittsburgh Hockey Now guys whining? ESPN dropped its final preseason fantasy hockey rankings, which apparently included a surprisingly low ranking for the Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby. To quote them: You’re kidding, right? The ESPN fantasy hockey rankings are out, and the number of centers above Sidney Crosby is many. He and Tristan Jarry are both well below where I would put them.
– Philly Hockey Now: The Flyers don’t really need any more problems. Sean Couturier who had back surgery seven months ago, was expected to be ready for training camp. What’s the dealie? The 29-year-old center will address the media later today and we’ll learn a lot more about the Philadelphia Flyers season.
Happy Monday!