In his wrap-up media session at the RDO Camp, Brendan Shanahan expressed his amazement at watching all of the kids that put their heart into every shift over the last two days.

"It went really well, and the group I have to thank most is the kids that came and played," Shanahan said. "The skill level of these 17 year olds, to be able to do what we asked them to do at an NHL level and also the compete that they brought to the scrimmages, was just great. I don't think I could have done it when I was 17 years old. It just bodes well for the future of the game of hockey."

TORONTO -- It was just two months ago that Emerson Etem of Long Beach and Beau Bennett of Gardena became part of history at the 2010 Entry Draft when the two California natives were chosen in the first round.

It didn't signal the apocalypse, but did send a clear message that the Golden State was becoming a bona fide breeding ground for future NHL talent. That future was on display at the 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp Fueled By G Series at the Toronto Maple Leafs' practice facility on Wednesday and Thursday.

Forwards Shane McColgan of Manhattan Beach and Matthew Nieto of Long Beach joined forces at the camp on the same line for coach Ken Hitchcock. Both have high hopes of following in the footsteps of their good friends Etem and Bennett as first-round selections at the 2011 draft, to be held in June in St. Paul, Minn.

Jim Nill reflects on RDO camp
08.19.2010 / 4:48 p.m. ET

Detroit Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill had pen and paper in hand during the 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp fueled by G Series on Wednesday and Thursday.

For Nill, it was a chance to see 33 of the top 2011 draft-eligible prospects and those proposed rule changes in action.

"We're here to really look at new rules, but the added attraction and added bonus to it is it's an opportunity to identify a bunch of the kids coming up for the draft," he said. "You've got to be careful what you do. It's not like we're making final decisions but it gives you a chance to identify them and it's great exposure for them and for us as we get to see new rules."

TORONTO -- Back in the mix among all the general managers again is Dale Tallon, and forgive him if it feels like he's gone back in time.

When Tallon was hired as the Chicago Blackhawks' general manager in June 2005, the cupboard was particularly bare and the challenge to turn the moribund franchise around was great. He sees similarities between that and his current job as Florida Panthers GM, a challenge he accepted May 17.

Tallon, who built the Blackhawks into Stanley Cup champions, has spent the first three months of his new job assessing the situation in Florida and "slowly but surely chipping away at the block."

TORONTO -- When Brendan Shanahan first went public with his thoughts on why the NHL wanted to test possible rule changes and modifications over a two-day camp this summer, he assured the hockey world that radical change wasn't on the agenda because the NHL game already is in good shape.

You couldn't hear even a whisper of dissent from any of the general managers who attended the 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp Fueled By G Series on Wednesday and Thursday. But that doesn't mean the GMs, eloquently referred to as the stewards of the game, left the camp thinking everything was perfect with the game.

The majority is thinking about at least some potential changes, but the key word here is subtle, because the last thing the GMs want to do is confuse the fans.

Sweden national junior coach Roger Ronnberg looks at his roster and sees in Gabriel Landeskog something his team is missing.

When Ronnberg brought a team to Lake Placid, N.Y. in early August to play exhibition games as part of USA Hockey's National Junior Evaluation Camp, Landeskog showed himself to a be a straight-ahead skater who is ready, willing and able to get to the net and create all the havoc necessary to score goals.

"We're here in the U.S. now for this camp for a reason, and that's to find out what we need to change to be successful on the small rink," Ronnberg told NHL.com during the camp. "Gabriel is one of the players who already has found out how we should play in the small rink to be successful. He's one of the players who can do it."

TORONTO -- At times, Scott Ferguson will find himself out of position on a play when he's officiating games in the Ontario Hockey League. But off the ice completely? Nah, never that drastic.

Well, not until Thursday.

Ferguson had to come to an NHL-run event to get his first taste of being an off-ice official while still being challenged with all the tasks that come with being on the ice. It sounds strange, but a few radical changes are being tested at the 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp Fueled By G Series -- and Ferguson was the guinea pig for one of them Thursday morning.

Instead of wearing skates and being on the ice like his partner, Dave Lewis, Ferguson was in sneakers and standing on an elevated platform looking over the glass by one of the blue lines on the bleacher side of the rink. The NHL was testing this unique method with the idea that stationing one referee off the ice might reduce traffic on the ice while also providing a better vantage point to spot infractions.

TORONTO -- As the youngest of three brothers, Boone Jenner always had to have eyes in the back of his head. After all, you never know when the next bale of hay could be headed in your direction.

Jenner's family owns and operates a cattle farm in Dorchester, Ont., a little town nestled just east of London. As a youngster, he spent a lot of time outside working on the farm. Even today, there's no excuse for not chipping in despite the fact he's on the verge of becoming the first of the Jenner clan to reach the NHL.

"We grew up on a farm just outside of Dorchester … a bunch of beef cows," Jenner told NHL.com. "About 100 Angus cows; it was fun. Looking back, it made me a better person all-round with all the chores I had to do and stuff. It was a lot of fun. People think you get up early, but we only needed to get up early some mornings. It really wasn't too bad."

TORONTO -- No-touch icing will be tested Thursday at the 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp Fueled By G Series, but he prevailing opinion is there's almost no chance of approval if it's ever proposed. Yet the icing debate, a hot-button issue among the stewards of the NHL, doesn't end there.

While there is, as Toronto GM Brian Burke told NHL.com Wednesday, "no appetite for automatic icing," the movement to change how icing is called in the NHL clearly is gaining momentum. That's where the idea for a hybrid icing rule comes in -- and after seeing it first-hand Wednesday morning, several general managers say they're for it because it will keep the integrity of the game while eliminating the potential for serious injuries during a race to the puck.

Hybrid icing is a mixture of touch and no-touch icing. It gives a linesman the discretion to blow his whistle and stop the play if he believes a defending player will reach the puck first. If the linesman believes the attacking player has a chance to reach the puck first, he keeps his whistle in his pocket and lets the race to the puck play out. The linesman always will side with the defending player and blow his whistle if he feels the race is a tie by the time the players reach the faceoff dots.

TORONTO -- Watching live hockey play out right in front of him in a cold rink on an August afternoon had Washington coach Bruce Boudreau all revved up.
 
"Twenty-five days left," Boudreau told NHL.com Wednesday during the first session of the 2010 NHL Research, Development and Orientation Camp Fueled By G Series. "Summer is almost over. It hasn't been that long."
 
It was longer than expected for Boudreau and the Presidents' Trophy-winning Caps, who blew a 3-1 series lead to Montreal in the opening round of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals and lost 2-1 at home in Game 7.