News and notes from the first day of Vancouver Canucks training camp.
WHISTLER — They didn’t score in the scrimmage, but the line of of Elias Pettersson centring new Russian wingers Andrey Kuzmenko and Ilya Mikheyev was very effective in the mid-day scrimmage on the first day of Vancouver Canucks training camp.
Mikheyev’s speed is obvious, while Kuzmenko’s smart play in close quarters stands a good chance of creating even more space for Pettersson in which to work.
“He’s so smart a guy, and I hope we can use our speed,” Mikheyev said of skating with Pettersson.
“We just helped each other and then today we started the work. Super great,” he said of learning his new team’s systems of play.
Will he and Kuzmenko make Pettersson learn Russian?
“Probably,” he said, with a big smile. “We’ll try, but maybe we need Swedish.”
Kuzmenko managed well through his first English-language media session. He spoke alongside Mikheyev, who served as translator from time to time.
If they prove to be a trio when the season starts, he thinks they’ll gel quickly.
“Very smart player with me and Ilya. And Pettersson is very good attack forward.”
The NHL game may prove to be a bit quicker than what he was used to in the KHL, but he’s not worried, Kuzmenko said.
“I think hockey is a very simple game,” he said. “Adaptation with me is every day, every game is better, better, better, better.”
He also said he was excited to play on the smaller NHL ice surface. He thought it would suit his instinct to play in traffic and how quickly you’re at the net. On the bigger ice of the KHL, winning a puck battle doesn’t open up an immediate scoring chance.
“I like it small because when you win one on one in corner, you go to shoot,” he said.
Mikheyev is a new teammate for Kuzmenko as well. Mikheyev said he remembered skating a few shifts with Kuzmenko for the Russian national team several years ago.
“I don’t remember,” Kuzmenko said, drawing laughs, as a counter.
Pettersson said he enjoyed skating with the Russians, and said one of his good friends back home in Sweden is Russian, so he knows some of the language.
“Only the bad words,” he joked.
He believed they have big potential as a line.
“Mikheyev’s super fast. He opens up space for us and Kuzmenko, maybe we’re kind of similar in the way we play,” Pettersson said.
Maybe the perfect combination of talents? “That’s what I’ve been thinking about. I had a talk with coaches and they want to try it out. And I’m all up for it,” he added.
Pettersson was caught defensively in the scrimmage, with Vincent Arseneau opening the scoring for the opposing team.
“Defence, you can learn. I think offence it’s like, it just happens. I mean, all three of us are skilled. Today, I think on the first goal I was a little too excited for a breakaway. But it’s just small details like that you can learn and I’m not too worried about that. I know what we’re capable of.”
In the scrimmage, Cole Shepard also scored for Group C, which added an empty netter to beat Pettersson’s Group B 3-0.
Kuzmenko said he was loving Vancouver so far. He’s a big fan of the outdoors. And he’s living in the Aquilini-owned rental tower next to Rogers Arena and has already caught a number of concerts.
“The mountains, the oceans, the forest, I like,” he said.
He’s also been to a Whitecaps game.
“Why not? It’s only 100 metres to soccer stadium.”
The first group on the ice worked briskly through a series of drills.
A new year, a fresh vibe.
And a new coach who is noted for colourful on-ice feedback.
Tanner Pearson said even a decade into his professional career, the beginning of a new season remains exciting.
“You always have butterflies, right? Start of a new season. You know, wide awake at six o’clock this morning. And you get down here, everyone’s kind of the same way,” he said.
Brock Boeser said this year is a fresh start mentally. Last year was a real drain. His father’s failing health weighed on him and the strain his father’s failing health had on his mother was doubly difficult.
“With my dad’s passing, there’s just not as much to worry about. So I can really focus on hockey,” he said.
And yes, he knows 30 goals is the target.
“This is the year,” he said.
While Boeser skated on a line with J.T. Miller and Tanner Pearson, Bo Horvat centred Vasily Podkolzin and Connor Garland. That’s three lines with plenty of potential to score.
The apparent fourth line, at least for now, features two other summer signings: Dakota Joshua and Curtis Lazar joining Jason Dickinson.
That left Nils Höglander as the early man left out. The little Swede, who is coming off groin surgery, was his usual peppery self in the scrimmage, but was skating with two Swedes who are almost certainly destined for AHL Abbotsford in Nils Åman and Linus Karlsson.
