Forward Jaden Schwartz did not report to the St. Louis Blues for the start of training camp Thursday.

Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said that no new talks were scheduled. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Sept. 3 that the two sides were "significantly apart" in discussions for a contract extension.

"We've had dialogue recently," Armstrong said. "But I don't know when he's going to be here. He's not here [Thursday], I don't expect him here [Friday]. And we're just going to now concentrate on the players that are here, try and find some synergy with the centermen that are in camp with some wingers. And when Jaden reports, when we get a contract done with him, he can work his way back into that group. But right now it's focus on the guys that are here."

The New York Rangers will wait until the end of training camp before naming a captain for the 2014-15 season, coach Alain Vigneault said Thursday.

The Rangers have been without a captain since trading Ryan Callahan to the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 5.

"I think that all teams have a core leadership group, and it's not just up to one individual, the captain, to be the leader, it has to be a group effort," Vigneault told the Rangers website. "I see in our team some real strong possibilities as far as being captain; but I also see that this is a new year and we changed some pieces to the puzzle, so I want to see how it unfolds during training camp."

Defenseman Ryan McDonagh told the New York Daily News last week he is ready to assume the captaincy.

Kasperi Kapanen, who sat out the team's prospect tournament with a broken finger, has been cleared to participate in training camp according to coach Mike Johnston.

Kapanen, the 22nd pick of the 2014 NHL Draft, had been out with a broken finger that kept him out of a recent rookie tournament in London, Ontario. He is No. 39 on the NHL.com Top 60 prospect ranking.

Johnston also had injury updates on veteran forward Pascal Dupuis and young defensemen Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot.

Tampa Bay Lightning star Steven Stamkos told reporters on the first day of training camp Thursday that he's feeling great after missing much of last season due to a broken leg.

"I did all the tests. No issues," he said. "I'm just excited heading into this year knowing how much better it feels now. ... I didn't know what to expect heading into the summer. It was a good summer. … Probably around the year mark is when it's going to feel probably back to normal. I'm just excited at the way it feels compared to the way it ended off last year."

New Jersey Devils forward Ryane Clowe confirmed to reporters Thursday that he has been cleared for contact and is ready for training camp.

Ryane Clowe

Left Wing - NJD

GOALS: 7 | ASST: 19 | PTS: 26
SOG: 74 | +/-: -10

Clowe, who saw a concussion specialist in Boston on Monday, said he doesn't expect to play in the Devils' preseason opener Monday at the New York Rangers.

New Jersey plays six preseason games before opening the regular season Oct. 9 at the Philadelphia Flyers.

Clowe, who turns 32 on Sept. 30, has a history of concussions. He had seven goals and 26 points in 43 games last season, his first with the Devils after signing a five-year, $24.25 million contract in the summer of 2013. He missed more than two months early in the season with a concussion and didn't play after a March 31 game against the Florida Panthers when he sustained another concussion.

After 10 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks, Ryan Kesler felt he needed a change.

With a new front-office regime put in place this summer, Kesler felt it was the right time to ask for a trade; his wish was granted in June when he was sent to the Anaheim Ducks.

"I think changes needed to be made with the new management coming in and the new coaches," Kesler told the Orange County Register on Tuesday. "I felt I was stuck in a rut there. I needed a change.

"Talking with management, they were going into a rebuild, or that's what they told me. I just thought it was best to move on."

The Calgary Flames took a deep breath Monday night when highly touted prospects Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau pronounced themselves fine after injury scares during a rookie tournament victory against the host Vancouver Canucks in Penticton, British Columbia.

Bennett, the No. 4 pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, missed the third period with a sore groin. Gaudreau, the reigning Hobey Baker Award winner, was injured on a hard hit from Vancouver defenseman Frank Corrado, who received a five-minute elbowing penalty and a game misconduct on the play.

"They were a little worried about me, but I told them it's no big deal," Bennett said, according to the Calgary Herald. "My groin was acting up a little bit. But it really wasn't anything serious. Obviously, I wanted to get back out there. I was ready to go."

Aaron Ekblad had a summer, but it wasn't much of an offseason for him. The first pick of the 2014 NHL Draft had a development camp with the Florida Panthers, a Hockey Canada national junior evaluation camp, and he's currently with other Panthers prospects at a rookie tournament hosted by the Nashville Predators.

However, Ekblad told the Panthers website the end goal is what he's focused on, and that's playing in the NHL this season.

"I have my own expectations of myself," Ekblad said. "I have goals that I set for myself that I keep to myself. I hold myself accountable for those goals. My expectations are high. I have high standards for myself. It's going to help me put myself in a good position this year."

Detroit Red Wings forward Teemu Pulkkinen learned a lot last season, including how unprepared he was for his first NHL training camp experience.

"I wasn't ready," Pulkkinen told the Red Wings website. "I was in good shape but … it's a different game in Europe than it is here. I wasn't ready for the American game. There's more rink, the speed is higher. But now I think I'm going to be ready."

Pulkkinen figured it out fast and had 31 goals and 59 points with Grand Rapids of the American Hockey League, and also got into three late-season games in Detroit. Pulkkinen also is No. 60 on NHL.com's Top 60 prospect rankings for this season.

Derek Laxdal saw enough of Julius Honka when they were in the Western Hockey League last season, Laxdal as coach of the Edmonton Oil Kings and Honka a slick, offensive-minded defenseman with the Swift Current Broncos.

Now they're on the same side as Laxdal, the coach of the Texas Stars of the American Hockey League and Dallas Stars coach at the Traverse City Prospect Tournament, gets to enjoy having Honka on his team.

Dallas chose Honka with the 14th pick of the 2014 NHL Draft.