Up-and-coming NHL players are in Penticton, B.C., this weekend for the Young Stars Classic. The development tournament allows organizations to get a closer look at their future stars.
The Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets are back in the Okanagan for the first time since 2018.
“Obviously because of the pandemic we haven’t been able to bring the group together like this. We feel fortunate to be back in Penticton at the (South Okanagan Events Centre) here which is a beautiful venue. It’s a lot for everybody but it’s a great way to kick off our season and get some momentum moving forward,” said Abbotsford Canucks general manager, Ryan Johnson.
Each team will play three games in the Young Stars tournament. The games allow the organizations to see which players might make an impact at the next level.
“There’s stuff that they can’t control. Things they can control is how hard they compete, how hard they play as a group,” said Johnson.
“That’s what we’re looking for is to see guys that go out of their way to make an impression or make an impact on the game that will impact them moving forward into training camp and moving forward.”
The Abbotsford Canucks have brought in a few new coaches to the organization this season and the tournament gives them a chance to build a rapport with players.
“We want to see what they can do, but you also want to see what they do after you give them some advice. You give them a little coaching, can they take it and then go out there and implement it,” said Abbotsford Canucks assistant coach Gary Agnew.
Some of the players to watch at the tournament include Philip Broberg and Dylan Holloway of the Edmonton Oilers, the Calgary Flames’ Jakob Pelletier and Dustin Wolf, Winnipeg Jets prospects Cole Perfetti and Brad Lambert.
The Canucks will also use these games to see how their top prospects perform in person.
“We’ve got some guys that are maybe playing overseas that we haven’t had in our hands necessarily seeing them. Linus Karlsson, Nils Aman, I think everybody’s excited to see. Arturs Silovs who’s in net is a big prospect for us that we’re excited about,” Johnson said.
All four teams are in action Friday and the games continue until Monday. The full schedule is available online.
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