More news, fewer ads, faster load time: Get unlimited, ad-lite access to the Vancouver Sun, the Province, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites for just $14/month or $140/year. Subscribe now through the Vancouver Sun or The Province.
MONTREAL – Canadian National Railway Co. told employees this week it plans to relocate its operations in Jasper to near Hinton, Alta., about 100 kilometres away.
In a memo sent to employees in the fire-ravaged town, the company said it’s aiming to increase efficiency by minimizing train stops between Edmonton and Blue River, B.C., which sits across the Rockies.
CN plans to close its Jasper bunkhouse and build a crew change facility east of Hinton, with workers slated to clock in at the new site starting in September 2025, according to the document obtained by The Canadian Press.
“CN has made the decision to implement operational changes to improve network fluidity,” regional vice-president Nicole James said in the memo.
The union representing rail workers criticized the relocation, which affects about 200 employees, though no layoffs are expected.
“This is another devastating blow to the town of Jasper, after this year’s catastrophic wildfires. Rail is one of the largest industries in Jasper, after tourism, and CN’s move will cripple this community even further,” said Paul Boucher, president of the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.
“And for the workers who’ve already lost so much — some even their homes — this is a truly cruel blow.”
Union spokesman Christopher Monette noted that most residents or their spouses must work in town to qualify to live there under Jasper National Park’s residency rules. The company has told the union it will apply for an exception for the workers, he said.
CN spokeswoman Ashley Michnowski says the railway is committed to supporting employees through the transition and keeping them updated.
“These types of changes take time to fully plan out and implement. That’s why one of our initial steps was to have this discussion with our employees as well as advising the town of Jasper,” she said in an email.
A wildfire ripped through Jasper in July, destroying a third of the mountain town and displacing many of its 4,800 residents.
The blaze also caused smoke damage to the CN bunkhouse, which the company says it has worked to restore since it was allowed to re-enter the community with contractors on Aug. 16.
Engineers and conductors have been reporting for work in Hinton, roughly an hour away, since the wildfire.
With roots as a fur trade outpost, Jasper launched as a railway town in the early 20th century after tracks built by the Grand Trunk Pacific Railway — CN’s predecessor — paved the way for the municipality.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 19, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:CNR)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Red Wings made another investment this week in a young standout, signing Moritz Seider to a seven-year contract worth nearly $60 million.
The Red Wings announced the move with the 23-year-old German defenseman on Thursday, three days after keeping 22-year-old forward Lucas Raymond with a $64.6 million, eight-year deal.
Detroit drafted Seider with the No. 6 pick overall eight years ago and he has proven to be a great pick. He has 134 career points, the most by a defenseman drafted in 2019.
He was the NHL’s only player to have at least 200 hits and block 200-plus shots last season, when he scored a career-high nine goals and had 42 points for the second straight year.
Seider won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie in 2022 after he had a career-high 50 points.
Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman is banking on Seider, whose contract will count $8.55 million annually against the cap, and Raymond to turn a rebuilding team into a winner.
Detroit has failed to make the playoffs in eight straight seasons, the longest postseason drought in franchise history.
The Red Wings, who won four Stanley Cups from 1997 to 2008, have been reeling since their run of 25 straight postseasons ended in 2016.
Detroit was 41-32-9 last season and finished with a winning record for the first time since its last playoff appearance.
Yzerman re-signed Patrick Kane last summer and signed some free agents, including Vladimir Tarasenko to a two-year contract worth $9.5 million after he helped the Florida Panthers hoist the Cup.
___
AP NHL:
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
Veterans Tyson Beukeboom and Karen Paquin will lead Canada at the WXV 1 women’s rugby tournament starting later this month in the Vancouver area.
WXV 1 includes the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (England, France and Ireland) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series (Canada, New Zealand, and the United States).
Third-ranked Canada faces No. 4 France, No. 7 Ireland and No. 1 England in the elite division of the three-tiered WXV tournament that runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 12 in Vancouver and Langley, B.C. No. 2 New Zealand and the eighth-ranked U.S. make up the six-team WVX 1 field.
“Our preparation time was short but efficient. This will be a strong team,” Canada coach Kevin Rouet said in a statement. “All the players have worked very hard for the last couple of weeks to prepare for WXV and we are excited for these next three matches and for the chance to play on home soil here in Vancouver against the best rugby teams in the world.
“France, Ireland and England will each challenge us in different ways but it’s another opportunity to test ourselves and another step in our journey to the Rugby World Cup next year.”
