Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

It's Camping Season

09/03/2013 at 4:27pm EDT

from Stu Hackel of Sports Illustrated,

Hockey season isn't on the way. It's here. All the proof you need will be found at the various NHL rookie camps that start in the next day or so and the prospect tournaments that follow shortly after.

Last year's lockout canceled those events, but 20 NHL teams will send squads to face off in game action, much of it beginning on Thursday. At one of those tourneys, a three-day, four-team get-together hosted by the Florida Panthers at their Coral Gables practice facility, three of the top four picks from last June's NHL Draft will make their professional competitive debuts in their new colors: Florida's Aleksander Barkov (No. 2), Tampa Bay's Jonathan Drouin (3) and Nashville's Seth Jones (4).

"How cool is that?" said Panthers assistant GM Michael Santos, who -- along with the fans who go to the games that start Friday -- will be very interested to watch this talented trio go head to head, especially Barkov, who was something of a surprise choice by Florida although many scouts considered the 6-foot-2, 205-pound center to be the most complete and NHL-ready player in the draft.

continued with more camps mentioned...

Create an Account

In order to leave a comment, please create an account.

About Kukla's Korner Hockey

Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

Email Paul anytime at [email protected]

Most Recent Posts

Most Recent Comments

Comment by bezukov in Abel to Yzerman from the entry The Downward Spiral Continues For The Wings - 21 minutes ago
Comment by damndogrevenge in Abel to Yzerman from the entry The Downward Spiral Continues For The Wings - 58 minutes ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 8 hours ago
Comment by Paul in Kukla's Korner Hockey from the entry NHL Short Notes - 8 hours ago
Comment by Steeb in Abel to Yzerman from the entry Quick Recap- Wings/Hurricanes - 8 hours ago