So, I get to Johnny’s Icehouse-West just in time for the beginning of drills with the first group of camp invitees to realize I forgot to print off a roster, and there was a coffee stain on my shorts. Not many people were there at 10am, so it wasn’t hard to get a seat. Pulled out a pad and pen, and noticed I was the only one in attendance taking notes. It didn’t take long for me to feel the pressure from the leering eyes to hide them in my backpack (could have been the big brown coffee stain).
The camp roster was broken down into four teams, and there were two separate sessions. Each session began with a series of drills, and that was followed by a 60-minutes scrimmage with an intermission half-way through. Anyways, here are a few first impressions from day one of prospect camp.
- The Hayes brothers have on-ice chemistry – almost Sedin-like. Well, not really. At a prospect camp, where familiarity with other skaters is virtually non-existent, the Hayes brothers seemed to have an advantage against their opponents in scrimmage. For the first 30 minutes of play, they controlled the tempo while on the ice. They tried Chris DiDomenico and Brandon Pirri at center with the brothers. I felt Pirri complemented the two more so than DiDomenico. He was aggressive to the net, controlled the puck well and looked more poised.
From what I saw yesterday, Kevin Hayes, the Blackhawks 2010 first round (24th overall) pick, is more skilled and better vision than his older brother. Those in attendance were treated to some of that skill when he beat Palmer on a penalty shot. Instead of attempting to describe it, you can watch this video clip.
- Dylan Olsen showed off his skill-set best during the pre-scrimmage drills. Minus stick-handling, Olsen was the best looking player out there of the first group. His passing was accurate, quick and hard. He skated well, carried the puck well and had great down-ice vision. During the scrimmage, Olsen had dialogue going on with his partner.
- From the get-go, Justin Holl looked nervous/clumsy out there. He’s an awkward looking player – very tall and very slim. During drills he looked lost. At the start of scrimmage he was getting beat while skating backwards into the defensive zone. With the more ice-time he got, Holl did seem to improve. He would jump in on plays in the offensive zone, and made a few good passes. My first impression of the kid wasn’t good.
- The player I was least impressed with was Mathis Olimb. He half-assed every drill, and was only interested in offensive play during the scrimmaging. When it comes to back checking, Olimb makes Patrick Kane look like a Selke finalist. I would think this attitude would have to change if he wants to make the NHL roster this fall.
- Kyle Beach led much of the physical play that took place in the second group. I wish I paid more attention to his performance during drills, but I was reading up on the Sharks’ offer sheet to Hjalmarsson on my cell. Big guys such as Brandon Bollig, Ryan Stanton, Robert Flick and Daniel Delisle joined in on the physical game. Beach and non-roster invitee John Kurtz squared off (clip here). Beach was the victor.
- Shawn Lalonde was one of the more polished guys in the second scrimmage. He was paired with Nick Leddy in the afternoon scrimmage, and Lalonde played the role of offensive defenseman. He looked comfortable joining the rush, jumped in on the play in the offensive zone and has a good, hard slap shot from the point. Leddy stayed at home, and challenged shooters in his own zone.
- There were three Swedes at camp, and the one that impress me most was Marcus Kruger. He has great vision and his head was always on a swivel looking for a good pass, which he made many of them. His highlight moment from day one of camp was a cross-ice pass he made on a fast break that led to a goal. His lowlight was when Jeremy Morin picked his pocket in the neutral zone as he searched for an outlet. Morin skated into the offensive zone and scored.
- Joe Palmer and Kent Simpson were in net for first group’s scrimmage, and neither were really challenged or stood out. In the second group, Mac Carruth showed off the goods. He looks small out there compared to Palmer, and is a quick, butterfly goaltender. He did well taking away angles from defenders shooting from the point, and has a relatively quick mitt. Carruth was a little chippy in his crease. He was tapping and pushing opposing skaters with his stick. He came out of a 6-on-5 situation unscathed.
- Mitch Versteeg looks nothing like his older brother. He did put someone over the boards and into the bench. Friday’s crowd loved it.
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