Training Camp Day 2 - Report

The Colorado Avalanche continued its 2008 training camp Sunday with a pair of scrimmages and plenty of instruction, which came from both the players and the coaches.
One interesting aspect of training camp is to see how
the veterans mesh with some of the organization’s younger players. Case in point, nine-year veteran Scott Hannan has been paired almost exclusively with Colorado’s top pick from the 2008 Entry Draft, Cameron Gaunce, during the first two days of scrimmages.

“I’ll tell you, he’s got a lot of poise for a young kid,” Hannan said of Gaunce. “He’s big and he moves the puck well. He’s played really well. It makes me think back to when I was in that position and playing with older guys.”

In a way, the established NHL players in camp, like Hannan, are serving as on-ice mentors to some of the youngsters this week.

“You try and help them out on the ice by talking to them, making them feel comfortable and just letting them play their games,” said Hannan. “If guys feel comfortable, it allows them to show what they have out there.”

Coach Granato’s Reaction to Day 2
“The first two days of camp have been successful, and I’m looking forward to seeing tomorrow’s game. It’s going to be a little more competitive, because now it’s more of a formal game even though you’re still playing against each other.”

Scrimmage Recaps
Because the players are broken up into three teams, each squad will take a turn playing two scrimmages in a single day at some point during camp. Today, it was Team Black that took on both opposing groups.

Black took the day’s first scrimmage by a 4-3 count on goals from David Jones, Codey Burki, Joe Sakic and Bryan Marshall. Blue received goals from Cody McCormick, Ryan Smyth and T.J. Hensick in the first half of the scrimmage, but Black netminder Jason Bacashihua kept Blue off the scoreboard in the second half after replacing Andrew Raycroft.

Team Gray came away with a 2-1 victory over Team Black in the second scrimmage. Gray netminders Peter Budaj and Trevor Cann combined to allow just one goal – a late penalty shot tally by Black’s Nathan Smith on Cann. Chris Stewart had a goal and one assist and Derek Peltier also scored for the victors.

Stastny to Skate Tomorrow
After Sunday’s session, Granato gave a brief update on Paul Stastny and a few other players who have been banged up during the first few days of camp.

Stastny was kept out of today’s scrimmage, but will skate tomorrow. Wojtek Wolski (foot) also didn’t scrimmage today and is listed as day-to-day.

Meanwhile, Granato said that Marek Svatos is essentially ready for game action, but is still being held out of scrimmages until he can build up his stamina.

“We’re trying to make sure his conditioning is good,” said Granato. “He looks good and I think he’s ready to play, but we just have to make sure his conditioning is up to speed, since he hasn’t played a game in a long time.”

Granato said that none of the three players will participate in tomorrow’s Burgundy/White Game.

Line Combinations
After skating with David Jones on nearly every shift yesterday, Avalanche captain Joe Sakic spent most of Sunday being flanked by Darcy Tucker. However, the three players did see a few shifts on the same line throughout today’s scrimmages.

Team Gray occasionally rolled out a line of Cody McLeod, Ben Guite and Milan Hejduk, while Team Blue often had Ryan Smyth playing on the wing alongside T.J. Hensick.

In addition, Brett Clark and Adam Foote were paired up almost exclusively on the blue line for Team Gray.


Training Camp Report: Day 1

The Colorado Avalanche officially kicked off its 2008 training camp Saturday with a pair of scrimmages and plenty of action on both sheets at the South Suburban Family Sports Center.
In a change from recent years – where the Avalanche
has separated into two squads for training camp – this year’s version featured three teams made up of 59 players. That extra manpower has brought a different dynamic of sorts to camp.

“There’s a lot more people competing for jobs at every position,” said defenseman Brett Clark. “Every day you have to go out there and play like you have something to prove. That’s what it’s all about. It’s a short camp, so we have to get going as a team.”

Clark, who was sidelined with a shoulder injury for last season’s stretch run and through the playoffs, had been anxious to get back on the ice with his teammates.

“For me, it’s been a long layoff. To be back out there with the guys, it’s a great experience,” said Clark. “As you could see, it was a great pace today. There’s a lot of excitement around here and its fun to be back.”

Coach Granato’s Reaction to Day 1
Avalanche head coach Tony Granato remarked that he was pleased with the action on training camp’s opening day, labeling the intensity as “outstanding.”

“It was good to get things underway,” said Granato. “I think it was very intense; a lot of positive signs. You could tell that the guys were anxious to get this going and get things underway. They came out and played extremely hard for the first time on the ice as a group.”

Scrimmage Recaps
Because the players are broken up into three teams, each squad will take a turn playing two scrimmages in a single day at some point during camp. Today, it was Team Gray that took on both opposing groups.

Gray earned a 3-2 win over Team Black in the first scrimmage of the day, as Cody McLeod notched the game-winner with 3:45 remaining in the game. Paul Stastny also had two assists for the winner.

Matt Hendricks and Bryan Marshall staked Gray to an early 2-0 lead, but Joe Sakic and Darcy Tucker evened the game with goals for Team Black before McLeod’s tally sealed the contest.

In the second scrimmage it was Team Blue coming out on top of Team Gray by a 3-2 count on a late Jack Combs goal. Tyler Arnason and Cody McCormick also scored for Blue, while McLeod and Stastny got on the scoreboard for Gray.

Stastny Fine
Stastny left the ice and headed to the dressing room near the end of the second scrimmage after being involved in an inadvertent collision. When speaking with the media following Saturday’s on-ice session, Granato said that Stastny had suffered a contusion and “should be fine.”

Getting Familiar
Sakic, entering his 20th NHL season, looked like his usual self while skating with David Jones for the majority of his shifts, even notching an unassisted goal for Team Gray.

Meanwhile, Tucker spent most of his time on the ice with Wojtek Wolski during his first official skate with the Avalanche. The two seemed to find some immediate chemistry and set each other up for multiple scoring opportunities – one of which was converted by Tucker during the first scrimmage.

Colorado’s top pick in the 2008 Entry Draft, Cameron Gaunce, spent most of the day paired up with nine-year veteran Scott Hannan on Team Black’s blue line.

Family Ties
Defenseman Jean-Philippe Cote, who appeared in 79 games last season with the American Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs, was a late addition to camp, replacing forward Dustin Sylvester. Cote, who is on a professional tryout contract, is the son of former Quebec Nordiques forward Alain Cote.

The elder Cote spent 10 seasons with the Nordiques, totaling 293 points (103g/190a) in 696 games from 1979-1989.