Training Camp Thread

[Kariyadog]

I am really curious here how many of ya'll....as of now before camp....want Lucic on this team?

I am feeling I'm in the minority.

If he’s one of the best 14 options at forward then yes, I’d want him on the team. If he’s not one of the 14 best and they force him onto the team anyway then no, I wouldn’t like it.

That said, I doubt that happens. I’m interested to see how he measures up. We could certainly use the toughness element he brings.

I wouldn't bet against him. The variable that hasn't been talked about was the 22 months sober. That would indicate he had a drinking problem while he was playing. You have to think that it affected his playing. A couple of years of healing up and getting healthy we might get a highly motivated player. If he gets it he's earned it. You know the Blues don't want to block young players.

That is another way of looking at it. He might have another gear available, now that he’s not playing impaired. Will be interesting. DA had, I thought, a lot to say about him. Tbh, I’m biased in his favor.

I’m optimistic, and think the same as you, but man he looked slower than maroon the last time I saw him play

[Harry S Deals]

I am really curious here how many of ya'll....as of now before camp....want Lucic on this team?

I am feeling I'm in the minority.

If he’s one of the best 14 options at forward then yes, I’d want him on the team. If he’s not one of the 14 best and they force him onto the team anyway then no, I wouldn’t like it.

That said, I doubt that happens. I’m interested to see how he measures up. We could certainly use the toughness element he brings.

I wouldn't bet against him. The variable that hasn't been talked about was the 22 months sober. That would indicate he had a drinking problem while he was playing. You have to think that it affected his playing. A couple of years of healing up and getting healthy we might get a highly motivated player. If he gets it he's earned it. You know the Blues don't want to block young players.

That is another way of looking at it. He might have another gear available, now that he’s not playing impaired. Will be interesting. DA had, I thought, a lot to say about him. Tbh, I’m biased in his favor.

I’m optimistic, and think the same as you, but man he looked slower than maroon the last time I saw him play

When i watched DAs presser and i hear the comments from Monty im guessing Lucic sticks. Someone said he could be a 45-50 game guy, playoff guy, there will be injuries too. Stranger things have happened. I think he has to be able to be at least close to an average NHL skater though we dont need another Sunny. IF Lucic has put the time in training preparing for camp this could work hes a helluva presence

[theograce]

I am really curious here how many of ya'll....as of now before camp....want Lucic on this team?

I am feeling I'm in the minority.

If he’s one of the best 14 options at forward then yes, I’d want him on the team. If he’s not one of the 14 best and they force him onto the team anyway then no, I wouldn’t like it.

That said, I doubt that happens. I’m interested to see how he measures up. We could certainly use the toughness element he brings.

I wouldn't bet against him. The variable that hasn't been talked about was the 22 months sober. That would indicate he had a drinking problem while he was playing. You have to think that it affected his playing. A couple of years of healing up and getting healthy we might get a highly motivated player. If he gets it he's earned it. You know the Blues don't want to block young players.

That is another way of looking at it. He might have another gear available, now that he’s not playing impaired. Will be interesting. DA had, I thought, a lot to say about him. Tbh, I’m biased in his favor.

I’m optimistic, and think the same as you, but man he looked slower than maroon the last time I saw him play

When i watched DAs presser and i hear the comments from Monty im guessing Lucic sticks. Someone said he could be a 45-50 game guy, playoff guy, there will be injuries too. Stranger things have happened. I think he has to be able to be at least close to an average NHL skater though we dont need another Sunny. IF Lucic has put the time in training preparing for camp this could work hes a helluva presence

It was fun watching him in Calgary, but he was really slow. Legs weren’t there

[DawgDad]

I am really curious here how many of ya'll....as of now before camp....want Lucic on this team?

I am feeling I'm in the minority.

If he’s one of the best 14 options at forward then yes, I’d want him on the team. If he’s not one of the 14 best and they force him onto the team anyway then no, I wouldn’t like it.

That said, I doubt that happens. I’m interested to see how he measures up. We could certainly use the toughness element he brings.

I wouldn't bet against him. The variable that hasn't been talked about was the 22 months sober. That would indicate he had a drinking problem while he was playing. You have to think that it affected his playing. A couple of years of healing up and getting healthy we might get a highly motivated player. If he gets it he's earned it. You know the Blues don't want to block young players.

That is another way of looking at it. He might have another gear available, now that he’s not playing impaired. Will be interesting. DA had, I thought, a lot to say about him. Tbh, I’m biased in his favor.

I’m optimistic, and think the same as you, but man he looked slower than maroon the last time I saw him play

When i watched DAs presser and i hear the comments from Monty im guessing Lucic sticks. Someone said he could be a 45-50 game guy, playoff guy, there will be injuries too. Stranger things have happened. I think he has to be able to be at least close to an average NHL skater though we dont need another Sunny. IF Lucic has put the time in training preparing for camp this could work hes a helluva presence

It was fun watching him in Calgary, but he was really slow. Legs weren’t there

He may be there for Peterson's benefit, and Toro to some extent.

