Training Camp Notebook (Sept. 21): Sights and Sounds From the First Day of On-Ice Work

By Coby Maeir on September 21, 2023 at 7:04 pm
Blue Jackets center Adam Fantilli take a one-timer at the Blue Jackets practice ahead of their tournament in Traverse City.
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Training camp notebooks are back.

Here are the groups/lines from the first day of the on-ice portion of training camp.

Observations

  • Boone Jenner left practice early after taking a puck up high. "It doesn't seem serious but I haven't spoken to the medical staff yet," Pascal Vincent said.
  • Kent Johnson shined in scrimmages, playing on the right wing on a line with Hunter McKown and Johnny Gaudreau. There was one play below the goal line where Johnson got position against David Jiricek, completely faking him out, making Jiricek look lost. 
  • Denton Mateychuk looks exponentially better and more poised this year than last year. He should be in for a big year in Moose Jaw.
  • James Malatesta continues to perform at a high level. He could score 40-to-50 points in the AHL this season.

Soundbites

  • "There's definitely a ton of guys that can make plays." - Ivan Provorov on what he learned from playing against the Blue Jackets last season.
  • "It was picture day yesterday so my dad told me, 'You might as well look 18 for one of them.'" - Adam Fantilli, 18, on shaving his beard since the Traverse City tournament.
  • "Just play hockey. Just come to the rink every day. You can't worry about what's behind us, we just look at what's in front of us." - Damon Severson on moving forward after the events of the past week.
  • "When you go on the ice, it's hockey, you try to have fun and do your best and win, it's gonna be pretty easy to not worry about that, I think." - Johnson on entering the final year of his entry-level contract. 
  • "My dad (former NHLer Mike Sillinger) was [in] player development for Edmonton after his career, and they drafted [Taylor] Hall, and he got to work a lot with him, and he became my favorite player. Edmonton was my favorite team at the time. So that's why I wore four as a kid." - Cole Sillinger on changing his number from 34 to four. 
  • "I think we're all fighting for jobs. I feel like every year I come here, I'm fighting for a job. I believe I'm good enough to be on the roster. I'm an NHL hockey player." - Justin Danforth on reestablishing his place in the lineup.

Stay tuned for more training camp notebooks over the next few weeks.

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