OK, just back from practice. No word on any players returning from NHL camps, so it’s another day of sweating it out.
But I’m tired of writing about players who aren’t here. Let’s talk about a few who are. One of the silver linings of having so many players gone from preseason preparations is that other players are afforded the opportunity to step into larger roles. Based on what I saw during the preseason, here’s some players who don’t get much attention, but who I believe may contribute more than what people are expecting:
– Lukas Vartovnik. Vartovnik was already showing signs of making a breakthrough toward the end of last season — for my money he was the most-improved player on the team from the beginning of the season to the end. During the preseason he continued along that upward curve. He’s got the ability to bang in some goals, and being the rare left-handed shot among Everett’s forwards he should get his share of power-play time to augment that. And you can always depend on the happy-go-lucky Slovakian to play hard.
– Jesse Burt. When training camp started I figured Burt’s roster spot was in danger. He’s a little guy, he didn’t get much opportunity to play last year, and when he did get his chances he didn’t show a whole lot. But he’s been a different player this preseason. He’s playing with speed and he’s even chipped in with a number of points. I doubt he’ll be put in many situations to score during the regular season, but he’s got a chance to be a useful third- or fourth-line player.
– Matt Ius. He’s beginning to look like the second-round bantam pick he is. Last year at training camp he looked like a player who hadn’t quite mastered the coordination of his body size. But this year he came to camp in great shape and is playing with far more confidence than he did this time last year. Like Burt, I don’t expect to see him on the power play or lining up next to Zach Hamill all that much, so I wouldn’t expect big offensive numbers. But I do expect him to play and to contribute.
(Note: I didn’t list Jordan Mistelbacher or Jeff Regier. Given the way they handled themselves during the playoffs last season, I figure they already have expectations attached to them)
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