Pulling on a Vancouver Canucks jersey was a dream come true for one of the clubB次元官网网址檚 newest prospects.
Skating on the same ice as Henrik and Daniel Sedin at the teamB次元官网网址檚 development camp on Monday in Vancouver was something else entirely.
B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 something I canB次元官网网址檛 even put into words,B次元官网网址� Arshdeep Bains said of skating with the twins and former Canucks stars who now work in player development for Vancouver. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e my idols and having them on the ice telling me what to do, IB次元官网网址檒l listen to anything they say.B次元官网网址�
Bains, whoB次元官网网址檚 from Surrey, grew up watching the Sedins play. He signed an entry-level deal with the Canucks last March at the end of a breakout season with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.
The 21-year-old left-winger led the WHL in scoring with 112 points (43 goals and 69 assists) in 68 regular-season games. He added four goals and six assists in 10 playoff appearances.
B次元官网网址淚 just want to go out there and just play my game,B次元官网网址� the six-foot-one 186-pound forward said of his season.
B次元官网网址淗onestly, itB次元官网网址檚 not really about what I do on the scoresheet or stuff like that. ItB次元官网网址檚 about what I do best and going out there and performing every night, I think. I tried to give myself the best chance to become a pro hockey player.B次元官网网址�
Bains is one of 37 Canucks prospects skating at the teamB次元官网网址檚 week-long development camp, where players took the ice for the first time on Monday.
HeB次元官网网址檚 not the only one who idolizes the Sedins, however.
Elias Pettersson B次元官网网址� a defenceman from Vasteras, Sweden, who Vancouver picked 80th overall in the NHL draft last week B次元官网网址� is also a big fan of the twins.
B次元官网网址淚 always watched them as a kid. They have been the stars out in the world,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淎nd now being here with them and having them as a coach, itB次元官网网址檚 awesome.B次元官网网址�
ThereB次元官网网址檚 a large Swedish contingent at the CanucksB次元官网网址� camp.
Ten prospects hail from the nation, including Jonathan Lekkerimaki, the five-foot-10 165-pound forward Vancouver selected 15th overall in last weekB次元官网网址檚 draft.
Lekkerimaki turned heads at the 2022 Under-18 World Championship, leading Sweden to gold with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in six games. Pettersson also played for Sweden in the tournament.
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Having friends on the ice has helped ease the transition to life in Canada, Lekkerimaki said.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been nice to have some Swedes and speak Swedish,B次元官网网址� he said.
Simply being able to host a development camp is nice, said Ryan Johnson, general manager of the American Hockey LeagueB次元官网网址檚 Abbotsford Canucks. COVID-19 measures prevented the club from holding the camp last year.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of my favourite weeks of the year, just based off of getting these guys in. You see the whites of the eyes, you get to know them and make it very clear to them thereB次元官网网址檚 a balance of education versus evaluation here,B次元官网网址� Johnson said.
The camp is a chance for prospects to get a taste of the organization and for the club to see the up-and-coming talent compete, he said.
B次元官网网址淲e want to see them battle and hold each other accountable to the level each day,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hey get better when theyB次元官网网址檙e pushed.B次元官网网址�
The prospects come into the camp highly motivated, including Bains, whoB次元官网网址檚 looking to earn a spot on a roster this fall.
B次元官网网址淚 want to be the best player on the ice, obviously,B次元官网网址� he said of his approach. B次元官网网址淎nd I want to go out there and kind of showcase that I was the right choice and every night IB次元官网网址檓 trying to prove myself.
B次元官网网址淪o IB次元官网网址檓 trying to soak up as much as I can, learn from all the coaches, what they have to teach me. But at the end of the day, I have to go out there and work my butt off.B次元官网网址�
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
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