The Prospects Showcase kicked off its first game of a double header this weekend at Rogers Forum on Saturday afternoon, the Kraken taking the game 7-3.
Abbotsford Canucks Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou said it was a good learning experience for the group, and he liked the overall compete from his squad.
“Systematically, pretty sloppy, which is expected. I think competitively, we had to be happy with the group,” Papaioannou said. “It got away from them in the third a little bit, but I think individually, when we look at some of the performances, I thought there was some bright spots, and overall, what it does for us is gives us some things to watch tomorrow morning, and hopefully prepare these guys for tomorrow.”
The top line of Braeden Cootes, Ilya Safonov, and Bennett Schimek stood out to Papaioannou, being able to get inside and make some plays.
“It was awesome. Anytime you get to wear that jersey, it’s an honour. It’s just good to get the season going again and get playing five-on-five games,” Cootes said.
Cootes enjoys playing with Safonov, saying the winger is good at protecting pucks and a great passer.
Adam Novotný played in his first game in a Canucks uniform, since being drafted in June. He scored his first goal and said that although it was a rocky start, he felt they improved as the game progressed and he’s looking forward to a rematch.
“It’s the first game with this group, so we kind of know it’s not going to be easy at the start. We [were] looking for each other, and it was a little bit of a tough start, but I felt throughout the game we were getting better as a team, and obviously we didn’t want them to score, but just motivation for tomorrow,” Novotný said.
Papaioannou liked a lot of what he saw from Novotný in his first outing as a Canuck, and is hoping to see more in tomorrow’s game.
“He drove some pucks wide and held some guys off. Obviously, the goal, it’s a nice shot. But, for me, I think his game is just about being involved with other players, and it doesn’t have to all come off his stick, so I think he presents himself well, and we’ll get him with a couple different linemates tomorrow,” Papaioannou said.
Aleksei Medvedev played between the pipes for Vancouver, turning aside 26 of 33 shots he faced. The London Knights goaltender played in three preseason games with London before coming to Vancouver for the Prospect Showcase.
Goals
In the first, Kraken forward Justin Janicke made good on a breakaway, Seattle taking a 1-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Vancouver started the second period on the power play, Vilmer Alriksson ripped a shot from the slot, evening the score 1-1, while Riley Patterson and Kirill Kudryavtsev recorded assists.