Conor Garland is the only player to have gone through a Rick Tocchet training camp prior to this season.
He had a leg up because he knew what was coming and his experience is really what makes him more comfortable.
This camp has the same feel as the training camps Tocchet ran in Arizona from 2018–2021. Garland enters his third season with Vancouver and having been through half a dozen training camps, his experience gives him a different perspective and focus at camp. With skill work being second nature, he can turn his attention to learning systems.
“I was such a young kid at the time, where each practice felt like game seven, so you weren’t even thinking of the systems you were just trying to have good practices,” Garland said.
“It’s a well-run camp with information coming each day that you just build on and build on, and it’s timed well too throughout the preseason games and the scrimmages we’ll have.”
The team worked on systems the first two days, then put it into practice during a scrimmage on Day 3, which concluded with special teams drills.
As many players returned to Vancouver early for informal skate at UBC, Garland says it feels like they’ve been back together for two weeks.
“We’ve been playing so hard at those scrimmages...it’s a tip of the cap to the veteran guys and leadership getting everybody out here. I think this year Day 1 of camp wasn’t a killer because I felt like we’re already in shape and it’s been easier to have more knowledge given, more systems,” he said.
Throughout camp he’s enjoyed playing with the new defensive contingent, and linemates Pius Suter and Arshdeep Bains, and is looking forward to continuing to build that chemistry throughout the preseason.
“I played a lot against these guys, Soucy, Cole, even Hronek, so it’s been nice.”
Garland says he and Suter used Day 3 scrimmage as an opportunity to get into a rhythm.
“You can tell he’s cerebral, sees the ice really well, finds spots off the rush and in zone at a really deep level and he’s easy to talk to,” Garland said.
Bains has a similar style to Garland’s pushing up the ice and creating chances below the goal line.
“He works hard. Gets a strong base and gets into guys pretty well. At the NHL level it’s hard to forecheck and get pucks back and he does that pretty well, so he’s an easy player to play with,” he said.
The Canucks start their preseason against the Calgary Flames at the Saddledome Sunday, September 24th at 5 p.m. PST and their first home game is Saturday, September 30th at 6 p.m. PST.
