Shaun Van Allen hadn't been in Newfoundland for almost two decades. So when he was asked to represent the Ottawa Senators' alumni group as part of 2011 Kraft Hockeyville, he didn't think twice.

"This is awesome," said Van Allen, who had two stints in Ottawa (1996-2000, 2002-04) and also played for Edmonton, Anaheim, Dallas and Montreal. "It's been a long time since I've been back in Newfoundland. It was back in '92-93 when I played in the minors (for Cape Breton). There's always support here all the time. There's a lot of enthusiasm. It's a great atmosphere to play hockey."

Van Allen, 44, played in 794 NHL games between 1991 and 2004. He was just making a name for himself as a pro when the Winnipeg Jets left town for Phoenix in 1996. But the Jets are returning to the League this season and will play Van Allen's Sens in the main event of this Kraft Hockeyville experience on Monday night.

"I think any time you can add another Canadian team to the NHL, it's a great experience for Canada," said Van Allen, a Calgary native. "I would say it's the driving force behind hockey and it's great to have another team back."

Van Allen, who spent roughly two hours signing autographs today here in Conception Bay South, was asked if he had a favorite memory during his time with the Senators.

"One of my favorites would be the first time we ever made the playoffs (in 1997)," he said. "Last game of the year, Steve Duchene scored late in the game. That clinched us. We won, 1-0."

Never in a million years did the citizens of Conception Bay South think the Stanley Cup would be on display in their town.

But on Saturday, hundreds lined up for the opportunity to have their picture taken with the most prestigious trophy in all of sports.

The excitement on the faces of adults and children alike is absolutely priceless. There are jerseys of several different teams -- Montreal, Boston, Calgary, Toronto and Pittsburgh, just to name a few -- being represented here.

But one young lad is standing out amongst the crowd.

Colin Hull, a 10-year-old from here in Conception Bay South, was wearing a Winnipeg Jets sweater -- the last one the club wore before it left for Phoenix in 1996. Colin wasn't alive then, but he was smiling ear to ear Saturday in his old-school jersey as his father took a picture of him with Lord Stanley.

"My dad bought it for me when he went to the MTS Centre in February," said Colin, who said he's still hoping his old man will score tickets for Monday's game between the Jets and Ottawa Senators that will take place at the Mile One Centre in nearby St. John's. "I'm a fan. I hope we get to go."

The 2011 Kraft Hockeyville festivities are now in full swing.

Parents have packed the stands here at Robert French Memorial Stadium and are taking pictures of their children on the ice, where former NHLers Kris King and Patrick Lalime are running drills.

We're also about 45 minutes away from the arrival of the most prestigious trophy in all of sports, the Stanley Cup. It will be present during a four-hour party, where Newfoundlanders can have their picture taken with the Cup and get autographs from NHL alumni.

Be sure to check in with NHL.com throughout the day.

The United States Hockey League's annual Fall Classic has traditionally offered NCAA Division I and III coaches, along with NHL representatives, a tremendous opportunity to catch a glimpse of many of the top players in the country. Several of those standouts also happen to be eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

The four-day event, which includes each of the USHL's 16 teams and encompasses 24 games, also attracts many of the country's top scouts. NHL Central Scouting's Jack Barzee, who specializes in scouting the mid-West and those players in the USHL, is a loyal follower of the Fall Classic.

Prior to the tournament, Barzee took some time to talk to NHL.com about those players he will be paying particular attention to at this year's tournament. Following the tournament, which concludes Sept. 24, we'll reach out to Barzee to receive his post-tournament evaluations.

The player who might be getting the most attention this week at the Fall Classic is 6-foot-1, 182-pound forward Zemgus Girgensons of the Dubuque Fighting Saints.

"He's the most experienced player … already having a year in the league and is the most physically developed," Barzee said.

NHL Network analyst Craig Button likes the fact Girgensons gets another year under his belt with Dubuque head coach Jim Montgomery, who not only starred alongside Paul Kariya at the University of Maine but spent parts of six seasons in the NHL. He captained the 1992-93 Maine team to the school's first NCAA championship.

"It's early to say who will emerge out of the group of centermen eligible for the draft but Girgensons has Jim Montgomery as his coach and that is going to help him," Button told NHL.com. "Girgensons is too good to play in the junior leagues but he's not good enough to play in the KHL, so he has to find a place where he can develop his skills."

Committed to the University of Vermont in the fall of 2012, the Latvian center finished third on the team with 49 points (21 goals) in 51 games in 2010-11 and was selected to the mid-season Western Conference All-Star Team.

Girgensons received an automatic one-game suspension in a 3-1 victory over the Tri-City Storm on Thursday and will sit out Friday's contest against Muskegon. He received his suspension with 25 seconds remaining in the third period after being issused a game misconduct for checking from behind.

Another player starring in Dubuque is left-handed defenseman Michael Matheson (6-foot, 170 pounds), who recently won a gold medal with Team Canada at the 2011 Under-18 Ivan Hlinka Memorial.

