The Vancouver Canucks faced off against the Calgary Flames in pre-season action Monday in Victoria.
Calgary came out on top at the final buzzer with a score of 4-3 after a late-game push from the Canucks.
Warmups are underway as the Vancouver Canucks get ready to face off against the Calgary Flames in #yyj pic.twitter.com/7AxrqULW7b
— Victoria News (@VictoriaNews) September 17, 2019
READ MORE: Flames pick up 4-3 exhibition win over Canucks in Victoria
Canucks general manager Jim Benning spent the off-season trying to make dreams of depth and lineup stability come true, acquiring forwards J.T. Miller and Micheal Ferland, and defencemen Tyler Myers and Saanich Peninsula-born Jordie Benn.
Vancouver finished last year with a 35-36-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fourth season in a row. But some big roster changes have ignited new hope.
READ MORE: New players add depth, raise expectations for Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks took over the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre for a three-day training camp, which kicked off Friday and wrapped up on Sunday.
This marked the team’s second visit to Victoria since 2007, but it was centerman Elias Pettersson’s first visit. The 20-year-old Swedish athlete enjoyed interacting with fans on the Island and even got to try some fishing during the visit.
READ MORE: Vancouver Canucks gear up for 50th season with training camp in Victoria
He noted he was asked to sign a lot of autographs but one stood out above the rest: a father asked Pettersson to sign his baby. He autographed the tiny fan but felt bad because he said his signature needs some work.
Vancouver Canucks newcomer Micheal Ferland was singing the praises of Pettersson on Friday after skating on a line with the NHL’s reigning rookie of the year on the opening day of training camp.
Ferland said he can see similarities in Pettersson’s talent and attitude with Calgary’s Johnny Gaudreau and Carolina’s Sebastian Aho, star players on his former National Hockey League teams.
READ MORE: Newcomer Ferland lines up with sniper Pettersson as Vancouver Canucks camp opens
-With files from Canadian Press
