Confirmed with Link: W Sammy Blais signed to AHL Contract(Abbotsford) / PTO with Vancouver

[PavelBure10]

If only Blais could stay healthy. Could be a real dark horse to make the team after camp. Tochett will love his willingness to hit the opponent when given the opportunity to do so.

 

[F A N]

No.


Thats not what Im saying.

Lets just give up.

I do think this is getting stupid here but I'm still trying to understand.

Your exact words (albeit chosen quotes but copy and pasted nonetheless):

Räty does not have the education to work on things properly.

99,999999% of athletes dont have the education to do that.

almost no pro athlete has the education necessary to program them selves.

The physical training that Räty and other prospects recieve for off season is not of high quality.

I dont believe the hockey players should be self driven as far as their summer training goes. Its far too complex to expect pro players, who need to worry about actual hockey skills and knowledge, to master.

The issue is that Finnish pro hockey clubs are not up to the task of handling the NHLers summer training. And with the CBA preventing NHL being more hands on, Finland is a really shitty place to train for the NHLers, during the summer.

I would say the problem is especially bad in Finland.

You agree with this pretty much:

These training methods would require each player, perhaps a small group of players if they stay in the same city in the offseason, to have a highly skilled trainer monitoring their training. The Canucks don't appear to have this level of investment preferring to allow players to guide their training along the lines the team has set out. This isn't as effective as specific tailored training.

In addition, players who stay in NA in the offseason have better access to trainers than players who go back home to Europe. This is because the sports science scene is more advanced in NA than in Europe.

You answered in the affirmative to this:

...players from countries other than Finland do the type of "tracking" you mentioned when they go back home to train? Take Petey. Is his recovery being tracked via bloodwork while he's in Sweden over the summer? Is Hughes' tracking his recovery via bloodwork at home in Michigan? Is that what you're suggesting?

But you disagree with this:

So in summary you're saying:

1) 99+% of NHL players are not "working on things properly" because they aren't working with a trainer who are doing things like monitoring their recovery through blood work etc.

2) The situation is particularly worse because the trainers and local resources available in Finland is worse than in other countries.

 

[Sexy Necksy Garland]

Oh my God it stinks like sex in here.

 

[Nona Di Giuseppe]

I do think this is getting stupid here but I'm still trying to understand.

Your exact words (albeit chosen quotes but copy and pasted nonetheless):



You agree with this pretty much:



You answered in the affirmative to this:



But you disagree with this:

i don't think he can explain it because it doesn't make sense

 

[PuckMunchkin]

i don't think he can explain it because it doesn't make sense

Probably because you dont have a clue what offseason training for a pro athlete should be today.

 

[Frostage]

Probably because you dont have a clue what offseason training for a pro athlete should be today.

What should off-season training for a pro-hockey player look like today?

 

[PuckMunchkin]

What should off-season training for a pro-hockey player look like today?

The type of programming in the past was "Follow this weight lifting program during the summer and do these cardio exercises."

The modern requirements are far beyond what can be achieved that way. Simply put the players are stronger and faster and you will be left behind if you do the old simple program.

You cannot push your self hard enough that way and you cannot adjust to your progress / set backs properly.



You need a trainer present at all times. Qualified trainer.

The program is HIGHLY specific to position and the players areas of need physically.

(As an example of what not to do; I just talked with a jr from one of Liiga's teams. For his team, the summer training was the exact same program for all the skaters. And... with the same weights to boot...)

You need someone to set your nutrition right. Maybe another qualified professional if your trainer isnt one.

Constant metrics to track recovery, inflammation etc. There are some small machines you can use to do some of this. (edit. I mean a small portable machine that most people can learn to use.) But probably a doctor is needed here.

Tracking axial load for hockey players is key because of how lower back and hip intensive skating is.


So the point I am trying to get across that somehow keeps going woosh over some posters head is that a professional athlete wont be "educated enough" to do this him self.

(edit. What I am not saying is that 99,9% of NHL players are not doing these things. Many many are. They just got the right people around them to help them do this.)

