Training Camp Day 3

For the second day of on-ice practices, the team switched to focusing on offensive systems. As they did on the first day of practice, the training camp roster was split into two groups, Group A and Group B.

Before practice kicked off Friday, the Mammoth announced that Alternate Captain Alexander Kerfoot is week-to-week with a lower-body injury. In addition to Kerfoot not practicing with Group A, there were several other changes.

Forwards Cameron Hebig and Michal Kunc, and defensemen Maksymilian Szuber and Maveric Lamoureux joined Group A on Friday, while forward Ben McCartney, and defensemen Artem Duda and Scott Perunovich joined Group B.

Head Coach André Tourigny shared the philosophy behind switching players out following Group A’s practice on Friday:

“We want to first have a look at a lot of players with our NHL group and give them that experience,” Tourigny explained. “It’s the same thing the other way around. We want to see some guys when we put them in the other group, see how dominant they can be and if they can separate themselves in that group as well. So, I think it’s a mix of both.”

The Groups

Here was today’s groups at practice:

Group A

Forwards: Andrew Agozzino, Cole Beaudoin, Daniil But, Michael Carcone, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, Dylan Guenther, Barrett Hayton, Cameron Hebig, Tij Iginla, Clayton Keller, Michal Kunc, Jack McBain, JJ Peterka, Nick Schmaltz, Kevin Stenlund, Brandon Tanev, Kailer Yamamoto

Defensemen: Ian Cole, Nick DeSimone, Sean Durzi, Maveric Lamoureux, John Marino, Olli Määttä, Nate Schmidt, Mikhail Sergachev, Dmitri Simashev, Maksymilian Szuber

Goaltenders: Dryden McKay, Vitek Vaněček, Karel Vejmelka

Group B

Forwards: Owen Allard, Maksim Barbashev, Curtis Douglas, Coster Dunn, Carson Harmer, Sam Lipkin, Julian Lutz, Miko Matikka, Ben McCartney, Ryan McGregor, Noel Nordh, Austin Poganski, Jack Ricketts, Gabe Smith, Ty Tullio, Sammy Walker

Defensemen: Kevin Connauton, Artem Duda, Ludvig Lafton, Tomas Lavoie, Lleyton Moore, Montana Onyebuchi, Scott Perunovich, Max Pšenička, Veeti Väisänen

Goaltenders: Jaxson Stauber, Matt Villalta, Dylan Wells

Switching to Offense

After the groups focused on learning the defensive schemes on Thursday, both A and B introduced the team’s offensive systems. It was a high intensity practice; however, the team impressed Tourigny.

“The boys had a lot of pace and focus and they were resilient,” Tourigny shared. “This was not an easy (practice). There was a lot of skating, and they stayed with it, and they were strong at the end.”

Splitting up the days has helps the players pick up the systems and adjustments quickly.

“It’s important,” forward Barrett Hayton explained. “You want to get a good base before that first preseason game so everyone’s comfortable. It’s a fast game, you don’t want to be thinking, you want to try to pick that up. With having so many returning guys, that comes a lot quicker. We’re able to help some of the new guys.”

The New Guys

This is forward Brandon Tanev’s tenth full NHL season and over the years he’s learned how important training camp is especially being assimilated with a new team.

“As you get older, you understand training camp and what it means to the start of the season,” Tanev explained. “Especially coming to a new team. It’s meeting with the guys, getting to know the coaching staff, all the systems, the X’s and O’s, and getting to work right away at practice. We want to be a hardworking team that plays with a lot of pace; you want to be a part of that any way you can. But it’s been great so far, understanding everything, and meeting everyone.”