The second half of this morning’s rookie-camp session featured more 5-on-5 play and a better opportunity to get a look at the forwards. The defensemen still seemed to get the better of the action, and it’s tough to keep tabs on 25 guys at once, but I’ll share a couple things that jumped out at me.
Brandon Kozun has an amazing motor on the ice. He doesn’t always get to the net, but he never stops skating and working, even when things get tough in the corners. It will be interesting to see how his game translates to the AHL level, since that is presumably his next stop.
Kyle Clifford already has NHL size and strength. It will be interesting to see what type of role he fills when he first cracks an NHL lineup, whether it’s this season or in the future. Ideally, he’s probably a third-line player right now. He has good awareness and hockey sense, but he’s been skating with Kozun and Andrei Loktionov, and his playmaking skills aren’t quite at that caliber right now.
Corey Elkins, at one point, made a nice move to the get to the net, and also had a couple good moments on the forecheck. Jordan Nolan is big and moves well for his size. Two other guys, Robbie Czarnik and Jordan Weal, impressed with their hustle.
Mark Morris, who is essentially the on-ice head coach, got after the guys a few times in the morning session for crisper outlet passes and overall focus. Next up are the two games against the Coyotes’ prospects in Arizona, tomorrow at 6 p.m. and Wednesday at 2 p.m. I’ll be there for both of the games.
More quotes to come from today…
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