Beukeboom serves as captain in the injury absence of Sophie de Goede. The 33-year-old from Uxbridge, Ont., earned her Canadian-record 68th international cap in Canada’s first-ever victory over New Zealand in May at the Pacific Four Series.
Twenty three of the 30 Canadian players selected for WXV 1 were part of that Pacific Four Series squad.
Rouet’s roster includes the uncapped Asia Hogan-Rochester, Caroline Crossley and Rori Wood.
Hogan-Rochester and Crossley were part of the Canadian team that won rugby sevens silver at the Paris Olympics, along with WXV teammates Fancy Bermudez, Olivia Apps, Alysha Corrigan and Taylor Perry. Wood is a veteran of five seasons at UBC.
The 37-year-old Paquin, who has 38 caps for Canada including the 2014 Rugby World Cup, returns to the team for the first time since the 2021 World Cup.
Canada opens the tournament Sept. 29 against France at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver before facing Ireland on Oct. 5 at Willoughby Stadium at Langley Events Centre, and England on Oct. 12 at B.C. Place.
The second-tier WXV 2 and third-tier WXV 3 are slated to run Sept. 27 to Oct. 12, in South Africa and Dubai, respectively.
WXV 2 features Australia, Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa and Wales while WXV 3 is made up of Fiji, Hong Kong, Madagascar, the Netherlands, Samoa and Spain.
The tournament has 2025 World Cup qualification implications, although Canada, New Zealand and France, like host England, had already qualified by reaching the semifinals of the last tournament.
Ireland, South Africa, the U.S., Japan, Fiji and Brazil have also booked their ticket, with the final six berths going to the highest-finishing WXV teams who have not yet qualified through regional tournaments.
Canada’s Women’s Rugby Team WXV 1 Squad
Forwards
Alexandria Ellis, Ottawa, Stade Français Paris (France); Brittany Kassil, Guelph, Ont., Guelph Goats; Caroline Crossley, Victoria, Castaway Wanderers; Courtney Holtkamp, Rimbey, Alta., Red Deer Titans Rugby; DaLeaka Menin, Vulcan, Alta., Exeter Chiefs (England); Emily Tuttosi, Souris, Man., Exeter Chiefs (England); Fabiola Forteza, Quebec City, Stade Bordelais (France); Gabrielle Senft, Regina, Saracens (England); Gillian Boag, Calgary, Gloucester-Hartpury (England); Julia Omokhuale, Calgary, Leicester Tigers (England); Karen Paquin, Quebec City, Club de rugby de Quebec; Laetitia Royer, Loretteville, Que., ASM Romagnat (France); McKinley Hunt, King City, Ont., Saracens (England); Pamphinette Buisa, Gatineau, Que., Ottawa Irish; Rori Wood, Sooke, B.C., College Rifles RFC; Sara Cline, Edmonton, Leprechaun Tigers; Tyson Beukeboom, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England);
Backs
Alexandra Tessier, Sainte-Clotilde-de-Horton, Que., Exeter Chiefs (England); Alysha Corrigan, Charlottetown, P.E.I., CRFC; Asia Hogan-Rochester, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Claire Gallagher, Caledon, Ont., Leicester Tigers (England); Fancy Bermudez, Edmonton, Saracens (England); Julia Schell, Uxbridge, Ont., Ealing Trailfinders (England); Justine Pelletier, Rivière-du-Loup, Que, Stade Bordelais (France); Mahalia Robinson, Fulford, Que., Town of Mount Royal RFC; Olivia Apps, Lindsay, Ont., Lindsay RFC; Paige Farries, Red Deer, Alta., Saracens (England); Sara Kaljuvee, Ajax, Ont., Westshore RFC; Shoshanah Seumanutafa, White Rock, B.C., Counties Manukau (New Zealand); Taylor Perry, Oakville, Ont., Exeter Chiefs (England).
—
Follow @NeilMDavidson on X platform, formerly known as Twitter
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs expected to call provincial election today
Sutherland House Experts Book Publishing Launches To Empower Quiet Experts
Arch Manning to get first start for No. 1 Texas as Ewers continues recovery from abdomen strain
Canada’s Probate Laws: What You Need to Know about Estate Planning in 2024
New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs kicks off provincial election campaign
Quebec won’t fund graphite mine project tied to Pentagon; locals claim ‘victory’
Former Canada captain Atiba Hutchinson tells his story in ‘The Beautiful Dream”
New Brunswick election profile: Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs
