NHL Development Camp: Standout Prospects

The Ducks are holding their annual prospect development camp at THE RINKS – Anaheim ICE.

Photo Courtesy: http://ducks.nhl.com/club/gallerylanding.htm?id=55075

The NHL Draft ended nearly days ago, but teams are starting to get their prospects out on the ice right away with the beginning of development camps. Here is a look at which prospects are turning heads during the early stages of camp.

Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel

It is obvious that Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel are very good players and will have no problem succeeding at the NHL level. Why not see more proof?

McDavid started at Oilers camp during the weekend and impressed many right off the bat. He showed off his speed and his acceleration during drills. He often found himself in battles with fellow OHLer Darnell Nurse, who also put on quite a show at camp. Collectively the two are a microcosm for the Oilers future.

Then McDavid hit the ice for a scrimmage and blew doors down. He went on to score 5 goals.

Jack Eichel was also everything you would expect him to be. The only thing that surprised fans was the number on his back, 41. He showcased speed and agility during the Sabres’ first day of rookie camp and received a standing ovation from fans at the First Niagara Center.

Eichel has been playing with BU teammate Evan Rodrigues who came to the Sabres on an entry-level deal back in the early spring.

Sam Reinhart 

Sam Reinhart will not be overshadowed by the great Jack Eichel at Buffalo Sabres development camp. Reinhart left many stunned by how much he has improved confidence wise.

Reinhart was sent back to Kootenay after his first nine games in the NHL for those exact reasons, lack of size and poise. He will be a prospect to keep an eye on during scrimmages to see if his on-ice communication carries over from drills.

Kevin Roy

Anaheim Ducks prospect Kevin Roy pulled off a spectacular play during camp on Monday.

Roy is a forward for Northeastern Unversity after he drafted by the Ducks in the 4th round of the 2012 draft.

Dennis Kravechenko

Kravechenko is coming off his sophomore season at UMass where he has provided a fair two-way game and has not underwhelmed offensively. During the Ducks’ first scrimmage, Kravechenko tried to show how much he has improved offensively with a hat trick.

He knew what was at stake and told the Ducks’ official website he went in trying his best.

“You try to showcase yourself and make sure you’re working hard, but you’re not as worried as the other guys who have contracts… You just come in, work your butt off and hopefully do well.” Kravechenko told ducks.nhl.com

Sonny Milano

Sonny Milano is participating in his 2nd development camp after he was selected in the 1st round of the 2014 draft. Milano will be setting the precedent for newcomers like Zach Werenski who hasn’t been to a development camp yet.

He has done a fair job with that job so far and could possibly find himself on the NHL roster come the end of training camp, Rob Mixer of BlueJackets.com writes:

"“Milano looks ready for training camp. He was flying today, shooting pucks from all over and utilizing the open ice to get creative on the rush, which is pretty much all 4-on-4 is. I know you won’t forget his name between now and September, but remember it. He’s my dark horse candidate to make management’s final roster decision a difficult one.”"

Robby Fabbri

Fabbri is another 1st round pick from the 2014 draft. Fabbri suffered an unfortunate injury last season while with the Blues during training camp, then again while with Team Canada for the World Juniors. But Fabbri has proved to people that his injury didn’t affect his skill.

Fabbri looked very good in the scrimmage the Blues held for development camp. Fabbri has improved in his skating with stronger, more confident strides. It is clear his ankle injury is no longer a problem.