Today was my last day to attend rookie camp, as I seem to have a job that I need to actually be at sometimes. Coaches canceled practice and instead they focused on scrimmaging. The boys were less hit-happy today but there were still butts all over the ice and not always from hits. Brandon fully tripped over the blue line with no one within ten feet of him. A GHOST PUSHED HIM OVER!
The first half was scoreless but then Visentin let in two goals and I was like YES! Then BB Goalie let in three straight goals and I was like GAAAAAAAAAAAAAH. The scrimmage ended with the Red team winning again, 4-3. Winning goal was a slick pass by Andy and Chris Collins went roof (looked like Vrby’s shootout!). Collins also had a goal yesterday so he seems to be having a good camp.
Louie and Mark both look better than our new dude, Cheverie, but they also spent part of August at the Team Canada development camp so they may be a bit less rusty than the new dude?
The boys are scrimmaging tomorrow and then they are taking the long bus ride to LA for the two rookie games. They’re only taking about 15 forwards and 8 Dmen so it will be interesting to see if they take more of the tryout kids and leave guys home that will for sure be going to main camp (Miele, Hextall, Gormley, Stone) so they have more time to see the new kids. Miele’s twitter sounded like he was bus-bound so, who knows.
It’s always cool to see the prospects and how their skills have grown over the course of a year and see what the new guys have, but I’m ready for main camp. Out of the tryout kids, I’m hoping we hold onto Chris Collins, Kurtis Gabriel, and Brandon Shinnimin. None of them are very big, but welcome to the Coyotes forwards, right? Big dudes need not apply. I kinda wish we could keep them all and just stock them all in our ECHL team, but alas we cannot.
Good luck to the dudes that will be sent back to their Juniors teams tomorrow!
The rookie games in LA will be streamed on the Kings website.
To see all the pics I took today Click Here