Bears Headed to NHL Rookie Camps
With the OHL pre-season now in full swing, it will take its annual pause for players to head to NHL rookie camps with their respective clubs. Four members of the current Owen Sound Attack will hit the ice with NHL teams this week, including forwards Sam McCue (Toronto) and Colby Barlow (Winnipeg), defensemen Konnor Smith (Anaheim) and goaltender Carter George (Los Angeles). McCue, Smith and George will depart Owen Sound on Monday. Also, getting an invite to NHL camp this fall is 2023-24 Slovakian import forward Servac Petrovsky who will head to camp with the Utah Hockey Club.
While McCue and George participated in summer development camps with their respective clubs, this will be their first experience at fall rookie camp and will undoubtedly provide each of them with an experience that upon their return to Owen Sound will benefit everyone in the dressing room. Smith and Barlow, head into their respective camps with a better idea of what to expect having participated a year ago with both trying to use that experience to help them extend their time with their NHL club this fall.
Each player will participate in a rookie tournament of some kind, McCue and the Maple Leafs will take on the Montreal Canadiens in a two game series in Montreal, while Barlow and the Jets will play in the Young Stars Challenge against the Calgary Flames, Vancouver Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers. George and Smith will hit the ice at the same event, the six team Rookie Faceoff in Los Angeles taking on Western Conference foes in the Colorado Avalanche, San Jose Sharks, Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club. Smith and George will go head to head on the final day of the event. A full schedule of the rookie tournaments for Attack players is listed at the bottom of this article.
While George and Barlow have signed their entry level deals, Smith and McCue are hoping they leave a positive impression on their clubs to accomplish the same with Anaheim and Toronto in the coming weeks. Of the four current Attack players heading to NHL camps and hoping to take a stab at making the next step to the pro ranks, Konnor Smith is the lone Bear with the ability to sign a deal and play in the NHL, AHL or ECHL. Due to their age and rules, if George, McCue or Barlow were not to make their NHL clubs they must be returned to the Attack for the season and can only be recalled on an emergency basis after that.
Showcase tournament games are often streamed on the clubs website, Facebook page or YouTube channel, although no schedules are currently available for this.
Attack Players NHL Showcase Tournament Schedule:
Friday, September 13, 2024
Calgary Flames vs. Winnipeg Jets (Barlow), 6:00pm (CST)
Anaheim Ducks (Smith) vs. Colorado Avalanche, 3:30pm (PST)
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings (George), 7:00pm (PST)
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Toronto Maple Leafs (McCue) vs. Montreal Canadiens, 1:00pm (EST)
Utah Hockey Club vs. Los Angeles King (George), 7:00pm (PST)
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Montreal Canadiens vs. Toronto Maple Leafs (McCue), 1:00pm (EST)
Winnipeg Jets (Barlow) vs. Vancouver Canucks, 4:00pm (CST)
San Jose Sharks vs. Anaheim Ducks (Smith), 4:30pm (PST)
Monday, September 16, 2024
Edmonton Oilers vs. Winnipeg Jets (Barlow), 1:00pm (CST)
Los Angeles Kings (George) vs. Anaheim Ducks (Smith), 3:30pm (PST)
