Well, I went to training camp this morning, and was pleasantly surprised by a few things in just the first grouping of players that I stayed for.
Firstly, Filatov is big, and talented, now let's just hope he doesn't screw up his chance.
Voracek has also bulked up even more, my guess is that he will be a huge part of our offense this year, I can't wait to see him play.
It was good to see Rusty Klesla back in close to full form. He had said he was 100%, and to me it appeared that he was being honest. He was definitely tested, and he skated hard the whole practice. Let's hope the Klesla that doesn't get hurt like freddy slow.
Tyler Murovich, #77, a 5'8", 182 pound kid out of Pittsburgh, seemed to have good speed, almost Chimera-like. Unfortunately, being shorter than Kris Russell is a downside of massive proportions. But i give the kid props, he was skating hard for sure. He played in 5 Crunch games last year after spending most the season with Saginaw of the OHL.
Speaking of Kris Russell, he had a strong day in his own right, he looks like he is ready to be a leader on defense.
Although I did not get to see John Moore, I have to say that I think that either he, Nate Guenin, or Grant Clitsome look like they will be competitive for defensive spots throughout the year. Clitsome really impressed me, his game has really steepped up since last year when I saw him, bottom line, he is a whole new player.
#42, Chad Kolarik, had a few stellar passes for assists in drills today, including a no-look behind the back feed, tape to tape right in front of Garon for a gimme goal.
Garon seemed to be strong between the pipes and confident in his game, paying a great deak if attention to detail, especially squeezing off the posts to chances on the sides of the goal and wraparounds.
It looks like our biggest weakness that needs the most attention is our passing. It was simply muddled and no where near crisp on the overall. Pucks were bouncing all over the place and several just werent even close to their intended target. However, it is only the second day of practice and most of these guys are still trying to get used to the setting and pressure they're under I'm sure.
On the overall, today was a great day of watching our team practice, and I'm really excited for this season, and seeing what the roster will look like twenty days from now when we take the ice in Stockholm.
As a note, tomorrow is the second annual owner's tournament, with the championship game taking place at noon in the ice haus.
GO JACKETS!