Defenseman Jordan Schmaltz (6-2, 175) of Sioux City is committed to the University of North Dakota. He finished his rookie season in the USHL as the league's highest-scoring defenseman with 44 points (13 goals) in 53 games. Schmaltz was named to the USHL's 2011 All-Rookie Team.

Barzee's USHL dark horse candidate for the 2012 draft is Sioux City defenseman Cliff Watson (6-2, 195), who is committed to Ohio State next September.

"He played with Appleton United last year and I like everything about him," Barzee said. "He's a bull. Secondly, he's a bull who can skate, can shoot the puck, moves the puck, knows the game and can put you in the nickel seats. That's a pretty good combination for me. Watson will be the second guy on the power-play to get a lot of assists, but he's also a dynamite defensive player."

The Fargo Force has two players in the fold, including 5-foot-10 defenseman Brian Cooper and 6-2 blueliner Justin Wade.

"Cooper is going to be one of those real controversial-type guys heading into the draft because he's another Gary Suter or Matt Carle type; he's not yet 6-foot, but is one of those offensive-type defensemen in the mold of Ryan Murphy (Carolina Hurricanes)."

Wade, who recently committed to the University of Notre Dame, played 35 games with the Force as a 16-year-old in 2010-11. He was also a member of the U.S. Under-18 Select Team in the Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament this past summer.

There are also several players starring for the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 Team, including forwards Cameron Darcy, Nicolas Kerdiles (Wisconsin), Brendan Silk (Boston College) and Stefan Matteau (North Dakota), defenseman Jacob Trouba and goalie Collin Olson (Ohio State).

Among that group of formidable players, Trouba, who hasn't committed to college but whose rights belong to the Ontario Hockey League's Kitchener Rangers, would appear to be a first-round talent next June.

Trouba had 7 points in 21 games for the U-18 team last year and 6 goals, 19 points in 37 contests for the U-17 Team. The native of Rochester, Mich., scored the first goal in a 4-3 overtime gold-medal game triumph over Sweden in the 2011 U18 World Championship in Germany last April.

Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale

It's that time of year again, as a small town in Newfoundland is set to be the home of Kraft Hockeyville this weekend.

With the festivities set to get under way in Conception Bay South on Saturday morning, work is currently being done by NHL ice guru Dan Craig and his crew at Robert French Memorial Stadium. The in-ice logos are going in as we speak, less than 48 hours before the NHL Alumni Clinics begin at 8 a.m. Newfoundland time (or 6:30 ET).

Alumni scheduled to participate in this weekend's events include Kris King, Patrick Lalime, Laurie Boschman, Shaun Van Allen and Mathieu Schneider.

And so it begins.

Nail Yakupov, Sarnia Sting

The road to the 2012 NHL Entry Draft is well under way and, not surprisingly, there are several players vying for top honors. At the head of the list is Russian Nail Yakupov of the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League.

The Sting open the season on Friday against Erie at the RBC Centre. In six preseason games, Yakupov did nothing to disappoint, racking up 6 goals and 15 points. He closed out the preseason with a spectacular five-point outburst, including 4 goals, in a 6-1 victory over the Windsor Spitfires.

NHL Network analyst Craig Button feels Yakupov is the real deal.

"He's got an abundance of skills," Button told NHL.com. "When you're talking about the top eight guys (in the 2012 draft), you're talking about so many attributes and he fits right into that category as a player with multiple attributes."

The native of Nizhnekamsk, Russia, who was named Rookie of the Year in the Canadian Hockey League in 2010-11, led all first-year players and finished tied for fourth overall in OHL scoring with 101 points in 65 games (49 goals, 52 assists).  He became just the fifth OHL rookie to reach 100 points in a season in the last 15 years and established new team record for goals and points by a rookie -- surpassing the marks set by Steven Stamkos in 2006-07.

"When you watch Yakupov, you can see that explosive ability but you also that stealth ability, like Jari Kurri," Button said. "Kurri would wait, and before you knew it, not only was (Wayne) Gretzky moving in, but Kurri was moving into the right spot and it was too late. Yakupov has that ability, which is why I've compared him to Kurri. Jari was always one of those guys to say, 'I'm not going to go there yet because it's not time to go there.' Yakupov has that similar ability and patience."

Yakupov (5-foot-11, 180 pounds) represented Russia at the 2011 World Under-18 Championships, notching a hat trick in a 6-4 victory over Team Canada in the bronze medal game.

In addition to Yakupov, Button named three defensemen from the Western Hockey League who looked primed to go in relative early fashion next June -- Ryan Murray of the Everett Silvertips, Matt Dumba of the Red Deer Rebels and Morgan Rielly of the Moose Jaw Warriors.

Murray was named Everett's captain this past season by head coach Craig Hartsburg despite the fact his 6-foot-1/2, 190-pound blueliner had just turned 17-years-old. The move was made when regular captain Landon Ferraro, a second-round pick of the Detroit Red Wings in 2009, was sidelined due to sports hernia surgery and a bum shoulder. He'll serve as captain of the Silvertips this season as well. In 122 career games for the Silvertips, Murray has recorded 73 points (11-62-73) and is Everett's all-time plus-minus leader with a +51 rating.

