Canes Bring Talent, Firepower to Traverse City

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. - With the Labor Day weekend in the rearview mirror, hockey season draws ever closer.
The annual NHL Prospect Tournament in Traverse City, which begins Friday, Sept. 7 and runs through Tuesday, Sept. 11, serves as the unofficial beginning to the season, and the Carolina Hurricanes are back in the quaint lake town for the ninth year, in search of their third tournament title.
"I love this tournament," said Mike Vellucci, head coach of the prospects team and the Charlotte Checkers. "You get a lot of opportunity to see the young guys and see how they improved over the summer. We had them in for development camp, and now we get a chance to see them against their peers and see where they stack up."
Let's set the table for this four-game tournament with five things to watch.

1. Firepower
Take a quick glance at the Hurricanes' tournament roster, and you'll immediately notice the team's talent and firepower on offense.
Aleksi Saarela, Nicolas Roy and Julien Gauthier comprised a line in practice on Thursday. All three played with the Checkers last season and combined for 106 points (52g, 54a). Another offensive trio featured Janne Kuokkanen, Martin Necas and Andrei Svechnikov, perhaps the very definition of speed and skill.
And that's just two lines.

"It will be a lot of fun. Lots of teams have great players, but we have exceptional forwards," defenseman Jake Bean said. "It's fun playing with good players. They can see the ice really well, so I'm just going to try to get open for them."
There's no question this group has offensive talent, but Vellucci wants to see more well-rounded games come to the forefront, as well.
"Talent is great, but I think when you look at what Rod Brind'Amour wants and what our organization wants is not to be just talented but also hard-working," he said. "We're going to be stressing back-checking, playing hard, winning battles in the corners, being physical, sticking up for your teammates, all those things. The talent is great - and yes they are very talented - but they need to push their game from a physical standpoint to the next level."
2. 88 and 37
Prospects Development Camp showcased Necas and Svechnikov in a limited capacity, and even that was exciting. The Hurricanes will get another look at their young dynamic duo with the two skating alongside one another with Kuokkanen flanking.
"It's hard to force chemistry, so we'll see if they have it," Vellucci said. "We've got Kuokks there, and he had a lot of chemistry last year with Necas. We'll start with those three guys and see where the chemistry goes from there."

Necas and Kuokkanen each had brief stints with the Hurricanes at the outset of the 2017-18 season, with Kuokkanen playing in four games and Necas skating in one. Adding second-overall pick Svechnikov, an offensive force, to that mix is tantalizing.
"Both are skilled. Janne is really good with his stick. Svech has a really good shot. He's powerful. He can skate to the net and is good with the puck," Necas said. "It's going to be fun."
3. A Young Defense
While the Hurricanes are loaded with talent prospects up front, the team's defense in this tournament is a bit thinner due to the number of collegiate and European prospects currently in the system.
Bean, selected 13th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft, is the elder statesman on the blue line in terms of experience, as he makes his third tournament appearance.
"Not having any nerves. You come in here knowing what to expect," he said. "I'm excited to be here. We have a good team."

Swiss defenseman Michael Fora, who the Canes inked to a two-year, entry-level contract in June, is the elder statesman on the blue line in terms of age at 22 years old.
Brendan De Jong rounds out the group of Canes' prospects on the back-end, the remaining roster spots of which feature tournament invitees. Thursday's practice, then, was especially important for the defenders to get up to speed.
"These guys are so good. They'll figure it out pretty quick," Bean said. "I think once the ball gets rolling we'll all be on the same page."
4. The "Veterans"
Roy is making his fourth appearance in the NHL Prospect Tournament, so at 21 years young, he's the wily veteran of the crew.
"Nic has done nothing but improve every year. I saw it in today's practice. He was the hardest working guy," Vellucci said. "He worked on his skating, which he knows has to improve and has improved immensely. What I look for him to do is to continue being a leader and taking his game to the next level, which he's done every year."
Two years removed from each being drafted in the first round, Bean and Gauthier will be making their third tournament appearances.

"You should dominate. If you've been here three years, you should dominate," Vellucci said. "I'm not looking for them to just fit in - I want them to dominate physically, mentally and offensively. Dominate the game. Don't take a shift off. Play at the highest level possible. Compete every shift."
In a short tournament with a roster that features a handful of invitees, these returning players will be counted on for their leadership.
"You can measure yourself against everybody else and how much harder you have to work to get there," Vellucci said. "If you can't dominate in this tournament, how are you going to play in the National Hockey League? That's the key."
5. Come Together
This tournament is ultimately a developmental and evaluation tool and a chance for some of the league's top prospects to get some game action under their belts before reporting for training camp.
But, the Hurricanes would also like to claim their third tournament title. With just three round-robin games before the championship match-up is decided, a quick start is vitally important.
"Make sure you know everyone on the team and come to the game prepared," Necas said.
"Jump in. Don't test the waters. Go right in. Hopefully we can do that tomorrow," Bean said. "I'm really going to push myself and push the pace so I'm feeling good when we get back to Raleigh and give myself the best chance to make the team."
"The key is probably going to be to get a couple saves early on. The jitters are going since everyone hasn't been physical all year," Vellucci said. "If we can pot one early and get a goal quick, you start building momentum. My talk to them is about building it shift by shift."
Schedule
The eight teams participating in the NHL Prospect Tournament are divided into two divisions of four. The Hurricanes, along with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks (2017 tournament champions) and St. Louis Blues, comprise the Gordie Howe Division, while the Ted Lindsay Division features the Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild and New York Rangers.
Carolina opens tournament play on Friday at 3:30 p.m. against St. Louis. Their three-game, round-robin slate continues Saturday with a 3 p.m. match-up against Chicago, followed by a 7 p.m. Monday faceoff against Columbus. The tournament will conclude on Tuesday, as the teams cross divisions to play their standings' equals; the two first-place teams will square off for the Matthew Wuest Memorial Cup at 7 p.m.
Hurricanes.com will have complete tournament coverage in Traverse City, and live streams of each game will be available both on Hurricanes.com and through the
FOX Sports app
.

2018 NHL Prospect Tournament

| Friday, Sept. 7 | Hurricanes | Blues | 3:30 p.m. | | Saturday, Sept. 8 | Blackhawks | Hurricanes | 3:00 p.m. | | Monday, Sept. 10 | Hurricanes | Blue Jackets | 7:00 p.m. | | Tuesday, Sept. 11 | TBD | TBD | TBD | | DATE | VISITOR | HOME | TIME (ET) | | --- | --- | --- | --- |