[theograce]

I am really curious here how many of ya'll....as of now before camp....want Lucic on this team?

I am feeling I'm in the minority.

If he’s one of the best 14 options at forward then yes, I’d want him on the team. If he’s not one of the 14 best and they force him onto the team anyway then no, I wouldn’t like it.

That said, I doubt that happens. I’m interested to see how he measures up. We could certainly use the toughness element he brings.

I wouldn't bet against him. The variable that hasn't been talked about was the 22 months sober. That would indicate he had a drinking problem while he was playing. You have to think that it affected his playing. A couple of years of healing up and getting healthy we might get a highly motivated player. If he gets it he's earned it. You know the Blues don't want to block young players.

That is another way of looking at it. He might have another gear available, now that he’s not playing impaired. Will be interesting. DA had, I thought, a lot to say about him. Tbh, I’m biased in his favor.

I’m optimistic, and think the same as you, but man he looked slower than maroon the last time I saw him play

When i watched DAs presser and i hear the comments from Monty im guessing Lucic sticks. Someone said he could be a 45-50 game guy, playoff guy, there will be injuries too. Stranger things have happened. I think he has to be able to be at least close to an average NHL skater though we dont need another Sunny. IF Lucic has put the time in training preparing for camp this could work hes a helluva presence

It was fun watching him in Calgary, but he was really slow. Legs weren’t there

He may be there for Peterson's benefit, and Toro to some extent.

Army can be a real D, but he does believe in 2nd chances. I’ll give him that.

Lucic will be a fan favorite if he plays a few games. He just can’t skate so well

[seattleblue]

Looking forward to reports today ... glad to read Stancl standing out alongside the big boys by at least one person's viewing ... Stancl is my favorite even though I coveted Carbo too. I am really curious to see if/how he is faring on faceoffs. I want him to turn into Handzus but Handzus was strong on the dot so I am holding that comparison back. How is his skating? That is his biggest hurdle. I would like him bring some more intensity to the PK. He is responsible but he needs more aggression on the PK. (keep in mind he was on a caved-in team that if you burn up yourself getting it out of the zone once ten seconds later you're back on your heels again, so I don't think this is A Thing, just something to be mindful of. He thinks the game and positions himself but whenever he adds the aggression like he brought in WJC his game just levels up exponentially)

[IsDurbanodoingtime]

Group B Lines:

Dvorsky-Suter-Kyrou
Holloway-Schenn-Carbonneau
Lucic-Peca-Toropchenko
Susuev-Stancl-Luff
Bitten-Dorion-Peterson

Fowler-Mailloux
Tucker-Parayko
Buchinger-Fischer
Schueneman-Skinner
Kehrer

Hofer
Zherenko
Cranley

Note- Neighbours out for personal reasons(speculation is a family friend passed away)
https://www.nhl.com/blues/news/neighbou ... ining-camp

Orca Wiesblat was killed last weekend and Jake is a close friend of both Orca and Ozzy

oh my god yeah Jake literally learned sign language so he could not leave his best friend's deaf mom out of their conversations. this is really painful for him I am sure

Very sad. I saw the tweet from the Calgary Hitmen but didn’t make the connection with Neighbours until they mentioned that both of Orca’s parents were deaf.

I had totally missed that about Jake. Really warms the heart. His parents did right.

[SRV1990]

Here’s an article on Neighbours and Ozzy Weisblatt from 5 years ago prior to the 2020 draft.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/17984 ... d_article

This local businessman, by all accounts, is a model citizen.

His name, a year ago, repeatedly pops up while a reporter is researching an inspirational story about the Wiesblatt family, five kids being raised by a single deaf mother in Calgary.

This is the recurring theme.

How the fellow is helping the Wiesblatts.

How he is a terrific influence on the four brothers.

Says one acquaintance: “He’s probably the best thing that could ever happen to the family. His mind is in the right spot. Takes care of the boys. Drives them to workouts. Takes them everywhere.”

Blurts another: “He has frickin’ been humongous … a huge saviour.”

Heartening stuff to hear. And it becomes glaringly obvious that this must be the next stop on the interview train. Tracking down this good soul, co-owner of a profitable car-detailing company, should be fairly easy.

Probably a big-hearted hockey dad. Some well-known pillar of the community.

As it turns out?

The hero is a 17-year-old boy named Jake Neighbours.

“I’m just super lucky to have a friend like him,” said Ozzy Wiesblatt. “I think our relationship will last a lifetime. It’s a pretty special thing.”

Wow, what a stellar young man. Kudos to Jake, and to his family for raising an outstanding person!

