• HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • Site Index
  • NHL Salary Caps
  • Hockey 101: A Beginner’s Guide
  • Join Our Team
  • Free Newsletter
  • Store
  • Log in
The Hockey Writers
  • HOME
  • NHL Teams
    • North Division
      • Calgary Flames
      • Edmonton Oilers
      • Montreal Canadiens
      • Ottawa Senators
      • Toronto Maple Leafs
      • Vancouver Canucks
      • Winnipeg Jets
    • East Division
      • Boston Bruins
      • Buffalo Sabres
      • New Jersey Devils
      • New York Islanders
      • New York Rangers
      • Philadelphia Flyers
      • Pittsburgh Penguins
      • Washington Capitals
    • Central Division
      • Carolina Hurricanes
      • Chicago Blackhawks
      • Columbus Blue Jackets
      • Dallas Stars
      • Detroit Red Wings
      • Florida Panthers
      • Nashville Predators
      • Tampa Bay Lightning
    • West Division
      • Anaheim Ducks
      • Arizona Coyotes
      • Colorado Avalanche
      • Los Angeles Kings
      • Minnesota Wild
      • San Jose Sharks
      • Seattle Kraken
      • St. Louis Blues
      • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • NHL Prospects
  • World Juniors
  • Archives
  • Podcast Network
  • More…
    • CHL
      • Ontario Hockey League
      • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
      • Western Hockey League
    • Columns
    • Women’s Hockey
    • Other Leagues
    • NHL Entry Draft
    • Books
    • NHL History
Home
Vancouver Canucks

2014 Young Stars Tournament: Canucks Game One Recap

By Bubba Lackey September 13th, 2014

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp
(Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports)

Canucks’ prospect Frank Corrado hopes to impress at the 2014 Young Stars Tournament (Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports)

Hockey is finally back. The 2014 Young Stars Tournament in Pentiction, British Columbia marks the unofficial beginning of the hockey season. From September 12th through 15th the best available prospects from the Vancouver Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets and Calgary Flames face each other in a round robin tournament to kick off each team’s training camp. The tournament is a fabulous showcase for prospects to begin to garner a name for themselves and for fans to get their first glimpses of their team’s youngsters in a professional hockey environment.

Tonight the Vancouver Canucks began the tournament facing off against the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks boast arguably their most talented prospects group in the franchise’s history as they enter the tournament with six 1st round picks and a plethora of intriguing players. However the Canucks were hard hit by injuries and illness resulting in four Canucks prospects including both of Vancouver’s 2014 first round picks (Jake Virtanen and Jared McCann) to miss the tournament.

The game tonight was won by the Edmonton Oilers’ prospects in a 4-3 affair that saw a lot of tentative play and youthful mistakes as the players began to shake off the rust from the off-season.

The Edmonton Oilers dominated the first half of the game with a 14-2 shot count at the end of the first period which saw fantastic goaltending from Canucks camp invite Austin Lotz. The Canucks rallied towards the end of the second period and managed to force an overtime with a 3-3 score on two goals from Curtis Valk and a goal from Dane Fox. With less than four minutes left to go in overtime Oilers prospect Mitch Moroz scored his second goal of the game to win the contest for Edmonton.

Is a problem quietly brewing in the Canucks’ system?

Will Jordan Subban join brother Malcolm with the Boston Bruins at the 2013 NHL Draft (Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

The Canucks future at defense begins with Jordan Subban (Terry Wilson/OHL Images)

A subject that’s becoming something of a controversy among the Canucks’ faithful became glaringly obvious during the game. The Canucks haven’t drafted a defenseman in the 1st round in ten years and haven’t drafted defense in the 2nd round in seven.

Entering the tournament with no defensemen drafted above the 4th round the Canucks backend noticeably had difficulty adapting to the professional game as there were several turnovers, defensive miscues and difficulty transitioning out of their own zone. However Canucks prospect Jordan Subban stood out with slick skating, puck handling and offensive acumen. The 19-year old Subban drew comparisons through the course of the game to playing like his Norris trophy winning brother PK Subban.

Canucks offense led by unlikely suspects

The Canucks’ forward group turned in a fair showing tonight as camp invite Curtis Valk scored two goals and put together an impressive showing. Valk managed to impress while playing an unfamiliar position at center and anchoring the third line.

The Canucks also received an impressive showing from Canucks’ free agent signing Dane Fox who scored a goal while displaying an impressive shot and the ability to get it on net from anywhere in the offensive zone. Fox drew a lot of praise from Canucks’ fans who describe his game as being a combination of Steve Ott and Brett Hull.

Hunter Shinkaruk fell into Vancouver's lap (Shoot the Breeze Photography)

Shinkaruk’s skill set has Canucks’ fans salivating (Shoot the Breeze Photography)

Canucks’ 2013 1st round picks Bo Horvat and Hunter Shinkaruk both turned in decent but fairly quiet performances. Shinkaruk who’s received a lot of attention for his skillset and personality has arguably the most tantalizing potential of any prospect in the Canucks’ system.

