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With training camp winding up and the final roster needing to be set within the next week there is plenty of pressure on the players still fighting for spots on the team. One thing that should be perfectly clear to them is what the coaching staff is looking for, especially when it comes to the younger players like Jordan LaVallee, Bryan Little, Brett Sterling, and Boris Valabik who don't have much (if any) previous pro experience to fall back on.

After Tuesday's morning skate Bob Hartley spoke to the media about the importance of the next three pre-season games.

"The closer we get, well we have to make our team plus those final three games are very important games for us" he said. "They need be good games for us and that's why the other day I drew the line in the sand. That first experience or second camp you get comfortable but when are you going to make the statement that 'I am an NHL player'? You have to make that statement and as a player the only way you can make it is on the ice. That's where you're paid to be and that's where you have to perform."

Would a strong performance on Tuesday earn a player an extra game to show their stuff on Wednesday or Friday. Maybe, but maybe not.

"I have a blueprint of the seven games in my red book. So I have a plan obviously. Tomorrow night (in Florida) and game seven (Friday versus the Panthers) it's all written in pencil. A bad game today and..."

The coach paused to clarify what he meant, choosing his words carefully.

"There were guys the other night who were penciled in for tonight's game and they got the "bon soir." They're warned. We gave them one, two, three or four games and we can't be any more fair than this with them. If they can't cut it there's probably a reason. Either they can't do it or they don't want to do it. That's how it works in this business."

Asked specifically about 2006 first-round draft pick Bryan Little who is trying to make the Thrashers' opening night roster after playing junior hockey last season Hartley was firm and direct.

"The biggest question for him is to show us that he's ready. There's no doubt in my mind that Bryan Little will be an NHL player. The biggest question is when. Is it now? Is it at Christmas? Is it February? Next year? Two years? He holds the answers."

He holds the answers- just like every other playing fighting for a roster spot in Atlanta's camp. The philosophy for the coaching staff has been the same since the day training camp opened- the players themselves will answer all of the questions and determine who makes the team. The talent and skill is there at every position, but now the question is about the mental makeup of the players.

"You have to draw a line and say I'm here for business," said Hartley, clearly talking about the younger players. "Kids come to camp and they want to see the big rink. They want to see Marian Hossa. They want to see Ilya Kovalchuk. I went through this in Colorado with all the big names. Some big picks came in and they never touched the puck because they were too busy watching Sakic and Forsberg."

"And Jeff Odgers" laughed Hartley, looking directly at the retired winger that played for him Colorado and Atlanta.

"Some kids get overwhelmed by training camp. Some guys say training camps are way too long, but unfortunately for some of those kids by the time they figure out why they're at the training camp the camp is over for them. They're gone. Usually for them, physically they'll be pretty well ready. It's the mental part. It's the mindset coming in."

Hockey players are notorious for being among the most polite of all professional athletes, and that might b part of the problem when it comes to fighting for roster spots. Younger players are to quick to defer to veterans. Hartley would prefer to see them step up.

"You have to take a jersey away. You have to take a stall from someone. You're pushing guys that are on one-way contracts." he explained. "They want to hold their spot. In our business, we're at the top. You survive by being the best but before you get there you have to be able step on people's toes. You can't tell a guy 'I'm sorry but I would like your stall.' Very few guys are ready to give their stall. You have to steal them. You have to take it away and you have to earn it. That's part of the attitude you need. As a kid you can't come in a be conservative and say you want to get a feel for what it's going to be. You're all in. You're all in. That's the way it is."

The question now is if any of the youngsters are ready to put all of their chips on the table. There's clearly a difference between playing junior and minor league hockey and playing in the NHL, and it's up to the players to show they handle the transition.

"I want to see if they can be men playing in the NHL, not kids playing in junior," said Hartley.

Asked specifically about Colin Stuart, a relatively young player who has toiled in the minors for three seasons Hartley was blunt. "It's the same as for the rest of them. I want to see more grit. I want to see more attitude. Valentine's Day is February 14."

The message from the coach is clear- if you want a spot take it. Don't expect anyone to give it to you.

