Highs, lows of expanded NHL development camp coverage

Attention around the NHL’s summer development camps has certainly grown over the last several years.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that — having an eye on camps gives both media and fan bases alike a gander at prospects within the organization and player development as a whole. And for fans who have an extra hard time getting through the offseason, prospect scrimmages help sooth the itch for hockey to watch.

But like with so many things in the current age of sports, there are those who are critical of the heightened premium put on the performance of players at prospect camp. These players aren’t going to make the jump to the NHL yet, so everyone needs to just calm down and not make such a big deal out of it — or some other variation of that. There has been plenty of that this past week with Toronto Maple Leafs camp underway and focus being put on this year’s first overall NHL Entry Draft pick, Auston Matthews.

Like everything else in the greater sports realm, there are reasons for the rise in broadcasting on NHL development camps, as well as highs and lows that come with the growth of their exposure.

For starters, development camps are not a new phenomenon — it’s how they are covered and reported on that has changed. Perhaps that shouldn’t be a big surprise, with professional sports being on a 24-hour, 365-day rotation. Really, the attention to the NHL development camps is no different than the growing coverage of the NBA Summer League games or the first few games of MLB spring training. Heck, coverage of every professional sports’ entry drafts can fit into this category as well. Time on the news reel has to be filled during the offseason, and the NHL is no different.

The constant flood of news brings on more coverage of development camps, but that also brings a wave of pertinent information about players participating in camp. Spectators get a first look at new draftees and camp invitees. For players who were called up to the NHL level for only a few games but spent the majority of the season in the AHL, upped camp coverage offers a check-in and update on said players. It also gives those on the outside a look at the work that players put in ahead of training camp. As discussed a month ago, a draftee’s journey doesn’t end with being drafted by an NHL team. 

The downside, of course, is that the media circus of a high-profile regular-season tilt can spill into camp. The current attention surrounding Matthews is a perfect example of that, as Maple Leafs reporter Kristen Shilton described for TSN.ca:

The media scrum tracking Auston Matthews at the first day of Toronto Maple Leafs Development Camp was so large, it had to be broken into two groups. 

There were twice as many TV cameras there to film him (eight) as the actual number of on-ice drills he went through (four). For just 12 minutes. 

And to the surprise of many Leaf fans on social media, Matthews is wearing No. 63 at this week’s development camp and not his usual No. 34, which was last worn by James Reimer.

Later in the same article, however, it is also pointed out that a high-profile prospect like Matthews is going through the same rigors as the rest of the camp’s attendees: drills and meetings and more hard work in the push to warrant a stall in the NHL team’s dressing room.

“This is July,” Leafs’ Director of Player Development Scott Pellerin reportedly told TSN. “We’re not here to make any big statements, we just want to help them get ready for training camp, help them get ready for their seasons.”

Keeping “this is July” in mind is probably the best for indulging in news coming out of development camps this summer. The expansion of coverage doesn’t mean that more weight than necessary should be put on prospects and invitees. It does, however, allow for a closer look at what is going on within organizations leading up to training camp.

Oh, and gives us a little hockey in July. That helps too.