He needs a team of professionals around him.

He needs objective data on his recover because you cannot trust how he feels. You also cannot trust Oura etc. because these devices are calibrated for your average person and a pro athlete is not an average person.

 

[Frostage]

The type of programming in the past was "Follow this weight lifting program during the summer and do these cardio exercises."

The modern requirements are far beyond what can be achieved that way. Simply put the players are stronger and faster and you will be left behind if you do the old simple program.

You cannot push your self hard enough that way and you cannot adjust to your progress / set backs properly.



You need a trainer present at all times. Qualified trainer.

The program is HIGHLY specific to position and the players areas of need physically.

(As an example of what not to do; I just talked with a jr from one of Liiga's teams. For his team, the summer training was the exact same program for all the skaters. And... with the same weights to boot...)

You need someone to set your nutrition right. Maybe another qualified professional if your trainer isnt one.

Constant metrics to track recovery, inflammation etc. There are some small machines you can use to do some of this. (edit. I mean a small portable machine that most people can learn to use.) But probably a doctor is needed here.

Tracking axial load for hockey players is key because of how lower back and hip intensive skating is.


So the point I am trying to get across that somehow keeps going woosh over some posters head is that a professional athlete wont be "educated enough" to do this him self.

(edit. What I am not saying is that 99,9% of NHL players are not doing these things. Many many are. They just got the right people around them to help them do this.)

He needs a team of professionals around him.

He needs objective data on his recover because you cannot trust how he feels. You also cannot trust Oura etc. because these devices are calibrated for your average person and a pro athlete is not an average person.

Are you familiar with any performance benchmarks that players/teams want to achieve during the off-season?

 

[VanJack]

I'm actually kinda' surprised that Blais and his agent even decided on Vancouver. The wing in Vancouver is stacked with guys they signed in the off-season and well as returnees......seems to me he'd have had a far better chance of sticking via PTO with one of the NHL's bottom-feeders.

Maybe the guaranteed AHL contract if he doesn't stick in Vancouver, was an incentive. But I guess if he outperforms his PTO in training camp, there's a chance he can bump somebody to the minors.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Are you familiar with any performance benchmarks that players/teams want to achieve during the off-season?

There are devices to measure power and stamina of individual joints / movements.

Other than that the usual stuff.

VO2 max.

Skating speed from stand still.

Agility drills.

Thats all I can think of. I can try to find out more.

I dont know what sort of numbers they want to see or % improvement they might expect.

 

[Frostage]

There are devices to measure power and stamina of individual joints / movements.

Other than that the usual stuff.

VO2 max.

Skating speed from stand still.

Agility drills.

Thats all I can think of. I can try to find out more.

I dont know what sort of numbers they want to see or % improvement they might expect.

Interesting. If you could find out more, that would be awesome.

 

[VanJack]

It's a 'win-win' for the Canucks and Blais.....if he shows well in training camp on a PTO, there's a chance he gets a contract somewhere else if the Canucks don't sign him.

And if they do sign him, but want to send him to Abbotsford, he'd have to be exposed to the waiver wire. A chance he could be picked up as well.

So imo it's unlikely he ever suits up in Abbotsford, unless he has a really bad training camp.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Interesting. If you could find out more, that would be awesome.

Here is the testing used by a certain NHL team this autumn.

I would expect this is not ALL of it, but this is a pretty decent overview of the relevant measurables for a hockey player.

 

[Bertuzzzi44]

Would be nice to beef up the roster a bit more.

Canucks 14th in height (73.3)
(Top 4 - Dallas, Edmonton, Vegas, Boston)
Canucks 14th in weight (199.4)

NHL Team Biometrics: Average Age, Height, and Weight | leftwinglock.com

NHL Team Biometrics: Average Age, Height, and Weight.

leftwinglock.com

 

[Frostage]

Here is the testing used by a certain NHL team this autumn.

View attachment 906970

I would expect this is not ALL of it, but this is a pretty decent overview of the relevant measurables for a hockey player.

