PENTICTON, B.C. – The ping of Liam Ohgren’s bar-down goal during the Vancouver Canucks’ scrimmage on Saturday was not the first time the powerful winger has heard a metallic bang with his shot.
At his mom’s house in Stockholm, Liam and his younger brother, Noel, built a shooting rink in the front yard. It has plastic ice, boards, and a double layer of netting behind the goal. But sometimes pucks get away.
“The puck has gone through the netting a couple of times,” Ohgren said after scoring twice in the scrimmage at South Okanagan Events Centre. “I don’t think our neighbours are too happy about it because there is a house there. And there’s a road with cars crossing. There was one time we heard a big crash or something, but the car didn’t stop, so I don’t know if it was the puck or not for sure.”
So maybe there’s a Volvo somewhere in Sweden with a puck-shaped dent, just as there is a goal frame here with the rubber scuff from Ohgren’s laser.
The 22-year-old National Hockey League sophomore, whose play surged in his rookie season after a December trade to the Canucks from the Minnesota Wild, is literally and figuratively aiming high.
Besides his heavy shot, Ohgren’s speed, power and directness were on display Saturday, as they have been since Vancouver opened its camp Thursday morning.
He beat veteran goalie Kevin Lankinen on consecutive shots early in the 30-minute scrimmage that ended with Brock Boeser’s shootout goal and a 4-3 win for the Whites against the Blues.
The line of Ohgren and Boeser, centred by Marco Rossi, reunited after finishing last season together, was the most dangerous unit.
After failing to register a point in 18 games with the Wild, who sent Ohgren to Vancouver as part of the Quinn Hughes blockbuster, the former first-round pick played his way up the lineup for the Canucks, contributing eight goals and 18 points in 51 games. Over the final 28 games, Ohgren’s average ice time of 16:02 was fifth among Vancouver forwards.
From what we’ve seen at training camp, Ohgren’s 11.6 per cent shooting percentage last season may not have been a fluke. He has been practising his shot.
“Yeah, my whole life,” he smiled. “I usually don’t count pucks, but I’d say I’m out there (in the front yard) for an hour just shooting.
“I know this was just a scrimmage, but you want to show everyone around that you belong. It was high-paced even though it was just a scrimmage, but it was nice to get a couple of goals. Good for the confidence.”
It’s possible Ohgren will start the season as the second-line left wing.
“I’ve always been a guy that helps the team win with goals and points,” he said. “I’ve always been a top-six guy. Even when I started lower down in the lineup, I’ve always worked my way up in previous years in Sweden. That’s who I want to be in the NHL.
“Like I’ve said before, the trade was like a fresh start for me. Getting an opportunity to play with great players and play more minutes than I had before was great for me. I feel like I took advantage of it and showed I am capable of playing in this league.”
No one got a bigger cheer in the shootout – from fans and teammates – than 36-year-old, stay-at-home defenceman Luke Schenn, who scored top-corner for the Blues against goalie Ty Young.
“My last shootout attempt was 2008, pre-season against Manny Legace,” Schenn told Sportsnet. “That’s a fact. So I guess nobody’s got a book on me. And I did score then, too.
“It’s so funny because the guys (on the bench) were telling me to go right at the start. I was like, ‘Nope, not going. Not going. Not going.’ Finally, the boys kept pushing me so I said, ‘Screw it, I’m going.’ I had peer pressure.”
As the rebuilding team starts to come together around new systems and a healthier environment under head coach Manny Malhotra and general manager Ryan Johnson, Schenn seems to be at the middle of the gravitational pull among players.
The Canucks may or may not name a captain this season. But there is no doubt that Schenn, signed as a free-agent on July 1 to boost character and help mentor younger players, has naturally and quickly become one of their strongest leaders.
“I do think there’s a great attitude here right now, for sure,” Schenn said when asked for his takeaways from camp. “Guys are working, competing. There is lots of information that guys are digesting on the fly with the system and not only the way Manny wants us to play, but his terminology and how he operates. Everyone is sort of adjusting and learning. It’s been a great effort so far but, obviously, a ton of room for improvement.”
News on the eve of camp that starting goalie Thatcher Demko isn’t yet ready to practise fully after undergoing major hip surgeries last February has added some urgency to veteran Chris Driedger’s professional tryout with the Canucks.
The 32-year-old journeyman who last played in the NHL with the Seattle Kraken 2 ½ years ago, allowed two goals while playing half of Saturday’s scrimmage. He signed his PTO with the Canucks on Aug. 27 knowing there was a chance that Demko might not be ready for the start of the season.
“That was kind of the idea, that there might be an opportunity here,” the six-foot-four veteran of 67 NHL games said after the scrimmage. “I feel good out there. I’m just trying to be consistent, be reliable. That’s kind of how I built my career. I was in Russia last year, so to come back to North America feels good, feels comfortable. I feel confident and I’m just trying to do what I can to prove I belong here.”
Driedger’s impression of the Canucks: “It feels like a driven group, from the top down. R.J. and Manny have been very specific in what they want and what they expect. It sounds like there are high standards and they’re going to hold everyone accountable. That’s how it should be in the NHL. It’s the best league in the world, and if you want to win, you’ve got to bring your best every single day. Obviously, it’s a bit of a change here … but the players seem to be buying in early. I’m excited to see what comes out of this group.”
The projected first line of Elias Pettersson between wingers Jake DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson had a quiet start to the scrimmage but some dominant shifts in the second half. Pettersson scored one goal and was robbed by goalie Ty Young on the prettiest rush of the day, after defenceman Tom Willander joined the attack on a four-way passing play.
Johnson has been emphatic about building a “comfortable” environment for his players and, especially, the quiet Pettersson, who famously clashed with former teammate J.T. Miller amid the Canucks’ previous dysfunction.
“I’m not saying previous years it hasn’t been comfortable,” Pettersson said Saturday. “But I think just for everyone to come here and work hard and have fun, you can tell the difference.
“I definitely feel good. Obviously, (Ryan) wants the best for me and, I mean, the fact he’s speaking highly of me and wants me to do well, I feel good.”
A prospect-heavy third contingent of Canucks travelled Saturday afternoon to Seattle to open Vancouver’s four-game pre-season against the Kraken.
After breaking camp here on Sunday, all players will get Monday off before the Canucks play their second warmup game Tuesday in Calgary against the Flames.
The Canucks’ pre-season ends with home games Thursday and Saturday against the Edmonton Oilers and Kraken, respectively, before Vancouver opens its 84-game regular season Sept. 29 in Edmonton.
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