Day 3 of Atlanta Thrashers 2003 training camp was the last day of pure drills. The drills remained the same, as Coach Hartley continued to stress talking to one another on the ice, and positioning during the breakout, including facing the person who is passing to you. Sets of players who continually missed passes had to repeat the drill.
Young defenseman Garnet Exelby continues to impress, despite the fact that the drills aren’t of the type that play to his strengths. Not only is his skating agility and passing good, but he came in first in his skating group, beating star Dany Heatley.
Tryout player center Jason Bonsignore remained on Team B, but this time in white, dressed in white along with prospects Derek MacKenzie and Stephen Baby, as well as newcomer Eric Healey. Bonsignore received a good deal of individual instruction from Coach Hartley during drills. His conditioning level is low entering camp; his endurance during the suicides was sub-par.
Goaltending tips
The team has a new goaltending consultant at camp this year, Gilles Lefebvre. According to Lefebvre, he and Bob Hartley know each other from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Lefebvre was the goaltending coach for the QMJHL Shawinigan Cataractes in 2000-01 and currently resides outside Montreal.
Lefebvre’s daily sessions with the team’s goalies run for a half an hour after regular practice is done. His drills emphasize side-to-side movement and recovery from the butterfly position.
Last season the goaltenders were directed by Assistant Coach Steve Weeks, a former NHL goaltender. Prior to Weeks, the goaltending consultant for the Thrashers was Bob Mason.
Speed trials
It was Team A’s turn to climb the mountain on Day 3. The route up the mountain is from goal line to blue line, goal line to red line, goal line to far blue line, and goal line to goal line. Below are how the players in each group finished, from fastest to slowest. Players with 40 or more NHL games last year are in italics, and prospects are in bold.
Group 1: Exelby, Heatley, Cowan, Blatny, Doell*
Group 2: MacKenzie, McEachern, Santala, Safronov, Manson
Group 3: Foster, Kaberle, Baby, Healey, Flache
Group 4: Bois*, Bonsignore*
* free agent invitee
Notes:
Goaltender Milan Hnilicka did not practice, and Kari Lehtonen remains out with a groin pull…The first preseason game is Thursday, September 18th, at home against Tampa.
Link to Day 2′s report
Link to Day 1′s report
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