Canucks Notebook: Notable standouts and takeaways from Day 2 of training camp

Penticton, BC – Day 2 of Vancouver Canucks training camp has concluded, and we saw quite a bit of the same from Day 1.

Both groups remained the same. So, unfortunately, there are no new looks at other potential pairings. New head coach Adam Foote led a similar set of drills today, focusing more on the fundamentals of their new systems. We also have yet to see any sort of special teams practice. No inclination on who’s getting in on the top power play unit, nor who is filling Pius Suter’s spot on the top penalty kill.

Here are some notable standouts and takeaways from Day 2 of Canucks camp:

Rush offence and neutral zone swarming remain a focus

Just like yesterday, the Canucks ran a lot of their drills focused on rush offence and a neutral zone swarm defensive structure.

They started with rush shooting drills, making clean one-touch passes before springing the player on a breakaway as they crossed the blue line with speed. Then they moved on to two-on-one and three-on-two drills. Typically, all NHL teams work on these rush opportunities, but having a heavy emphasis on improving their game on the rush during both sessions suggests how they want to play next season.

Another aspect of their drills we’ve noticed over the first two days is how they plan to defend in the neutral zone – and it’s met with a lot of pressure.

It was a five-on-five drill, where the defenders regrouped in the defensive zone, and the F1 immediately put the pressure on the puck carrier, forcing him to make a quick decision. And as we touched on in Day 1’s takeaways, once the puck got to the winger in the neutral zone, he was immediately met by the defending winger, with added pressure by the supporting defenceman.

It’s clear the Canucks won’t be playing the neutral zone trap as the Los Angeles Kings made famous a few seasons ago. And if they are to succeed with this neutral zone swarming, they’re going to force a lot more turnovers and head back on the attack.

Karlsson standing out above his Abbotsford teammates

Linus Karlsson looks to have the inside track on the 12th forward spot in the lineup. He may not be the fastest skater on the ice, but his hands in tight and how he uses his size to his advantage are starting to separate him from the likes of his competition and Abbotsford teammates, Arshdeep Bains and Max Sasson.

Paired with Abbotsford teammate Räty, the duo have looked good skating together in these drills. However, the most notable aspect of these two was their work ethic. These guys are clearly fighting for stops, but it’s showing. Even the little details. After their line rushes during drills, instead of gliding back to get in line, Räty and Karlsson would also skate full speed to get there. Those are little things that will get you noticed by coaches.

Karlsson excelled in the netfront battles and along the walls on the forecheck on puck retrievals. But we’ve seen that during his time spent in Vancouver. However, it appears to be at an added level with the quickness of his hands, which led to him scoring some goals at the side of the net during some offensive zone drills.

The true test won’t come until the preseason, but if his on-ice play is anything like what we’ve seen in camp, Karlsson should have a strong chance at being on the Canucks’ opening night roster.

Notable standouts:

Braeden Cootes…again

We touched on it in our CanucksArmy Day 2 live blog, but Cootes has certainly been the standout of camp. His offensive skill is apparent in some of the moves he attempts, and for the most part, he is pulling them off. He proved to be strong on his skates, especially against NHL competition. Cootes went toe-to-toe with the Canucks’ best defensive pairing, Tyler Myers and Marcus Pettersson, and held his own. Myers tried to bring a little bit more physicality to the youngster to see if he could handle it, and Cootes held his own.

In the clip below, you can see Myers stepping up on him in the neutral zone. But manages to avoid the poke check and dance around Myers and still make the pass to Bains along the left side wall.