A scrimmage like this isn't always about the final score, though being athletes it's always competitive, but it's a first real opportunity to showcase yourself to the coaching staff and management. From players making a first impression as newcomers, to players battling back from injury, this was the first opportunity at camp to appear in game-action and see where they measure up.
Nathan Bastian has the honor of being the first to score in a scrimmage during the 2022-23 training camp, beating Jonathan Bernier for Group B to take a 1-0 lead. Group B would build on their lead making it 5-0 with goals by Bastian, Michael Vukojevic, Jesper Bratt and two from Damon Severson. But for Bernier, a scrimmage like this is about getting that feel again, having played just 10 games last season before undergoing surgery.
"Definitely felt like a long-time coming," Bernier said after the scrimmage. "It took a long time for me to kind of go over that hump and the last couple of months I started to feel much better and was able to skate twice a week, then move to three and four."
Bernier and Vitek Vanecek played half the game for their respective teams, while Nico Daws and Akira Schmid later subbed in to finish the game. The game ended in an 8-1 final for Team B, who was dressed in white. They will be Saturday's practice group, before Team A and C battle it out in the second scrimmage of training camp.
Bernier Plays, Smith Stands Out in First Scrimmage of Camp | FEATURE
The first scrimmage of camp was an opportunity for first impressions, and players battling back from injury