Wake With Elias- Sept 23, 2021: Training Camp Begins

Photos, pressers and the like were the order of the day as training camp officially got underway for the Vancouver Canucks. With the full training camp roster announced, the focus is still on who is not there over who is. No surprise in that, as GM Jim Benning, and Pat Brisson, who represents Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes, continue to work on a deal.

There’s some notable absences besides Quinn and Petey though, as Bo Horvat, Travis Hamonic, Tyler Motte and Brandon Sutter were not on the ice yesterday. Motte is still out of the lineup, dealing with issues related to a hit in a game back in April against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where a hit to the head by Timothy Liljegren went unpunished. Sutter is also injured, and Justin Bailey is listed as being out with COVID.

And joining the team for the first official on ice session in Abbotsford is Alex Chiasson, who has signed a PTO with the Canucks. Chaisson spent the last couple seasons in Edmonton, and could be the guy who fills in for Motte should this be a long term issue.

While we await the signings of Pettersson and Hughes, we get our first look at Vasily Podkolzin with the main squad, as well as the numerous new faces brought in by Benning in what was the busiest summer of his tenure as Canucks GM.

The Canucks have a pair of exhibition games coming up, starting against the NHL’s newest team. They’ll be in Spokane, WA to take on the Seattle Kraken on Sunday night, and then it’s back to Abbotsford on Monday to host the Calgary Flames. Neither game will be televised, but they will be on Sportsnet650. Game threads will be rolling here, as we’re excited to get back to a more normal existence when it comes to the team.