"Murray is a real dependable, consistent defenseman," Button said. "He reminds me of a Kevin Lowe-type defender. He passes the puck very well and is the type of player you want on your team."

NHL Central Scouting's Chris Edwards feels Murray is the complete package.

"He's an excellent skater," Edwards said. "His mobility, agility and speed make him, at this point, one of the best skaters up for the draft. He possesses excellent puck handling and decision making and is a top two defenseman in Everett. I would expect him to be a top two at the pro level as well."

Dumba was the WHL's rookie of the year in 2010-11, connecting for 15 goals and 26 points for the Rebels in 62 games. He was also a plus-24 with 83 penalty minutes. At the 2011 U-17 World Hockey Challenge in Winnipeg, Manitoba in January, Dumba led the tournament with 12 assists and 12 points.

"He's a kid who reminds me of P.K. Subban (Montreal Canadiens)," Button said of Dumba.

Rielly, meanwhile, led Moose Jaw in scoring as a rookie last season with 6 goals and 28 points in 65 games. He was also the second youngest player to represent Team Canada at the 2011 World Under-18 Championships.

"Rielly will lift you out of your seat," Central Scouting's Peter Sullivan told NHL.com. "He's and exceptional skater; he skates as well as anyone that's ever played in the WHL. He twists and turns on a dime and is very exciting to watch."

Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale

Training camp did not start as hoped for Calgary and Jarome Iginla.

The Flames captain and leading scorer from last season only made it through 30 minutes of Saturday's session, the team's first practice of the new season. Back spasms forced Iginla to leave the ice early.

"Unfortunately, after I'd started a little bit, I had a little bit of a spasm there," Iginla told reporters. "It's nothing I haven't had before. I've had them during the season at different times.

"I thought it was better to be safe than keep aggravating it."

Iginla, though, said there was little reason for concern. As an older player, he says, he pays more attention to the messages his body sends him and did not want to take any chances so early in camp.

"Most of my training was more geared toward skating and puck skills, just to keep trying to improve in those areas and be a more efficient skater, not really so much to be necessarily bigger or stronger," Iginla said. "Also to try to use a little bit of camp and work on being ready to go when the games start as opposed to necessarily the first day of training camp.

"I feel great. It sounds kind of funny when you skate the first day and don't finish it, but I do."

The Capitals will travel up I-95 Tuesday when they open the preseason against the Nashville Predators as part of the Baltimore Hockey Classic. The Caps last played in Charm City in 1992.

"It's unique that we're sold out for every [home] game this year," Caps general manager George McPhee said, "and now we can go up to Baltimore for a Tuesday night preseason against a non-conference team and sell that building out."

More than 11,000 fans are expected at Baltimore's 1st Mariner Arena, which housed the American Hockey League's Skipjacks from 1982-93 and later the AHL's Bandits from 1995-97.

Tuesday's game is sure to bring back memories for both Predators coach Barry Trotz and Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau. Trotz was the coach in Baltimore in 1992-93 when the Skipjacks were a Capitals affiliate and Boudreau played for a Skipjacks team that reached the 1985 Calder Cup final.

"We went to the finals and we lost against a guy by the name of Patrick Roy," Boudreau recalled on the first day of Capitals training camp.

"The team in Sherbrooke that beat us, I think nine of those guys ended up graduating to the Canadiens the next year and won the Stanley Cup, so there were a lot of good Montreal Canadiens that beat us the last year I played there."

Boudreau remembers the Skipjacks drawing crowds of 5,000 on their championship run, which were "adequate at the time for the American League."

Among Boudreau's teammates in Baltimore were future NHLers Andy Brickley, Marty McSorley, Phil Bourque, Bob Errey and John Casey. 

BUFFALO -- Buffalo finally got to see the real Brad Boyes on Saturday -- or, at least how he'd define that term.

Boyes was back at his natural position of right wing, skating with Jochen Hecht and Matt Ellis. After the Sabres acquired him from St. Louis last season, injuries to Derek Roy and Hecht forced Buffalo to try Boyes at the much less familiar position of center. He contributed five goals and nine assists in 21 games.

Boyes stressed versatility over personal preference, but sounded like he's leaning right.

"I got pretty comfortable on the wing (previously). Moving to the middle changes your mindset. I'm looking forward to getting back,'' he said. "I'm not worried at all where I play. If they want me to play middle all season, I have no problem with that -- or vice versa."

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky is slightly limited with his shoulder but he said it feels better after a summer of rest.

Visnovsky badly injured the right shoulder April 2 against San Jose (he also injured his other shoulder by the end of the season) but surgery wasn't needed.

"It's better and better every day," Visnovsky said.

Visnovsky's defensive partner, Toni Lydman, underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum after the season and has not been cleared for contact.

Forward Matt Beleskey underwent the same procedure and is also wearing a no-contact red jersey.

"We're going to be extra cautious with those players coming back," coach Randy Carlyle said. "Beleskey is further along than Lydman, and Beleskey is very close."