Young participated in his third Canucks development camp in July, and he is ready for his Young Stars trilogy.
“Being in my third year, you get a lot more confidence coming into it, you know what to expect,” Young said. “You know the routines here and even just the scenery and stuff, everything feels familiar and makes it way easier coming in and knowing that you’ve done that before."
The tournament is a kickoff to hockey season, switching from summer hockey and time with Young’s three-on-three group in Alberta to full-fledged competitive hockey mode.
He looks forward to this tournament every year to see how much he’s improved after all the work he’s put in through the summer.
“I think the huge part of it is you’re playing against guys that are the best junior players in the world and lots of them are in the AHL as well, so you see where you’re at against the top level at our age. It’s a really great experience to go against all those guys, even just in practice getting shots from the highest quality shooters possible,” Young said.
Canucks Goalie Coach Marko Torenius lays out what’s expected from the goaltending contingent ahead of the tournament and the 20-year-old takes it all in and is looking to play his game this weekend.
“You try to keep everything in mind, but at the same time don't overthink and find that zone of having fun whenever you get the chance and showcase yourself,” said Young. “They use the word “sandbox”, the game’s your sandbox, you just have to go have fun and play in it.”
Young was working on the details of his game over the summer and used the information he was given at development camp to fine-tune his skills. Before every skate, he’d look at his booklet to reinforce things he needs to focus on.
“Just working on those little things and having an idea of what you want to get better at each practice and with that intention comes progress,” he said.
The best part of the weekend for Young is seeing the guys again and building those relationships as the weekend goes along. Many of their paths cross at Canucks development camp and at Young Stars.
“Everybody’s always so great here to talk to, everybody makes you feel welcome. It’s great seeing the same faces and some new ones as well,” Young said.
He likes to watch the AHL guys to pick up on their habits and ask questions about the pro lifestyle. His goal is to take that step from junior to the pros and being a consistent player and in Penticton he’s immersed in a professional atmosphere.
“You see how hard they work and put intention into everything they do. Even with Tolo here, he’s in a similar position to where I want to be in so I can talk to him and watch him on the ice, see the things that he does and I kind of put that into my game as well,” he said.
He’s going to enjoy the practice, games, team dinners and time with the team over the weekend and will put his best foot forward when he steps on the ice.
