CTVOlympics.ca caught up with Nick Kypreos to find out what he's expecting from the upcoming Hockey
What are the key things you will be watching at camp?
1) The first thing people need to understand is that this isn't your typical camp. No one is going to make this team or be cut from this team in four days. It's not going to be a matter of who is hot and who is not right now. It's all about guys coming to an understanding of exactly what Steve Yzerman wants from them.
2) Sidney Crosby will be one key. What kind of energy does he have at this camp, what kind of excitement? Is it already building for the Olympics?
3) Many eyes will be on Dany Heatley. Everyone will be watching to see how he handles himself in a camp like this with so much uncertainly surrounding his NHL situation. Everyone will be watching his body language in this atmosphere. Does he come in loose and relaxed or does he come in apprehensive? That will be important.
What will be the biggest priorities of the coaching staff at this camp?
They will aim to establish expectations. You can get a lot done in four days, and they will. They'll be on the ice, but what they do in the meeting rooms will be crucial too. They will spend a lot of time on systems and roles. By the end of this camp, it will be crystal clear where Steve Yzerman sees each guy's role. So many guys will need to make adjustments to their game to fit into this roster. In four days, these coaches need to find out who is willing to make changes and play a different position or fill a different role and who seems apprehensive about it. They know every guy's game inside and out from watching them in the NHL, but at this camp, they are about to find out in depth the nuts and bolts of every player.
What players do you expect to have a great camp?
Milan Lucic and Drew Doughty, because while these two could end up on the outside looking in when the final roster is set, they are a lot closer than people think. I equate Lucic to Eric Lindros in 1991 when he was trying to make the Canada Cup team. Now Lindros was the kind of special player that only comes along every 10 years or so, but he was willing to do anything physically they wanted him to do. That's similar to Lucic, he's ready to show he can do whatever they need from him as a physical force. As for Doughty, the only reason he hasn't gotten more attention from media is that he plays in
What do you expect to see from the five goaltenders on the ice?
These are Marty [Brodeur] and Robert [Luongo]'s jobs to lose. And they aren't going to lose them in a four day camp. Steve Mason can absorb all kinds of stuff and be prepared, and Fleury and Ward come in having just carried their NHL teams to new levels in the playoffs - they can be prepared in the case of a guy going down. We saw Brodeur and Luongo go through injuries this season, and we know it can happen, so we know it's important for other guys to be prepared. They could be one pulled groin away from starting in the Olympics. But there is such an emphasis on experience and having a proven track record.
Just how much does this camp matter?
I don't put much emphasis on it. A lot of the decisions have already been made I think, to be perfectly honest. It may solidify their choices or sway them to look harder from October to December, but so many of these guys have proven records in the Stanley Cup playoffs and in big games. They are big-time players. Jobs on this team will only really be won or lost from October to December. And these sure bets will have to really give it away. A guy like Joe Thornton is really behind the eight ball already. There's only so much he can do at this camp to change anyone's mind now, but he has to be one of those guys who lights it on fire this season. This camp isn't about setting anything on fire. As a player who has been in all kinds of different camps, I can tell you this camp isn't about that. These guys are coming home from cottages, stepping away from the campfire or maybe the weight room or the stationary bike, so you can't ask them to crank up the intensity now. They aren't going to beat each other up. A guy like Lucic won't fully be able to show them what he can do, because it's not that kind of physical camp. No one is going to ask him to do that. However, these guys have competitive juices. They will skate hard, and they will make crisp passes because they were born to look good, and they will look good. But no one is going to make or break his situation in
SOURCE: http://www.ctvolympics.ca/
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