Phoenix Coyotes Unofficial Training Camp

Posted 3:32 PM ET | Comments 4

I had the opportunity to attend a day of the Coyotes "Unofficial" Training Camp in Scottsdale this past Monday. Several of the guys were in attendance and looking SPECTACULAR! I was exstatic to get my first look at our Draft & Trade aquisitions in action out on the ice. Jokinen, (or Olli Coyote as he's affectionately been named); had that huge joker grin planted on his face the entire time. He and Doaner seem to have some great on-ice chemistry going on & I can't wait to see how it plays out during the season. From what I saw, Olli Coyote is fantastic; quick, smart and savvy with the puck. And talk about endurance! I don't think the guy even broke a sweat the whole morning. Kurt Sauer was impressive as well. First and foremost, the guy is HUGE! He is going to be quite intimidating, I must say. Between him, Carcillo, McGrattan & Fedoruk; folks aren't going to be quick to mess with Phoenix! (Watch out Avery!) I was a little worried about his skills, not having heard good things. But again, I was impressed. He skates well, passes beautifully and handles the puck with ease. Working with the right line, he might just find his niche in the desert. Fedoruk is another big ‘un. He has been nicknamed Fed Flintstone for his Neanderthal-esque physique. Very cavemanish, I love it! Plus the guy can skate. Lookin' good Fed... lookin’ good. The rookies were raring to go. Turris is working hard as always. I'm loving Jonas Ahnelov. Seriously... he's got mad skills. I wouldn't be surprised if he wound up with a roster spot this season. We are in need of someone who can replace Ballard's madman body checking abilities. I can't wait to see how Jonas does in the two preseason games that the rookies will be playing against the Kings rookies at Jobing.com Arena. I'll be watching out for those hip checks, Jonas. Lisin was another one who caught my attention. He was leaving the rest of them in a cloud of dust during the speed drills. Telly seems to be in top shape. He's not giving up his roster spot anytime soon. Even though Tordjam seems eager and poised to compete for it. Doan is looking stellar as always, Winnik is ready to go... Yandle still needs some work on his puck handling skills but seems to be improving. Jovo couldn't seem to stay on his feet. He had some serious a$$-ice time. Too much partying for Derek Morris' birthday over the weekend Jovo? (D-Mo was not there by the way, neither was Tyson Nash, who is in town for the camp).

A few of those in attendance were:
Newbies:
Olli Jokinen
Kurt Sauer
Todd Fedoruk
Rookies:
Jonas Ahnelov
Kyle Turris
Brett MacLean
A few of the regular guys:
Shane Doan
Daniel Winnik
Envir Lisin
Keith Yandle
Ed Jovanovski
Mikael Tellqvist
And even a few non-Yotes:
Khabibulin (Blackhawks)
Collins (Sundogs)
Flynn (Sundogs)

The camp is still running for anther week or two so hopefully I will be able to attend a few more days. If so, I'll try to take some pictures. I was too busy being enthralled by what was going on out on the ice to worry about taking puictures this time.

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