Canucks: Five players to watch during the preseason

Training camp has come to a close for the Vancouver Canucks and preseason games are soon to be happening. That means we will have actual hockey to watch.

It feels like it’s been 84 years since the Canucks last played a game.

After spending three days at the Abbotsford Centre for training camp, the Canucks will head to Spokane to take on the expansion Seattle Kraken on Sunday night for their first preseason game. They will then return to Abbotsford to play the Calgary Flames the next night. The Canucks first preseason game at Rogers Arena will be on October 3 against the Winnipeg Jets.

The preseason games against the Kraken and the Flames apparently won’t be on the television. The game against Seattle will be on NHL.TV (Subscription required.) and the game against Calgary will be streamed on the Canucks website.

At training camp, some players have been making good impressions already and they are going to be determined to have a great preseason so they can be on the opening night roster.

Here are five Canucks players to watch during the preseason.

Jack Rathbone

Jack Rathbone already has eight games of NHL experience under his belt.

Rathbone’s mission is to show that he belongs in the NHL full time.

He is already showing that at training camp showing off his smooth skating, passing and stick checking.

https://twitter.com/ChrisFaber39/status/1441830126149275649

Rathbone has top four potential and is certainly showing that. Just like other players he’s going to have to give it his all during the preseason games.

“Every day, you just kind of want to get a little bit better and better,” Rathbone told Sportsnet’s Iain Macintyre. “I think it’s more just a drive and an excitement around where my game’s at right now and where I think I can be. I’m excited where my game is going, and excited just to continue to learn and hopefully play at a level that I can help these guys win.”

Olli Juolevi

Olli Juolevi did catch people’s attention at training camp…for the wrong reasons.

He looked exhausted after the bag skate on day one and ended up lying down on the ice. He looked like me after running three blocks or after a night of drinking after a hard day at journalism school. Big mood right here.

All jokes and bag skates aside, you have to feel for Juolevi. He was one of the players heavily affected COVID-19 when the Canucks went through a big outbreak last spring. He also has dealt with numerous injuries since being drafted. Juolevi has been an unlucky fellow.

However the bad luck can’t be an excuse for Juolevi and this season could be his last chance to prove he belongs with the Canucks organization.

He is now 23-years-old and it’s been five years since he has been drafted. Juolevi may not be the player he was projected to be when he was drafted fifth overall, but he can be a serviceable third paring defencemen, but again, he has to prove it.

He hasn’t really impressed at training camp and head coach Travis Green didn’t hold back on his thoughts on Juolevi’s performances.

Again, training camp and a bag skate session can’t define a player and Juolevi has the preseason games to prove everybody wrong. Can he defend on the rush? Has his pivoting improved? Will he make the right decisions? We shall see but as of now Juolevi’s chances of making the team are quite slim.