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Four more cuts have been made and the active roster stands at 29. Bob Hartley has mentioned that they plan to carry 22 players so that means seven more players will be sent down to the AHL over the next week or so. Assuming injuries aren't a factor one of those seven will likely be goaltender Ondrej Pavelec, leaving Lehtonen and Hedberg as the team's two goalies. No surprises there.

So who's still fighting for spots?

There are 16 forwards left in camp and if you assume that 13 will be carried that leaves a few guys fighting for the final spots. We're getting close though. If every forward that had a regular spot in the NHL last year makes it (which is a pretty safe assumption) that gives us five forwards fighting for two spots- Darren Haydar, Jordan LaVallee, Bryan Little, Brett Sterling and Colin Stuart. Brett Sterling is probably the closest to locking up a spot so the real question is who of the other four forwards will be starting the season in the NHL?

The situation on the blueline isn't any more clear. There are 10 defensemen left in camp and seven spots. The four returning players (Exelby, Havelid, McCarthy and Zhitnik) are assumed to be on the team and so is Ken Klee. That leaves Enstrom, Kwiatkowski, Pilar, Popovic and Valabik fighting for the final two spots.

The forward positions may be solidified fairly soon, but I'd expect it to take a bit more time to make the final cuts on the blueline. Pilar and Kwiatkowski have NHL experience, Enstrom has plenty of promise, Popovic has done everything that has been asked of him when called up and Valabik brings significant size and grit to the position. Everyone has something to offer.

I spoke to Enstrom last night and he wasn't at all happy with the way he played. Most other people I talked to thought he had a decent showing and that his strengths outweighed his weaknesses, so it may  be that Enstrom is his own toughest critic. That's a good sign from a player determined to make the squad. He isn't taking anything for granted and isn't letting the hype give him a false sense of security.

What were your thoughts on last night's game and what do you think of the most recent cuts? Who's going to make it?

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So- who's playing in Nashville tomorrow night? I don't know, and the decision might not be finalized until tomorrow. I likely won't know until I board the plane with the team.

That's right- I'm going to Nashville for the game, so make sure you check in for updates before and during the action for the view from the press box.

Without knowing the actual lineup it's probably pretty safe to say that most of the guys who haven't suited up in the preseason will be playing tomorrow night. Guys like Darren Haydar, Steve McCarthy, Grant Lewis (if his hip has healed), Kevin Doell, Jordan LaVallee and veterans like Eric Boulton, Bobby Holik, Slava Kozlov, Niclas Havelid and Marian Hossa. I won't be shocked if some of the vets don't play until Saturday's home game though.

I guess we'll find out for sure some time tomorrow.

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Well- the first round of cuts has been made and there weren't many (if any) surprises. If you take a look at the current roster almost all of the forwards have either some NHL experience or are AHL veterans. The three with a year or less of AHL experience are Jordan LaVallee, Bryan Little, and  Brett Sterling. Sterling has looked pretty comfortable with White and Kovalchuk so you probably won't see him getting sent down any time soon. That leaves about seven forwards (including Little and LaVallee) fighting for one remaining forward spot that will likely be on a checking line unless some impresses enough to bump Brett Sterling from the Kovalchuk line or makes a case for being good enough to center Hossa and Kozlov. Every indication is that Holik has that job for now, so somebody would have to blow the coaches away to take it from him.

It should be interesting.

On defense it gets even more interesting. 12 players- seven spots. Two of them are up for grabs with the other five being held down (presumably) by the four returning defensemen (Havelid, Zhitnik, Exelby and MCCarthy) and Ken Klee. That leaves Grant Lewis, Boris Valabik, Karel Pilar, Nathan Oystrick, Joel Kwiatkowski, Tobias Enstrom and Mark Popovic fighting for two jobs. Of that group three have NHL experience-  Pilar, Kwiatkowski and Popovic.

So who do you think is going to make it? Who are the serious contenders for the open spots?

