Wrapping Up Day One of Canucks Training Camp

Training camp is underway at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton as the 59 players took to the ice Thursday morning.

The group was split into three groups – A, B, and C – with group C kicking things off on the ice.

Group A goaltenders – Thatcher Demko, Nikita Tolopilo, and Aleksei Medvedev took to the ice to get some crease warmups before the rest of group A joined. Group B rounded out the on-ice work for the Canucks on day one.

It was Head Coach Adam Foote’s first practice as the head coach, running the players through rush, breakout, and battle drills throughout the day.

Elias Pettersson spoke after group A’s skate saying he was happy to get going this season and liked the pace of Day 1 and the details they focused on in practice. Skating with Jake DeBrusk and Brock Boeser felt good about how they practiced together.

“We have some chemistry from the past, but [I’m] just excited to be here again and start training camp,” Pettersson said.

The group worked through drills that will help them create more offence, and Pettersson likes the vision and direction of the coaching staff. He acknowledged that working towards great transition play stars in the defensive zone, and they’re working on getting better every day.

"We need to obviously play better defence, but good defence leads to good offence, and I like what the coaching staff has done so far. So, I want to chip it one play at a time,” he said.

The 26-year-old Swede said it was great to see Thatcher Demko looking strong between the pipes.

"Everyone knows how good he is, and I think both our goalies, I believe, are on one of the best goalie [tandems] in the league. So, very happy for him to be back to full [strength],” Pettersson said.

Pettersson spoke highly of DeBrusk, talking about his speed, scoring ability and hunting pucks on the forecheck.

DeBrusk says he learned about how Pettersson wants to play when the two of them spent time on a line together last season. They worked through five-on-five drills at camp and they’re communicating about positioning and improving their game.

DeBrusk was just as eager to get the first skate in and feels like he’s in a good place to fine-tune his skills before the season starts. He felt everything on Day 1 was done with purpose and that Foote leads the group with clear expectations.

“You know what to expect. He's pretty clear on what he wants in terms of direction and video, different things as of now, which was not too different than last year when he was doing the penalty kill and things of that nature,” DeBrusk said. “I thought he ran it well. I thought that today was really smooth. I felt like the drills had meaning to them, and there was a process there,” DeBrusk said.

Demko skated in group B and talked about being grateful for the summer he had, taking care of his body and mind to be ready for the season.

“I’m super confident in the work that I’ve put in and grateful for the staff. Obviously, it takes a village, so we put a really solid plan in place early in the summer and I definitely executed it,” Demko said. “It’s certainly nice to be on the ice with the guys as opposed to last year not being able to be out there. I’m excited to move forward."

Demko said Foote reached out to the group early in the summer to prepare for the season which gives them confidence coming into training camp. He talked about the vision he has for himself as part of the leadership group and that the team is looking to have a bounce back season.

“I feel like I am a guy that can be a leader on this team, not just with my play, but a little more involved in the room, so I’m excited to step up in those facets. I think there’s a fresh breath of air in the room this year. Obviously, we weren’t set up to succeed with some of the things that were going on last year and I think it’s a testament to the belief in our group, having Brock, myself and Garly all commit to the group. I think everyone in there believes we can get back to the team we were two years ago,” Demko said.

Day 2 of camp starts tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. and you can follow us for content throughout the weekend on X, Instagram, and YouTube on Canucks Insider and Vancouver Canucks accounts.