Thanks. This was interesting. I am a tiny bit surprised at the bench press but if this is just a part of it then it would make sense. If you come across other things such as this, please share.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

Thanks. This was interesting. I am a tiny bit surprised at the bench press but if this is just a part of it then it would make sense. If you come across other things such as this, please share.

No problem.

I might get access to another one at some point. And from what I understand these are not exactly trade secrets.

Why are you surprised by bench being part of the testing?

 

[tyhee]

It's a 'win-win' for the Canucks and Blais.....if he shows well in training camp on a PTO, there's a chance he gets a contract somewhere else if the Canucks don't sign him.

And if they do sign him, but want to send him to Abbotsford, he'd have to be exposed to the waiver wire. A chance he could be picked up as well.

So imo it's unlikely he ever suits up in Abbotsford, unless he has a really bad training camp.

With a player whose performance has varied by so much it is hard to tell, but I'm figuring Abbosford is his most likely home this upcoming season.

Certainly if his preseason performance is similar to his play in St Louis in early 2023 he'll earn an NHL gig, but whether his performance is because of his injury or not, since tearing his ACL almost three years ago Blais has really only had half of one effective season, with his play the rest of the last two seasons being barely the level of an NHL depth player. With him having already signed an AHL deal with Abbotsford, it seems to me he'll need a good preseason to earn an NHL deal unless some team with marginal depth has a big run of injuries.

Our difference is the middle ground. I think we agree if he has a good preseason he rates to be in the NHL and if he has a bad preseason he'll likely start the season in Abbotsford. It seems if his preseason is in between you're figuring he'll be in the NHL and I think he'll most likely be in Abbotsford.

 

[Frostage]

No problem.

I might get access to another one at some point. And from what I understand these are not exactly trade secrets.

Why are you surprised by bench being part of the testing?

Bench pressing is quite a specialized exercise and has been shown to have less carry-over to most athletics than an incline or overhead press. But like I said, if this is just a part of an overall larger testing that includes overhead pressing then it would make sense.

 

[F A N]

So I don't think Blais is going to get an NHL contract from the Canucks. Will he get one from another team? I doubt it. Blais is going to get opportunities to prove himself.

 

[tantalum]

So I don't think Blais is going to get an NHL contract from the Canucks. Will he get one from another team? I doubt it. Blais is going to get opportunities to prove himself.

I think they sign him to a NHL deal once he has regained his fitness. Let him do that in Abbotsford. He's good wing depth.

 

[rypper]

Dhaliwal kind of opined that Blais might get an "extended try out" because he already has his AHL contract with the team. So if he doesn't make the team out of preseason they might revisit depending on how he does in Abbotsford.

 

[tantalum]

Dhaliwal kind of opined that Blais might get an "extended try out" because he already has his AHL contract with the team. So if he doesn't make the team out of preseason they might revisit depending on how he does in Abbotsford.

It fits with comments Tocchet made after the first game that he needs time to get his fitness back etc. I don't think they are really evaluating for a NHL spot right now but just trying to get him fit and back up to speed to use later on down the road.

 

[iceburg]

He’ll likely be in Abby to start. It’ll depend on who plays better early whether he or Bains is the first call up when they need a depth winger. PDG is ahead of both of them.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I think they sign him to a NHL deal once he has regained his fitness. Let him do that in Abbotsford. He's good wing depth.

This is what I am thinking they do with him as well. I think they want him in the organization as depth, but he isn't in the top 13 forwards right now.

 

[F A N]

I think they sign him to a NHL deal once he has regained his fitness. Let him do that in Abbotsford. He's good wing depth.

Say we sign him when he's in the AHL. Does he need to clear waivers to be called up?

Dhaliwal kind of opined that Blais might get an "extended try out" because he already has his AHL contract with the team. So if he doesn't make the team out of preseason they might revisit depending on how he does in Abbotsford.

That's usually the expectation/agreement right? Guys on PTOs aren't just showcasing themselves for one team. Blais is going to get a fair opportunity.