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Below is the list of players traveling to St. Louis tomorrow and on to North Bay on Monday for the first two pre-season games of the season. 25 players are making the trip. Most will play both nights and some will play one game or the other. An advance party from the team is going to North Bay early to participate in some of the Kraft Hockeyville festivities on Sunday and Monday. Rumor has it that the CBC Sports site will be streaming Monday night's pre-season game in North Bay. Whether it will be available to non-Canadian IP addresses remains to be seen but we'll post an update if we find out more details.

Forwards

9          Dupuis, Pascal                   RW
10        Krog, Jason                          C
11        Perrin, Eric                           C
12        White, Todd                         C
17        Kovalchuk, Ilya                  LW
23        Slater, Jim                            C
26        Bartovic, Milan                   RW
27        Thorburn, Chris                 RW
42        Crabb, Joey                       LW
43        Giroux, Alexandre                 C
44        Little, Bryan                          C
46        Schultz, Jesse                    RW
49        Stuart, Colin                       LW
53        Sterling, Brett                        C
56        Pospisil, Tomas                  LW
64        Holzapfel, Riley                      C

Defense

2          Exelby, Garnet                     D
7          Popovic, Mark                       D
8          Kwiatkowski, Joel                 D
22        Klee, Ken                              D
39        Pilar, Karel                            D
47        Oystrick, Nathan                   D
48        Valabik, Boris                        D

Goaltenders

1          Hedberg, Johan                     G

33        Pavelec, Ondrej                     G

Any of the players that aren't traveling tomorrow and on Monday are scheduled to practice on both days in Duluth. Jerseys will not be available for purchase on Sunday but you can get them downtown at the Philips Arena Team Gear II store from Monday to Saturday between 10 am and 5 pm.

 

Today was a normal day at camp. We found out that Brad Larsen will be off his skates for a few days as he recovers form back spasms. Grant Lewis is also out of commision with a bruised hip. Neither ailment is particularly serious but Lewis certainly would have benefitted from more time to showcase his skills and practice with the other players. Hopefully both players can get back to work soon.

Hartley is thoroughly impressed with the physical condition of the players in camp. Usually a small number of players lag behind in the fitness and conditioning testing- the lost ducks as Hartley calls them-  but this year everyone is bunched close together. That allows the coaches to go straight into systems drills without having to worrying about getting the participants into shape. Everyone showed up for camp ready to go. To hear all of Hartley's comments click the Podcast player link below:

 

 Coach Bob Hartley- Training Camp- Sept. 15  

 

The mood in the locker room was upbeat, though the players were clearly worn out form today's practice that ended with everyone skating mountains. That was followed by a 30 minute workout in the weight room, so they were wiped out by the time they hit the showers. About half a dozen players lingered in the locker room and kept an eye on the TV as Michigan State and Pittsburgh faced off on the football field. Jim Slater wasn't too thrilled when Pitt tied things up, but Brett Sterling didn't seem to mind one bit. He'll be watching the USC/Nebraska game tonight.

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Yesterday was just the warm-up for those of us fortunate enough to work for the team. Today was the real first day of training camp, and moving forward if I say Day One or Day Two (and so on) I'll be talking about the days on the ice. So consider today Day One of camp.

So what happened on Day One? Well, the players were split into two groups and one group practiced on each sheet of ice up in Duluth. Craig Custance listed the groups (including line combinations) on his blog today so head over there to see what they were. Last year the groups were more or less divided by seniority with the returning players and significant signees in one group and the rookies and minor league players in the other. This year the two groups are pretty even in terms of returning players and youngsters. Marian Hossa, Slava Kozlov and Bobby Holik are in one group and Ilya Kovalchuk, Todd White, Kari Lehtonen and Johan Hedberg are in the other. Setting the camp up this way gives the younger players the opportunity to learn from the veterans and to measure themselves against NHL players.

For some observations about today's action and a camp preview feel free to check out Holly Gunning's Hockey's Future Preview and blog.