Tonight was Shinkaruk’s first game since 2013 as he battled injuries last season. The 19-year old Shinkaruk showed flashes of his potential with a few nifty passes in the offensive zone, good defensive play on the penalty kill and surprising chirpiness towards a much bigger Oilers’ team. But it’s clear Shinkaruk is still working through a good amount of rust while trying to find his timing and game at a higher level. One also has to question his durability at the pro level given his size and the nature of his game.

Bo Horvat had a quiet but efficient game displaying his hockey intelligence. The 19-year old worked as the top line center and on the first unit of both the power play and penalty kill. Horvat displayed a mature defensive game and veteran positioning. Canucks fans are still waiting to see the depth of Horvat’s offensive game and just what his potential upside is. But at this point it looks like he could comfortably handle bottom six minutes in the NHL without looking out of place.

Western Hockey League invitee impresses in Canucks’ debut

One of the biggest standouts tonight was Everett Silvertips goaltender Austin Lotz who saved 29 of 33 shots. The 19-year old camp tryout suppressed an impressive barrage of Oilers’ offense in the first period and kept the Canucks competitive throughout the game. Lotz was an excellent goaltender in the Western Hockey League last season winning 33 games for the Everett Silvertips and played a decent game tonight for the Canucks.

Lotz considers himself a good reaction goaltender (Christopher Mast, Everett Silvertips)

Lotz considers himself a good reaction goaltender (Christopher Mast, Everett Silvertips)

The next game for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2014 Young Stars Tournament is Sunday September 14th at 2:00 PM against the Winnipeg Jets. The game will once again be streamed on Canucks.com

  • Tags
  • 2014 YoungStars Tournament
  • Curtis Valk
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp

Get theScore App Now!
Recent Posts
Jan 19th 3:45 PM
St Louis Blues

Blues Weekly: Up and Down Start to the 2020-21 Campaign

Jan 19th 3:35 PM
Carolina Hurricanes

Hurricanes’ Goalie Prospects Are a Mixed Bag

Jan 19th 3:05 PM
Vegas Golden Knights

Prospects News & Rumors: Hughes, Powell & Dorofeyev

Jan 19th 2:55 PM
Edmonton Oilers

Oilers Goaltending Issues Rest Squarely on Holland’s Shoulders

Jan 19th 1:20 PM
Boston Bruins

Bruins Rookie Spotlight: Jakub Zboril

Jan 19th 1:10 PM
Colorado Avalanche

Avalanche Defense Boosted by Returns of Johnson & Byram

Jan 19th 1:00 PM
Colorado Avalanche

NHL Rumors: Senators, Canucks, Avalanche, Oilers, More

Jan 19th 11:24 AM
Archives

They Wore It Once: Bruins Players and Their Unique Numbers

Jan 19th 11:14 AM
Archives

Top-5 Players From France in NHL History

Jan 19th 10:55 AM
Women's Hockey

Metropolitan Riveters 2021 Season Preview

Editor’s Picks
World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

World Junior Championship All-Time Leading Scorers

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

2021 Guide To the World Junior Championship

Masthead

Newsletters

RSS Feeds

Privacy Statement

Contact Us

About THW…

Founded in 2009, The Hockey Writers is a premier destination for news and information on everything hockey. Updated daily with news and features from over 130 writers worldwide. Over 2 million monthly readers now come to THW for their hockey fix.

© The Hockey Writers 2020. All rights reserved.
logo
  • HOME
  • Hockey Headlines
  • NHL Rumors
  • North Division
    • Calgary Flames
    • Edmonton Oilers
    • Montreal Canadiens
    • Ottawa Senators
    • Toronto Maple Leafs
    • Vancouver Canucks
    • Winnipeg Jets
  • East Division
    • Boston Bruins
    • Buffalo Sabres
    • New Jersey Devils
    • New York Islanders
    • New York Rangers
    • Philadelphia Flyers
    • Pittsburgh Penguins
    • Washington Capitals
  • Central Division
    • Carolina Hurricanes
    • Chicago Blackhawks
    • Columbus Blue Jackets
    • Dallas Stars
    • Detroit Red Wings
    • Florida Panthers
    • Nashville Predators
    • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • West Division
    • Anaheim Ducks
    • Arizona Coyotes
    • Colorado Avalanche
    • Los Angeles Kings
    • Minnesota Wild
    • San Jose Sharks
    • Seattle Kraken
    • St Louis Blues
    • Vegas Golden Knights
  • World Juniors
  • CHL
    • Ontario Hockey League
    • Quebec Major Junior Hockey League
    • Western Hockey League
  • THW Podcast Network
  • Store
  • FREE Newsletter
  • Search THW
  • More…
    • Join Our Team
    • The THW Archives
    • Prospects
    • The Goalie Page
    • NHL Salary Cap Information