Ahhh....the smell of ice in July!!! It's been a long time my last Kings game in April, and watching the Stanley Cup play-offs on TV is fun, but not the same as chilling in an ice rink seeing a bunch of guys chase after a little piece of vulcanized rubber surrounded by great friends!
I have to think attendance at the Kings prospect camp set records. The place was packed every morning this weekend, which was great to see. People are starting to believe Dean Lombardi can lead us to a future of play-off contention, and the excitement was palpable in the crowd chatter. Spending time with my buddies Jen and Bri, Shawna, Nadine, Jon and Matt was a bonus!
And I just love watching our coach, Terry Murray, do his thing on the ice! He's so composed, provides clear instruction, and reinforces the guys in a positive way. As a teacher myself, I learn so much watching him. He's the coolest!
All the guys looked super, and you could tell they want in on what the Kings have going from the level of physical play. Of course, I always pick out a few new favorites, and I have to follow at least one dark horse. This year, my pick is Garrett Roe.
He reminds me a little of John Zeiler, one of my favorite 4th liners on the Kings. He skates like a DEMON, incredibly fast and barely on the edge of control. He's not graceful, but as they say in hockey circles, he's got wheels. On Saturday, he scored an amazing goal while getting knocked off his feet by a hard open ice hit. The kid has grit! He does have a problematic little habit of chewing on his mouth guard WHILE HE'S PLAYING, which left me wondering how long it will be before he swallows it on a play!
Brayden Schenn, our top draft pick a few weeks ago, was everything I expected him to be. Big body, solid skater, nice shot. The more OHL players I see us draft, the more I'm convinced the best hockey players in the world come out of that system. I had a hard time getting a good photo because he was on the move all the time, so I included a little video. It also features Thomas Hickey, captain of this years Canadian World Championship team and another of our top prospects. Based on the way they play, it won't be long before we see these guys on NHL ice. Hickey is #37, and Brayden is #55.
Great scrimmages boys! Keep working hard, and hopefully we'll see you with the big club one day!
August cannot get here soon enough!
I'm all about Garrett Roe! He was my favorite player at LAST year's prospect camp, so I'm glad to see that he's continuing to get better. He's hella small, but you're right.... the guy can skate!
ReplyDeleteI think he's been compared to Theo Fleury.... but I dont think he's NEARLY that much of a bastard!! :-)