For the most part, the roster was what we expected. There are a few invites combined with AHL, NCAA, and CHL prospects. There were a few surprises along the way and we will focus on each of them in this article.

Dmitry Zlodeyev is going to be there?

A lot has changed since Canucks development camp this summer for 21-year-old centre prospect Dmitry Zlodeyev.

The young Russian centre told CanucksArmy that he had signed a two-year contract in the KHL with the longest team name we have ever seen. A report came out two weeks ago about Zlodeyev’s contract being terminated in the KHL and it left us wondering if that was because he was trying to sign with the Abbotsford Canucks and compete in the AHL.

Right now, we don’t know the reason for the termination of his contract but I’ve had a decent relationship with Zlodeyev in the past and will see if he can share what is happening for him this coming season.

It’s always good to have more centre on the farm and Zlodeyev had some interesting skills like his aggressiveness, defensive ability and faceoff prowess. He could fit nicely in a bottom-six role with Abbotsford if his game looks ready for the AHL. If he’s not ready for the AHL, we have no idea where he is going to play for the 2023-24 season.

This will be something we look into on Thursday and Friday in Penticton because it’s just tough to get information out of Russia.

Aidan McDonough is going to be the big dog at this tournament

After not being in attendance for the Canucks’ development camp this summer, we had a feeling that Aidan McDonough wasn’t going to be on the Young Stars roster.

McDonough played in six NHL games last season so we were hoping to see him on this roster and weren’t confident due to him not being at development camp.

It’s a nice surprise to see the 23-year-old winger on the roster and you can expect to see him playing on Vancouver’s top line at the tournament as well as being a key piece of the power play. If you’re looking for a player to have a dominant tournament this weekend, look no further than McDonough.

Welcome to the 1C, Aatu Räty

Another player who was not in Vancouver for the Canucks’ development camp — Aatu Räty will be playing for the Canucks at the Young Stars tournament and you can bet that he will be one of the top centres in the lineups that we see.

After splitting last season between the AHL and NHL while also cutting his season in half with the New York Islanders and Canucks organizations, the 20-year-old Finnish centre will be one of the top youngsters to watch in Penticton.

Do you remember Lil’ Plas?

You might not remember Karel Plasek.

He was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 draft by the Canucks and went on to play only eight games with the Abbotsford Canucks in his lone season of professional hockey in North America.

There’s a lot of skill there with Plasek but he battled a lower-leg injury in his one season with the Abbotsford Canucks and had to be evacuated from his hotel during the Abbotsford flooding. A local Abbotsford family saw him in his walking boot and assisted him with the evacuation of himself and his belongings.

Seeing Plasek show up for this tournament could indicate that he is coming back to the Abbotsford Canucks for next season and hoping to have better health this time around.

Plasek is in the final year of his three-year ELC that he signed in 2021.

We will have plenty of Young Stars coverage over the next week. I’ll be in Penticton covering the tournament while the CA team is locked and loaded with article ideas for the week.

Let’s have some fun and get another step closer to training camp!

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