PENTICTON, British Columbia -- Connor Hellebuyck doesn't want to ruffle any feathers, but he's not planning to concede as a challenger for the Winnipeg Jets goal crease this season.
"I know they have two really good goalies in [Pavelec] and [Hutchinson] right now," Hellebuyck said at the Young Stars Classic tournament. "I'm just going to go out and try to do my thing, get better every day and when it's time, it's time. I feel that I'm ready, but to that point I still feel there is a lot more I can get better at. The biggest obstacle will be keep taking the right steps and keep doing the right thing and don't take any steps backward."
Svechnikov, a first-round pick (No. 19) in the 2015 NHL Draft, is hoping he can follow in the footsteps of Datsyuk by making a lasting impression to a successful NHL career.
As one of three high-profile Russian players participating in the tournament this week at Centre Ice Arena, Svechnikov is excited to be wearing the winged wheel and catching up with friends and fellow countrymen Ivan Barbashev (2014 draft, No. 33) of the St. Louis Blues and Sergey Tolchinsky (undrafted free agent) of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Eichel, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, assisted Nicholas Baptiste on a 2-on-1 break 25 seconds into the first period for the first of Baptiste's two goals, and the Sabres defeated the New Jersey Devils 6-2 at First Niagara Center on Saturday.
Eichel was sprung on the break after a backhand pass from former Boston University teammate Evan Rodrigues out of the defensive zone. Eichel carried the puck up the left wing and floated a pass behind Devils defenseman Reece Scarlett to Baptiste, who shot past goalie Mackenzie Blackwood.
"I knew I had a step on the guy that [Rodrigues] had chipped it by," Eichel said. "I saw the other [defenseman] and I wasn't sure if it was more of a breakaway or a 2-on-1 and it ended up being more of a 2-on-0, so [Baptiste] did a good job to drive the net and find the back of the net."
The 5-foot-8, 170-pound wing proved it Saturday when he utilized all the space given in scoring the game-winner 2:56 into overtime to give the Hurricanes a 5-4 victory against the Dallas Stars prospects at the Traverse City Tournament.
"I think 3-on-3 is fun," Tolchinsky, 20, said. "There's a lot of room and you can show your skill. You have more time to think and see the situation. There's a lot of room and you can do whatever you want."
Hurricanes defense prospect Haydn Fleury, a first-round pick (No. 7) in the 2014 NHL Draft, assisted on Tolchinsky's winner. He believes NHL fans will enjoy 3-on-3 hockey.
PENTICTON, British Columbia -- Leon Draisaitl is a year older, a year wiser, and a year further along in his development, but his goal remains the same.
The 19-year-old forward wants to become a full-time member of the Edmonton Oilers.
"It's the same mindset at last year," Draisaitl told NHL.com at the Young Stars Classic tournament. "I want to establish myself as a full-time NHL player. That's my goal. That's what I worked for all summer. Putting in all this work, you don't do it for nothing. You want to make the team and then you want to impress people. That's what I'm here for."
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. --New York Rangers prospect Brady Skjei knows it won't be easy to crack the opening-night roster out of training camp.
That doesn't mean the 21-year-old defenseman won't put his best foot forward in an attempt to realize his dream much sooner than later.
"Every guy coming into camp has the main goal of making the team and it'll be a challenge for sure but I'm going day by day," Skjei said. "If it happens, it happens and if not, I'll go to [the American Hockey League in Hartford] and work on my game there and see what happens."
McDavid, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, had a goal and an assist to help Edmonton to an 8-2 win against the Vancouver Canucks at the Young Stars Classic prospects tournament on Friday.
"It was all right," said McDavid, who had three shots and was plus-1. "I mean, I could've played better personally, but the team did a great job and we played a very good game for what was the first game of the year for a lot of guys, including myself. It's the first game all year."
PENTICTON, British Columbia -- Having one NHL game to his credit didn't hinder prospect Sam Bennett from turning in a solid performance for the Calgary Flames in the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
He's now looking -- and looking for -- bigger.
The 19-year-old has added bulk to his 6-foot-1 frame in the hopes of a full-time stay with the Flames this season.
"I had a really good summer," Bennett said Friday as one of 31 Flames participating in the Young Stars Classic. "It's nice to have a full summer of training and working hard. I knew I had to get a little bit bigger in the offseason. I'm happy with the size that I came in with (about 190 pounds after playing at 175 last season). It was a really good summer and I'm excited to get going here."
A first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft (19th overall), DeAngelo is expected to begin his first season as a professional with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, but the 19-year-old from Sewell, N.J., hopes that a strong training camp gives the Lightning a harder decision to make.
Before training camp starts next week, DeAngelo will join 22 other Lightning prospects in a four-day tournament in Estero, Fla., that begins Saturday. Prospects from the Florida Panthers, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators are also participating.
DeAngelo is looking at the tournament as a chance to make a quick first impression.
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. -- Potential future stars of the Stanley Cup-champion Chicago Blackhawks will make their debut in the 17th Traverse City prospects tournament here at the Centre Ice Arena from Sept. 11-15.
The five-day Traverse City prospects tournament is hosted by the Detroit Red Wings and precedes their training camp at the same location, beginning Sept. 18. The event, which began in 1998 with four teams and expanded to eight teams in 2006, has become an annual preseason staple for coaches, general managers and scouts to evaluate their prospects against their peers.
The addition of the Blackhawks is certain to create a lot of intrigue and excitement.
Introducing the new official NHL App, available for iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones and tablets. A host of new features and improved functionality are available across all platforms, including a redesigned league-wide scoreboard, expanded news coverage, searchable video highlights, individual team experiences* and more. The new NHL App on your tablet also introduces new offerings such as 60fps video, Multitasking** and Picture-in-Picture.
*Available only for smartphones
** Available only for suported iPads