Canucks fans, those of the Vancouver and Abbotsford variety, apparently won’t be getting a look at Quinn Hughes, Ian Cole, Noah Juulsen, J.T. Miller, Ted Blueger, Phil Di Giuseppe, Conor Garland, Ilya Mikeheyev, or Thatcher Demko this evening.
According to Sportsnet, those lads all skated this morning at UBC and will be enjoying the broadcast of the proceedings instead, should they so choose. Elias Pettersson, coming off a cold, was also part of the group.
Among the players the fans will see Wednesday night are those that were called up from the AHL earlier in the day. Those would include goalie Arturs Silovs, D-man Filip Johansson, and forwards Max Sasson, Aatu Räty, Linus Karlsson, and Arshdeep Bains.
The club hadn’t released the line-ups as of 5 pm pacific.
Canucks Vs. Kraken
Based on morning skate activities, it appears the fans will get a look at a handful of NHL talent from Seattle. The Kraken will include sniper Eeli Tolvanen, it’s third D-pair, and mucker-grinder extraordinaire Brandon Tanev.
2022 4th-overall NHL Draft pick Shane Wright will likely centre the top line. Defenceman Ryker Evans is one to watch; he’s close to landing an NHL gig.
The intriguing battle for the Kraken at this year’s camp is for back-up goalie, and apparently both Joey Daccord and Chris Driedger will see time between the pipes this evening.
Ahead
When the ice chips settle after this contest, one of the unanswered questions moving forward will be who plays to the right of Hughes on the Canucks top D-pair. It’s sounding more and more like a pairing by committee based on what head coach Rick Tocchet has indicated repeatedly.
Hughes spoke Tuesday on the possibility of working with rookie righty Cole McWard.
“He can see the game well, he’s competitive, he’s got good skill and hands,” Hughes said. “He’s a really good guy too, he’s quiet, just goes about his work, works hard, doesn’t say much.”
The Canucks wrap up the preseason schedule Friday night at Rogers Arena against the Calgary Flames. That will be a full NHL line-up.
The regular season opens at home on October 11th against the Edmonton Oilers. Vancouver plays at Edmonton on the 14th.
Recent:
— Decent Win And A Hefty Number Of Moves
— Former Canucks Forward Brandon Sutter Retires