After the practice sessions wrapped up GM Don Waddell and Coach Bob Hartley held their traditional training camp press conference. We have the whole thing recorded in mp3 form but here are a few of the highlights:

• Every player has been told exactly how many preseason games they'll be playing. That means the younger guys don't have to worry about being cut because of one bad game. They know the number of games and they'll know which games in the very near future.
• Steve Rucchin failed his physical and is going to Colorado to see a specialist that he's seen before. He's still suffering from post-concussion symptoms when he exerts himself, but he's doing a lot better than he was a few months ago. Management doesn't expect him to be back in the first half of the season if he's able to come back at all. Rucchin is 36 and has a history of concussions so there's a lot for him to think about as he weighs his options.
• At various points Hartley mentioned that there are two spots on the blueline up for grabs and four spots overall. He also said they'll carry 22 players to start the season, so if you do the math that means there are 18 spots that are more or less determined. With no changes in net in the cards the other two open spots are up front and all indications are that Brett Sterling is going to get a long, serious look.
• Hartley was firm in saying that the goalie rotation will be based on performance, but he hinted that Johan Hedberg would likely play more often this year.
• Waddell mentioned that this is the most depth the Thrashers have ever had to work with. It's entirely possible that 8-10 players capable of playing in the NHL will be sent to Chicago. A combination of prospect development and free agent signings has left the team with plenty of depth to lean on in the event of injuries.

To listen to the press conference choose fro the options below. They're large files so they make take some time to load:

• Full Press Conference (32 MB)
• Waddell and Hartley (9 MB)
• Waddell and Hartley Q&A (23.3 MB)

Fans take in Hossa's group on the public sheet at the IceForum.

Over 100 fans turned out to watch the first day of training camp. Not bad for a work and school day.

Jersey sales were brisk with both the replicas and authentic jerseys selling well.

Todd White does his first locker room interview as a Thrasher.

Kari Lehtonen holds court in a Georgia Tech hat.

Ilya Kovalchuk talks about being excited to play with Todd White. Kovy's biggest personal goal is to be a plus player this year.

 

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Every team in the NHL faces questions heading into training camp and the Thrashers are no different. The weight of those questions weighs more heavily on teams like the Thrashers that didn't live up to their own expectations the previous year. Disappointment leads to change and change leads to uncertainty. So what are the five biggest questions for this team as they hit the ice this week to get ready for the 2007-08 season?

1. Who will the captains be? With the retirement of Scott Mellanby it's time for a new captain, and there could be changes in who wears the A's as alternate captains. Craig Custance of the AJC suggests that Bobby Holik is the leading contender with Niclas Havelid, Marian Hossa, Garnet Exelby and Slava Kozlov being other possible options. I'm not going to attempt to read the mind of Bob Hartley, but there are a few other players I wouldn't be surprised to see wearing letters when the season opens. Ken Klee has taken a leadership role at the informal practices that players have been having among themselves for the last month or so. Brad Larsen captained the Canadian World Junior team to back-to-back gold medals in the mid 90's and his leadership on the team has been grossly under publicized. Todd White is a newcomer with a long-term contract who could certainly be in the mix in the future, if not this season. There's no lack of leaders on this team but there's also not one candidate for the captaincy that stands head and shoulders above the others like Scott Mellanby did with his 20-odd years of captaincy experience.

2. Which defensemen will make the squad? Last year the Thrashers carried seven defensemen on the roster for the bulk of the season and if they do the same this year there are a few spots up for grabs. Alexei Zhitnik, Niclas Havelid, Garnet Exelby and Steve McCarthy are all back and presumed locks to make it and Ken Klee is a seasoned veteran who probably doesn't need to worry about being sent to the AHL. That leaves two potential spots to be fought over by (in alphabetical order) Tobias Enstrom, Joel Kwiatkowski, Nathan Oystrick, Karel Pilar, Mark Popovic and Boris Valabik who all have a year or more of pro experience. Throw in highly touted rookie pros Grant Lewis and Chad Denny who aren't about to concede anything to anyone and the competition should be extremely interesting.