[kimzey59]

According to Korac; Carbonneau is in for tomorrow's game.
https://x.com/lkorac10/status/1969101386643124447

Hopefully the whole B squad is going, because that's the group I'm really wanting to see(Holloway, Carbonneau, Dvorsky, Suter, Lucic, Stancl, Mailloux, Susuyev).

[Tabasco Flowers]

According to Korac; Carbonneau is in for tomorrow's game.
https://x.com/lkorac10/status/1969101386643124447

Hopefully the whole B squad is going, because that's the group I'm really wanting to see(Holloway, Carbonneau, Dvorsky, Suter, Lucic, Stancl, Mailloux, Susuyev).

They seem really high on him. He'll probably go back to the Q, but this is going to be very good for his deveopement

[SameOldBlues]

For those of you who are pretty familiar with Stancl, what’s his ceiling in your opinion, Top 6? Or Middle 6 at least? Or are we talking more like Bottom 6?

[STL fan in MN]

According to Korac; Carbonneau is in for tomorrow's game.
https://x.com/lkorac10/status/1969101386643124447

Hopefully the whole B squad is going, because that's the group I'm really wanting to see(Holloway, Carbonneau, Dvorsky, Suter, Lucic, Stancl, Mailloux, Susuyev).

They seem really high on him. He'll probably go back to the Q, but this is going to be very good for his deveopement

I doubt Carbonneau being in the lineup tomorrow night tells us much of anything one way or the other. Teams tend to send very weak lineups the first couple preseason games, especially the away team. BUT, the NHL says you have to send 8 veterans to maintain roster integrity…but your most recent 1st rounder for whatever reason counts as a “veteran.”

The NHL's veteran rule for the preseason mandates that each team must dress at least eight "veterans" in every exhibition game. Veterans include forwards/defensemen with 30+ games last season, goalies who played 30+ games or dressed for 50+ games last season, players with 100+ career NHL games, and first-round picks from the current year's draft. This rule ensures a certain level of veteran presence on the ice, even as teams use the preseason to evaluate prospects.

So Carbonneau could be in the lineup simply because he helps them reach the minimum 8 they need. Lucic would count too even though he hasn’t played in a couple years.

[kimzey59]

For those of you who are pretty familiar with Stancl, what’s his ceiling in your opinion, Top 6? Or Middle 6 at least? Or are we talking more like Bottom 6?

Assuming he stays at center; IF things go well with Stancl, he could be roughly Handzus level.
Middle 6, defense oriented, not inept offensively but not a production driver(he's geared towards finishing more than setting guys up).

[seattleblue]

For those of you who are pretty familiar with Stancl, what’s his ceiling in your opinion, Top 6? Or Middle 6 at least? Or are we talking more like Bottom 6?

The player thinks the game at a very high level, has a strong wrister, is opportunistic and at his aggressive best he is going to the wall taking the puck away from whatever player and immediately turning it into a scoring chance. That was his WJC. If skating could just level up easily then every player would do it, but it can be improved. Stancl is a player who grasps this being his limitation and who does not want to be limited. One more standard deviation and he's a 1st line caliber player. As is, I have my expectations middle 6. I really like this player but I'm hesitant to predict first line forward, because in my past experience some Blues fans will respond in exceptionally [shirt]ty ways to suggesting a middle round pick will be anything real until it happens. However, this is the kind of player who can play hundreds of games in the NHL and contribute strong play.

[Aesa]

For those of you who are pretty familiar with Stancl, what’s his ceiling in your opinion, Top 6? Or Middle 6 at least? Or are we talking more like Bottom 6?

The player thinks the game at a very high level, has a strong wrister, is opportunistic and at his aggressive best he is going to the wall taking the puck away from whatever player and immediately turning it into a scoring chance. That was his WJC. If skating could just level up easily then every player would do it, but it can be improved. Stancl is a player who grasps this being his limitation and who does not want to be limited. One more standard deviation and he's a 1st line caliber player. As is, I have my expectations middle 6. I really like this player but I'm hesitant to predict first line forward, because in my past experience some Blues fans will respond in exceptionally [shirt]ty ways to suggesting a middle round pick will be anything real until it happens. However, this is the kind of player who can play hundreds of games in the NHL and contribute strong play.

Very good summation. I tend to fully agree with every word.

[STL fan in MN]

For those of you who are pretty familiar with Stancl, what’s his ceiling in your opinion, Top 6? Or Middle 6 at least? Or are we talking more like Bottom 6?

I see a player with mostly bottom-6 potential. Most likely at LW but he can play C too so I’d like to see him play some C this season and see if he can play it well at the pro level.

He’s a big boy with ok skills, a nice, hard shot and he works hard. I’m open to him having enough skill that he might end up higher in the lineup but I wouldn’t call it likely. As others have noted already, he’s not a great skater. But he’s better than he used to be.

The AHL should be a good jump for him. Once he plays in that league a bit, I think we’ll then have a little better idea what we have in him. But for now, I see a player with a good shot of being a longtime NHL bottom-6 forward.