Difference Makers Make a Difference
The line of Janne Kuokkanen, Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov was undoubtedly one of the team's most intriguing forward lines coming in to this tournament. Two are first-round picks, both expected to make the Hurricanes' roster this season, and all three are shifty and talented.
That skill was on display, especially in the first period this afternoon. Down 1-0 at the time, the trio had perhaps their best 5-on-5 shift of the tournament. They were hungry on the puck, passes were crisp and they generated a couple of quality looks.
They followed it up with a few similar shifts and were rewarded late in the period with a goal. Necas stripped the Stars' defender of the puck in the corner and wired it up to Svechnikov, who was reloading high in the zone. Svechnikov dangled through a couple defenders before firing a shot to the back of the net for his second goal of the tournament, which tied the game at two.
"They had the puck a lot. That's key. They had some scoring chances," head coach Mike Vellucci said. "They were trying to make that perfect play. I was stressing to them to put the puck on net and get rebounds. … They had the puck a lot more, and you saw the chemistry starting to build."
Tournament Invites Pitch In
Tournament invites David Levin and Theo Calvas found the back of the net in their final game of the tournament. Levin made a nice move in the slot and scored from a tough angle to bring the Canes within a goal, 2-1, in the first period. Calvas let go of a slap shot from the point in the third that leaked through Stars goaltender Anthony Popovich.
"I thought we had a lot of scoring chances again today," Vellucci said. "We had 38 shots and only three goals."
Tuning Up
For the group that will now hit the ice in Raleigh at Hurricanes training camp, these four games can serve as a springboard for what's to follow.
"You have Necas and Andrei, and this is a big year for them," Vellucci said. "They want to make the team, and we gave them a good opportunity to come in here and get their feet wet and already have that game atmosphere when they get to the NHL camp."
"For sure it's good experience for me," Svechnikov said. "It's a little faster game than the OHL. It's good experience."
Game action is a lot different from skating in the summer, too.
"It's different. It's much faster and physical here," Svechnikov said. "Not a lot of chances to score."
"I think the game action is very important. You skate and work out all summer, but you're not banging or physical. It's a different kind of game than just going out and practicing," Vellucci said. "They'll have a leg up after already playing a couple exhibition games. Now they've got to carry that over to camp."
A Learning Experience
This team had high expectations coming into the tournament, and for good reason - four first-round picks, two of which are expected to be NHL regulars this season, headlined the roster.
But, for whatever reason - and there are a number of potential factors in an abbreviated tournament such as this one - it didn't come together for success.
"I thought we had some effort, at least. I thought some of the guys competed every single game," Vellucci said. "I thought we had our scoring chances, but we need to bear down more. We hit a lot of posts in the last couple of games, and it just seems to be the way the tournament went for us."
This was a taste of life as a professional hockey player - and that's invaluable experience for these young players.
"For the first-year guys, it's huge. It's a different pace, bigger guys, stronger and faster. It's a big learning experience for them," Vellucci said. "For guys who are going to their first year pro, like Helvig and Geekie, it's a good opportunity for them to understand what the pro game is and hopefully get ready for camp."
Training Camp Up Next
For a number of these players, Hurricanes training camp in Raleigh awaits, with the first on-ice sessions slated for Friday morning.
"It's really exciting," Svechnikov said. "I really want to be there, and I will try my best."
