Fraser Minten, 2022 (Image credit: Facebook/Kamloops Blazers).

By Michael Reeve

BLAZERS HOCKEY

Quartet of Blazers veterans off at NHL camps

Sep 12, 2023 | 4:17 PM

KAMLOOPS — Following the weekend split with Kelowna, a few veteran Kamloops Blazers packed their bags and headed out to NHL rookie camps. The foursome of Blazers will be taking on rookie camp with the Avalanche, Red Wings, Jets and Maple Leafs.

While none of the players are expected to stick with the big clubs, the learning experience should prove important to their development.

After a few final tuneups with the Blazers, Toronto Maple Leafs’ second round pick Fraser Minten is heading back to camp with the ‘Buds for a second time.

“I think it will be great. It’s always a dream to play with those guys and play at the highest level there. I’m very excited about it, I think I put a lot of good work these offseason and through last year to show another level of compete and talent this season there in Toronto,” said Minten.

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Looking forward to his first chance to impress with the Winnipeg Jets is seventh-rounder Connor Levis, who was taken in the most recent NHL entry draft.

“Winnipeg is a great spot,” began Levis. “We are going to play a really great tournament in Penticton, so I think it’s going to be a real cool experience for me. Great opportunity. I get to play against some the top prospects from these western Canadian teams. I’m really looking forward to the experience and really excited to learn some new things and hopefully bring it back here to Kamloops.”

For Head Coach and GM,Shaun Clouston, missing Minten and Levis, along with Emmitt Finnie of to Red Wings camp and Ryan Michael to Colorado camp, simply comes with the major junior territory, but he believes it will benefit the entire organization.

“We always ask our players when they come back, ‘What did you learn? What did you see?’ And invariably they talk about, ‘Man, these guys are focused, the speed is a little bit higher, the intensity is a bit higher. The passes are on the tape.’ And the other thing we hear over and over is, ‘The guys do a real good job with their preparation,'” said Clouston.

Both young players highlighted the importance of the opportunity to learn from NHL coaches and alongside top-flight talent.

“Lots of my teammates last year went to NHL camps and they came back and shared a lot of the information they learned there. Whether it was (Logan Stankoven) teaching my some tips from (Joe) Pavelski that he learned while he was there. Definitely some real cool things that I will be able to learn and it is going to be exciting to bring back here and teach some of the younger guys,” said Levis.

“You want to learn from them, for sure, but also just compete against them. You learn a lot from just going to battle against guys that are at that level and that much better than you. Try to take as much as you can from them and then trying to beat them as well,” added Minten.

Without the quartet of veterans available the Blazers preseason rolls ahead on Friday (Sept. 15) at the Sandman Centre as they welcome the Victoria Royals.