Other first-rounders include tournament veteran Haydn Fleury, who is making his fourth appearance in Traverse City, and sophomores Jake Bean and Julien Gauthier.
"You can see their leadership already in practice. They're jumping to the front of the lines instead of hiding in the back," Vellucci said of Bean and Gauthier. "They're both great kids and great talents. I think they feel way more comfortable right now."
To help guide the tournament newcomers and provide a blueprint for success, the Hurricanes will look to the veteran leadership of guys like Fleury, Roland McKeown, Josh Wesley and Andrew Poturalski, who have bother prior tournament and professional experience under their belts.
"It's a very good opportunity to show what we've got as individuals and a team," McKeown said. "You basically have to go 4-0 to win this tournament. You've got to bear down and be ready to go from game one because if you get behind early, it's tough to get back."
"I give those guys credit. They want to be here, and they're excited to be here," Vellucci said. "They want to win and get better and be ready for the NHL camp."
The Hurricanes were on the ice for over an hour on Thursday for the first and likely only formal practice (aside from morning skates, of course) of the week. Because instructional time is so limited, Vellucci and his staff constructed a high-paced, three-part skate that first got the group back skating and feeling the puck on their sticks, then hopped into more structural elements before finishing on special teams work.
"You want to make sure everyone is on the same page," Vellucci said. "You have to get off to a good start. You have to be ready and prepared. We had a great practice today."
"We had good pace today. It was a hard practice with good tempo," McKeown said. "It looked like everyone was sharp and ready to go, and that's a good sign."
