Flames 10, Canucks 0: Have mercy — Canucks kids clobbered in first pre-season test

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Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet wanted to see certain things when icing a young, inexperienced lineup in the first game of the pre-season.

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Concepts at work. A clear understanding of the system. Wall work. Even skating to the bench hard.

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“I want to see those things first,” Tocchet told the media on Saturday, a day before taking a Canucks team of young guns and bubble players to Calgary to face a Flames squad starting their top goalie, much of their top six and the majority of their defence corps.

But that’s not all Tocchet wanted to see.

“You got a chance, do your thing. Do your magic.”

Thing is, the visitors never really had a chance.

A Canucks team chock full of players fighting for roster spots created few quality scoring opportunities and fell 10-0 to the Flames on Sunday night, in a game in which the visitors were hammered early and often.

“They had a great lineup. Some of their guys were a little rich for (us) right there, and you’ve got to learn from your mistakes,” Tocchet said post-game.

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“I know people don’t want to hear it, but it’s a learning experience.”

Here’s what we learned as Matt Coronato netted a hat trick, Jonathan Huberdeau scored twice and Jordan Oesterle, Nazem Kadri, Noah Hanifin, Connor Zary and Ben Jones had a goal apiece for the Flames:

Taking their chances

Take it from forward Jack Studnicka — it isn’t easy for bubble players to get noticed at training camp.

“It’s kind of hard to stand out (at camp) because we’re working on a lot of systems stuff,” the 24-year-old said on Saturday.

With four of six pre-season games over the next seven days, now’s their chance to make an impression.

Studnicka, who came into camp in good shape and turned some heads in the scrimmage, was among a handful of forwards on Sunday with a realistic shot at a coveted bottom-six spot.

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However, it was hard for any Canuck to stand out against an experienced Calgary side with Jacob Markstrom in net. Markstrom stopped all 20 shots he faced.

Studnicka, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-shot forward, played on the top line with Pius Suter at centre and Vasily Podkolzin on the left side.

The line had its first shift of sustained pressure late in a first period dominated by the Flames. Some good work along the walls resulted in a sharp-angle shot by Suter and a penalty drawn against Calgary. Studnicka nearly scored late in the second, forcing Markstrom to make his first quality save with his pad.

Studnicka also had a steal early in the third period and had a dangerous shot shouldered away by Oscar Dansk, who relieved Markstrom for the third period.

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Podkolzin, who Tocchet wants to become a north-south player who forechecks hard, appeared to be still figuring out the system at times, getting crossed up on defensive assignments, but also played with vigour. Podkolzin, 22, was plowed into the post by a Calgary defender while going hard for a rebound in the second period but stayed in the game.

The best of the bubble bunch was Nils Hoglander, who was confident with the puck, got in on the forecheck and caused the Flames some problems. Late in the second period, Hoglander came screaming into the zone and bodied Flames’ defender Dennis Gilbert, who went hard into the boards and had to leave the game.

Hoglander, who spent most of last season in Abbotsford working on his 200-foot game, is expected to make the team but needs to show Tocchet that his motor — and his mind — are always running.

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You can earmark Hoglander with a roster spot if he keeps playing like this.

The roster in the last two pre-season games — on Oct. 4 and Oct. 6 — is expected to be very close to what we see when the regular season begins on Oct. 11 against the Edmonton Oilers.

In defence of the defence

Besides summer signee Matt Irwin, who has skated in 461 NHL games, there wasn’t a lot of NHL experience on the Canucks’ blue-line.

That doesn’t mean the rest of the defencemen will be starting the season in Abbotsford.

With Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, Carson Soucy, Tyler Myers and Ian Cole pretty much pencilled in to make the team, there is still a spot or two up for grabs this pre-season.

Irwin, who wore an ‘A’ and featured on the penalty kill, put his body on the line in the first period blocking a power play point shot, then showed some leadership, coming to Hoglander’s defence and dropping the gloves after the young Swede was bowled over late in the first.

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That’s what you want from the veteran Vancouver Island native.

Irwin earned the ire of the Flames in the second, after sticking out his left leg on a hit on Huberdeau. The Flames’ star, who is looking for a bounceback season, went straight to the dressing room and Irwin was challenged to another fight by tough guy Adam Klapka. Huberdeau returned to the Calgary bench minutes later and scored his second goal on his next shift.

Jett Woo, 23, had a tough game, with Calgary’s first goal deflecting into the net off his skate. Woo was then goaded into an interference penalty by Kadri.

The 2018 second-rounder, signed to a one-year, two-way contract in May, was caught out of position a few times and finished the game a minus-5.

Perhaps the roughest outing was had by Noah Juulsen, who was deked out of his skates on Huberdeau’s first goal, delivered a pizza on Calgary’s sixth goal and lacked mobility overall.

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Best of the rest

Of all the kids in the lineup, Aatu Raty stood the tallest for the Canucks.

The Finnish forward was calm and controlled with the puck, reading the play well and moving it to create openings for teammates.

Early in the second, the 20-year-old showed what a summer of lower body training looks like, accelerating onto a loose puck in his zone and going in on an odd-man rush. His initial shot was blocked by a defenceman but Raty was able to retrieve the puck and get a clean look on Markstrom, who made the save in tight.

Raty had three shots on goal in the game.

Meanwhile, smooth-skating defenceman Akito Hirose, 24, and forward Linus Karlsson, 23, earned the distinction of not being on the ice for any of Calgary’s 10 goals.

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That is a victory unto itself for the two prospects.

Silovs under fire

It wasn’t the start that Arturs Silovs was looking for.

The Flames scored a lucky one to open the game, with the puck deflecting off two players before crossing the red line.

Silovs, 22, would have liked to control the rebound on the second goal, then a Calgary shot rang off the crossbar minutes later, nearly giving the Flames a 3-0 lead.

Calgary kept pressing, scoring their third on a power-play goal midway through the first period on an excellent toe-drag and shot by Huberdeau.

The Flames led the shot count 9-2 at that point.

It got worse for Silovs, who was fooled by Nazem Kadri on the fourth goal with seven minutes left in the first. Kadri, who crashed Silovs’ crease earlier in the period and earned a penalty, made it look like he was curling around to the front of the net with the puck but slipped it by Silovs’ short-side on the backhand.

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The Canucks’ sixth-round pick in 2019 settled down from there, but was beaten by Huberdeau midway through the second on an odd-man rush for his fifth goal against.

The sixth goal was a result of the brutal Juulsen giveaway, while the seventh was a rocket from the point by Noah Hanifin.

Night over for Silovs, with seven goals against on 18 shots.

Silovs made big strides in his development as a goaltender over the last year, earning the distinction as the Abbotsford Canucks’ MVP last season and leading an underdog Latvia side to a bronze medal at the World Championships. Silovs was also named the MVP of the tournament.

Zach Sawchenko, signed to a one-year, two-way contract this past summer, played the rest of the way.

The game ended with both teams registering 26 shots on goal.

mraptis@postmedia.com

x.com/mike_raptis

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