The Canucks have a few returnees and a lot of new prospects debuting at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton.
This year marks the 10th tournament: with the first tournament in 2011 and a three-year hiatus between 2019 – 2021.
Danila Klimovich is one of seven Canucks players returning to the tournament while Aidan McDonough makes his first appearance.
Last year, the Canucks won two of their three games and Klimovich remembers last year fondly. Additionally, the work he’s done in the offseason gives him added confidence rolling into Penticton.
“It was a good team; Young Stars was a good experience for me,” Klimovich said, mentioning that this time around he wants to be a leader for the Canucks squad and an energy player his teammates can feed off.
“It’s going to be a good opportunity to show off in this tournament and use it as another chance to work on my game before Training Camp,” he said.
He’s been in Vancouver throughout the summer, putting in work and the level of compete at the recent informal skates have also helped him get ready for the tournament.
In the offseason, Klimovich stuck to five on-ice practices a week, working on his shooting and creativity. He also spent hours poring over video clips from last season to improve spacing and coverage.
“I’m working on my reaction, like any change in different game situations and quick reaction on the spot. I’ve been watching plays in the d-zone and offensively where I need to be better.”
McDonough got a taste of NHL action in the latter part of Vancouver’s season after he finished his fourth year at Northeastern University. He made his NHL debut March 26th, clocking 10:03 TOI scoring his first NHL goal in his second game against the Calgary Flames. He’s talked to past Young Stars participants who’ve said it’s a great time and a chance to get meaningful games in before camp starts.
“I’m really excited to play. It’s a great opportunity for me to show what I can do and hopefully kind of jumpstart that into a good camp and a good season,” McDonough said.
Coming back to Vancouver this time there’s familiar faces, making it easier to acclimate. He knows the on-ice comfortability will come too; he focused on his skating and speed in the offseason to prepare for his first full season with the Canucks.
“I definitely feel a lot better than I did even at the end of last year,” McDonough said, adding his summer training regimen was different than year’s past. “I did a lot more sprints this summer than in the past, more edge work and power skating. I skated in Toronto with the Canucks skating coach for a week with a few guys and I feel good, I feel confident.”
He hit the ice at the informal skates at UBC and felt it was “invaluable” to get to Vancouver early to set himself up for success. Getting that first five-on-five scrimmage in with the group is a nod that the season is right around the corner.
“It was good to get out there and play a real game. The pace was good, guys were working hard and competing,” he said.
A Milton, Massachusetts native, he’s excited to explore other parts of the province, and is checking Penticton and Victoria off his list over the next two weeks.