3. Who are the centers? Bobby Holik and Todd White will be playing center this season. After that everything is up in the air. Jim Slater, Eric Perrin and Chris Thorburn are all natural centers who can also play on the wings. As of Thursday morning Steve Rucchin was still on the injured reserve and wasn't cleared to play. Bryan Little is gunning for a roster spot and had a great showing in Traverse City, scoring four goals and three assists and showing dominance in a tournament made up of players of his won age. Can he crack the lineup and be this year's Jordan Staal- a talented center that goes from junior to the NHL and makes an impact? Then there's Alexandre Giroux and Jason Krog who spent last season in the AHL. there are plenty of possibilities but a lot will hinge on the next question.

4. Who are Ilya Kovalchuk's linemates going to be? Who ends up centering Ilya will go a long way in deciding who centers the other lines. The talented Russian played with a variety of centers and wingers last season and both of those spots are open heading into training camp. The practice squads are already set and as of Thursday afternoon Kovalchuk was slated to play with Todd White and Brett Sterling. White wasn't asked to play an offensive role in Minnesota but he did spend a couple of seasons as Daniel Alfredsson's center in Ottawa and had a career high 60 points in 2002-03 playing between Alfredsson an Magnus Arvedson. Centering Kovalchuk could be White's job to lose but nothing is carved in stone. Brett Sterling seems the natural fit to play on an offensive line if his goal-scoring prowess carries over from the AHL. Nobody scores 55 goals as a rookie by chance so Sterling clearly did something right last season with the Wolves. If there isn't room for Eric Perrin to play center he could be another option on Kovalchuk's line, as could Pascal Dupuis and Darren Haydar.

5. How many rookies will be in the opening night lineup? There's going to be turnover from last season but it's tough to say how many of the open spots could go to NHL rookies. Tobias Enstrom, Nathan Oystrick, Mark Popovic and Boris Valabik would all be considered rookies by NHL standards if they in spots on the blueline and Bryan Little, Brett Sterling, Colin Stuart and Jordan LaVallee have all been mentioned as forwards that cold help the team. Riley Holzapfel, Grant Lewis and Chad Denny are probably longshots considering none of them have played a pro game yet, but it's not impossible for one of them to make the team. Even if they don't make the team by opening night Lewis and Denny could get called up during the season if the injury bug hits. Holzapfel, on the other hand, is too young to go pro unless he make s the Thrashers. Otherwise he'll be headed back to Moosejaw in the WHL to play for the Warriors.

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Welcome to training camp. On-ice workouts start tomorrow but the players reported in today for physicals, various medical tests, team meetings, video sessions, photo shoots and fitness evaluations. It's a fun day to be a guy like me that doesn't have any particular responsibility other than to stay out of the way, help out when I can and then tell you guys what happened. For the most part I hung around in the photo shoot area that was set up in the practice rink itself in Duluth. Every player came through to get his picture taken in the new jerseys. You'll see the pictures in ads, game programs, the yearbooks and other promotional items. There were plenty of cool shots and I'm looking forward to seeing how our creative guys and our ad agency use them.

The picture above is of this year's training camp t-shirts. The shirts are a Bob Hartley tradition and he takes pride in coming up with a new design each year. This year's version is nice and simple, and it really seems to be the theme that ties together all of Don Waddell's off-season signings. I've met all of the new players except Karel Pilar and they really are a good bunch of guys. They're all upbeat, team-first kind of players with great attitudes. Most of them happen to be dedicated family men too, and that's one of the reasons some of them signed here. They've all heard from other players that this is a great city and organization for families.

Below are some pictures form around the practice facility offices. Every last room was turned into an office or exam room of some sort and place was crawling with medical staff.

Hopefully this update whets your appetite for training camp. Come up to Duluth if your schedule allows- it really is a treat to watch the veterans and the prospects mix and work together. I'll be there tomorrow and Saturday so feel free to introduce yourself.

Brett Sterling gets his blood pressure checked.

The staff smile for a picture Sterling and Darren Haydar go about their business.

Jason Krog gives a blood sample.

Eric Perrin chats with the team doctors while he waits for his turn to be tested.

The stick rack is overflowing with more than twice the usual number of players in town.

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