Canucks fans, have you got your Canucks Young Stars Classic tickets yet?
What are you waiting for? This is a first chance to see some of their prospect of players from Sept. 8 to 11 at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
Among the featured players the are dressing for the tournament are Jonathan Dahlen (second round, 42nd overall pick), Olli Juolevi (fifth overall pick in 鈥�15), Brock Boeser (first round, 23rd overall), Kole Lind of the Kelowna Rockets, Thatcher Demko and Michael DiPietro, who led the Windsor Spitfires to a Memorial Cup championship. Jonathan Dahlen won鈥檛 be at the tournament as he now has mononucleosis.
鈥淶ack MacEwan, who we signed as a free agent in the spring out of the Quebec league, went to Utica and unfortunately because of the timing of it didn鈥檛 get to get in any games,鈥� said Ryan Johnson, general manager of the Canucks AHL affiliate Utica Comets. 鈥淏esides development camp, this will be kind of their first view of him. That鈥檚 exciting. He has showed very well in development camp. He has worked extremely hard this summer.鈥�
Joulevi, who is returning for his second Young Stars Classic. He had a good off-season in which he got stronger. Johnson said he could go on and on with the prospects.
鈥淵ou鈥檙e excited as an organization when you start to add depth,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he prospects and competition within that, there鈥檚 a handful of guys that we鈥檙e excited to see.鈥�
Johnson sees the Canucks Young Stars Classic as a great way to kick off the NHL season.
Johnson and the Canucks brass will see what the work prospects over the summer put in when they take on the prospects of the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets. Johnson said it鈥檚 hard to say how the Canucks will fare against the other teams.
鈥淥ur approach coming into this is not, 鈥楬ey we got to come in and go 3-0,鈥欌�� said Johnson, adding they want to put their players in situations to succeed. 鈥淔or the ones where this is their first time through this, it can be a little bit overwhelming. It鈥檚 a practice and off you go into this high intensity games, sometimes the games can be a little bit scrambly. We try to prepare them for that.
鈥淭he expectation is to have them come in and settle in and make a good showing of themselves and as a group,鈥� continued Johnson. 鈥淲e know it鈥檚 a tough environment.鈥�
As for the other Canadian teams, the Jets lineup features Logan Stanley selected in 2016 18th overall, Skyler McKenzie, Jansen Harkins, Michael Spacek and Luke Green. They also have Tucker Poolman, the brother of former Penticton Vee Colton Poolman. The Flames lineup features Juuso Valimaki (2017 first round pick, 16th overall), Dillon Dube, Tyler Parsons, Matthew Phillips and Mark Jankowski. The Edmonton Oilers lineup features Kailer Yamamoto (2017 first round pick, 22nd overall), Dylan Wells, Caleb Jones and Ethan Bear.
Tickets are available online at , by phone at 1-877-763-2849 or in person at the South Okanagan Events Centre Valley First Box Office. For complete package details please visit .
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