Pulling on a Vancouver Canucks jersey was a dream come true for one of the club鈥檚 newest prospects.
Skating on the same ice as Henrik and Daniel Sedin at the team鈥檚 development camp on Monday in Vancouver was something else entirely.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 something I can鈥檛 even put into words,鈥� Arshdeep Bains said of skating with the twins and former Canucks stars who now work in player development for Vancouver. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e my idols and having them on the ice telling me what to do, I鈥檒l listen to anything they say.鈥�
Bains, who鈥檚 from Surrey, grew up watching the Sedins play. He signed an entry-level deal with the Canucks last March at the end of a breakout season with the Red Deer Rebels of the Western Hockey League.
The 21-year-old left-winger led the WHL in scoring with 112 points (43 goals and 69 assists) in 68 regular-season games. He added four goals and six assists in 10 playoff appearances.
鈥淚 just want to go out there and just play my game,鈥� the six-foot-one 186-pound forward said of his season.
鈥淗onestly, it鈥檚 not really about what I do on the scoresheet or stuff like that. It鈥檚 about what I do best and going out there and performing every night, I think. I tried to give myself the best chance to become a pro hockey player.鈥�
Bains is one of 37 Canucks prospects skating at the team鈥檚 week-long development camp, where players took the ice for the first time on Monday.
He鈥檚 not the only one who idolizes the Sedins, however.
Elias Pettersson 鈥� a defenceman from Vasteras, Sweden, who Vancouver picked 80th overall in the NHL draft last week 鈥� is also a big fan of the twins.
鈥淚 always watched them as a kid. They have been the stars out in the world,鈥� he said. 鈥淎nd now being here with them and having them as a coach, it鈥檚 awesome.鈥�
There鈥檚 a large Swedish contingent at the Canucks鈥� camp.
Ten prospects hail from the nation, including Jonathan Lekkerimaki, the five-foot-10 165-pound forward Vancouver selected 15th overall in last week鈥檚 draft.
Lekkerimaki turned heads at the 2022 Under-18 World Championship, leading Sweden to gold with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in six games. Pettersson also played for Sweden in the tournament.
READ MORE: Petey 2.0: Canucks draft a second Elias Pettersson
Having friends on the ice has helped ease the transition to life in Canada, Lekkerimaki said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been nice to have some Swedes and speak Swedish,鈥� he said.
Simply being able to host a development camp is nice, said Ryan Johnson, general manager of the American Hockey League鈥檚 Abbotsford Canucks. COVID-19 measures prevented the club from holding the camp last year.
鈥淚t鈥檚 one of my favourite weeks of the year, just based off of getting these guys in. You see the whites of the eyes, you get to know them and make it very clear to them there鈥檚 a balance of education versus evaluation here,鈥� Johnson said.
The camp is a chance for prospects to get a taste of the organization and for the club to see the up-and-coming talent compete, he said.
鈥淲e want to see them battle and hold each other accountable to the level each day,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey get better when they鈥檙e pushed.鈥�
The prospects come into the camp highly motivated, including Bains, who鈥檚 looking to earn a spot on a roster this fall.
鈥淚 want to be the best player on the ice, obviously,鈥� he said of his approach. 鈥淎nd I want to go out there and kind of showcase that I was the right choice and every night I鈥檓 trying to prove myself.
鈥淪o I鈥檓 trying to soak up as much as I can, learn from all the coaches, what they have to teach me. But at the end of the day, I have to go out there and work my butt off.鈥�
Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
