The Vancouver Canucks kicked off their training camp today after a relatively short summer break.
The team broke up its camp roster into three groups: A, B, and C. Group A, which includes many top NHL players, skated first and fans were given their first glimpse at some line combinations.
The big news to note is Jonathan Lekkerimäki was given an opportunity alongside Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk. Lekkerimäki had an excellent season in the SHL last year and is one of the team’s top prospects.
The 20-year-old is making the jump to playing full-time in North America this season.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki has finished off about 3-4 feeds from DeBrusk or Pettersson in these last few drills.#Canucks pic.twitter.com/hOHUriPfSG
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) September 19, 2024
The forward lines for Group A today were as follows:
DeBrusk – Pettersson – Lekkerimäki
Höglander – Raty- Garland
Blais – Aman – Karlsson
Alriksson – Smith – Pattersson
The defencemen in Group A included NHL regulars Filip Hronek and Tyler Myers. Notably, the team split up Hronek and Quinn Hughes, so the Czech blueliner skated with 20-year-old Elias Pettersson.
These were the defence pairs the Canucks showed for Group A this morning:
Pettersson – Hronek
Wolanin – Myers
Felton – Kudryavtsev
Forbort – Friedman
The goalies in Group A included Jiri Patera and Arturs Silovs.
Group B took the ice next, headlined by J.T. Miller, Brock Boeser, and Hughes. The combination of Boeser and Miller was dominant for the Canucks last season and coach Rick Tocchet seems intent on keeping them together. Newcomer Danton Heinen skated alongside them today.
The complete forward lines for Group B looked as follows:
Heinen – Miller – Boeser
Sprong – Suter – Bains
Di Giuseppe – Sasson – Sherwood
Nielsen – Mueller – Klimovich
Captain Hughes had a new partner today as Hronek skated in Group A. The reigning Norris Trophy winner skated alongside Noah Juulsen. The two have played together a bit in the past.
The Canucks also rolled out a huge pair: Carson Soucy and Vincent Desharnais. The two are each taller than 6-foot-5.
The full defence pairings in Group B were as follows:
Hughes – Juulsen
Soucy – Desharnais
Hirose – Woo
Mynio – Alcos
The team’s Group C is comprised of mostly AHL players and lower-tier prospects.
The Canucks are in Penticton through this weekend as they continue training camp. The event will culminate with a scrimmage on Sunday at noon PT.