TORONTO — Even though hockey season is still a few months away, August marks a busy month of off-season training.
For a few dozen NHLers and NHL hopefuls, that means a trip to St. Michael’s College Arena in Toronto.
The rink will be a busy place later this month as players attend the annual BioSteel #CAMP from Aug. 22 to 25.
Now in its seventh year, the hockey camp features three days of intense training followed by a single-day tournament on Aug. 25, when four teams of 10 players battle for the BioSteel Cup. (Sportsnet will be live-streaming the games that day for hockey fans hoping to follow along.)
On Tuesday, a collection of the camp’s attendees gathered at the BioSteel facility at St. Mike’s for the BioSteel #CAMP Draft, where they were selected by their hockey peers in anticipation of the main event.
Like every year, there are four predetermined captains: Michael Del Zotto, Tyler Seguin, Wayne Simmonds and Darnell Nurse, who took the place of longtime captain—and last year’s BioSteel Cup champ—Mike Cammalleri, who wasn’t able to attend Tuesday’s event.
Del Zotto picked first, followed by Simmonds, Nurse and Seguin, with the players picking in a snake-draft format. The draft featured a combination of strategy, jokes, and of course, plenty of friendly competition as the four captains composed their teams.
Here’s how each of the four teams filled out:
TEAM DEL ZOTTO
Connor McDavid, F
Matt O’Connor, G
Dylan Strome, F
Josh Ho-Sang, F
Lawson Crouse, F
David Friedman, F
Mike Cammalleri, F
Scottie Upshall, F
Mike Liambas, F
TEAM SIMMONDS
Devante Smith-Pelly, F
Jordan Subban, D
Joel Ward, F
Tom McCollum, G
Andrew Agozzino, F
Michael Latta, F
Givani Smith, F
Mark Cooper, F
Austin McKay, F
TEAM NURSE
Taylor Hall, F
Max Domi, F
Tom Wilson, F
Spencer Martin, G
Joseph Blandisi, F
Zac Rinaldo, F
Christian Thomas, F
Luke Gazdic, F
Raffi Torres, F
TEAM SEGUIN
Malcolm Subban, G
Aaron Ekblad, D
Brett Connolly, F
Gregory Campbell, F
Mitchell Stephens, F
Michael Dal Colle, F
Tyler Randell, F
Nick Paul, F
Paul Bissonnette, F
Now that the teams are set for the Aug. 25 event, it’s time to share a few takeaways from Tuesday’s BioSteel #CAMP Draft:
1. St. Mike’s is home to some pretty great hockey history
Everyone who hits the ice at St. Mike’s does so under a banner of hockey heroes. The names and faces of the rink’s most notable alumni hang from the rafters of the old barn. Think hockey greats like Red Kelly, Ted Lindsay, Frank Mahovlich, Tim Horton, Father David Bauer, Dave Keon and more. Over the years, St. Mike’s has served as the one-time hockey home to 14 members of the Hockey Hall of Fame.
(You can read more about this storied rink here.)
2. These guys Don’t. Stop. Working. Out.
If anyone doubts the work ethic of NHLers and pro hockey hopefuls, a glimpse into the goings on at BioSteel will set the record straight. From ice time and outdoor drills to cooling off on the stationary bikes and stretching, they weren’t sitting still for long.
3. Hockey players don’t forget
As players come inside from their workout and cool off in advance of the draft, chatter and jokes are consistently tossed around. There are plenty of reunions, too, as many catch up after a bit of summer downtime.
Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino has followed the careers of many players from the time they were prospects—”10 years and 20 pounds ago,” he says—and noted during Tuesday’s event how tight-knit the community is among players and those in the industry.
“They don’t forget where they came from,” he said.
Plenty of time has passed, but connections remain.
4. No surprises at No. 1
Captain Del Zotto is first to the draft table, his head buried in player notes as he works out his strategy. But he didn’t have to do much research for pick No. 1.
(Del Zotto hit the jackpot at the BioSteel #CAMP draft by sheer luck. Usually, the previous year’s BioSteel Cup champion takes the first pick overall, but with longtime captain Mike Cammalleri out, organizers opted for a random draw instead.)
5. NHLers make very efficient GMs
As soon as the first pick was made, players were making their selections at a rapid-fire pace. Whether they were going for the slam-dunk prospect or picking a hometown pal, there wasn’t much indecision in this crowd.
Clearly, these guys are ready to play some hockey.
6. Del Zotto breaks the rules
“Cammy’s getting picked last because he’s not here.”
That was the light-hearted “gentleman’s agreement” among the four captains—and, basically the entire list of attendees on Tuesday—to send an all-in-good-fun message to Cammalleri, the longtime BioSteel Cup captain.
So, naturally, Del Zotto was showered with laughter and boos for breaking the unwritten rule as he added Cammalleri to his roster with pick No. 7.
A smiling Tyler Seguin—owner of the final pick of the draft—was not impressed with his draft table neighbor’s strategy.
7. Seguin gets his goalie first
The BioSteel captain had picks No. 4 and 5 in Tuesday’s draft, and he wasted no time in addressing his net and blue line—a smart move, with such a forward-heavy group. (Seriously, there are just four defencemen in the entire #CAMP crew, and one of ’em is captain Nurse.)
The Dallas Stars goal-scorer took goaltender Malcolm Subban first, then followed it up with all-star defenceman Aaron Ekblad.
(A few picks later, Simmonds drafted Malcolm’s brother, Vancouver Canucks prospect Jordan Subban. Or, in the words of Simmonds…”the other Subban.”)
8. New year, new captain… new champion?
Last year, Connor McDavid (decked out in his brand new Oilers gear, no less) and Taylor Hall combined to defeat Team Seguin and hoist the BioSteel Cup for Team Cammalleri. As mentioned above, Cammalleri’s absence as captain this year will make way for a new champ.
Nurse, perhaps?
“I felt like a GM up there,” Nurse said after the draft. “It was a lot of fun.”
Nurse, who is taking part in his third camp (and first as a captain), chatted with Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston during a Facebook Live, which you can watch here.
Nurse said his first two picks were easy, taking now-former Oilers teammate Hall and longtime friend Max Domi.
9. Nurse is glued to the Games
Nurse has been glued to the television during the Olympic basketball tournament in Rio, as his sister Kia is competing in her first-ever Games as one of the stars of Team Canada.
“It’s been a lot of fun to watch,” Nurse told Johnston. “For her, she’s living out a dream that she’s worked hard for and earned. I couldn’t be more proud or more happy for her.”
Team Canada rallied in the fourth quarter during Monday’s game against Serbia, winning in dramatic fashion with Kia at the helm.
“Yesterday I was jumping up and down, screaming, so I’m sure my neighbours think I’m crazy,” Nurse said, detailing his reaction to watching his sister’s game from afar. “It’s a lot of fun to watch these games.”
10. Now, about that last pick…
Paul Bissonnette wasn’t in Toronto for the draft, but he was following along nonetheless.
As Sportsnet’s Shawn McKenzie points out, @BizNasty2point0 might just end up being the secret ingredient to a winning squad.
