The Young Stars Classic kicks off in a week, with the Canucks prospects heading to Penticton to play the prospects from the Winnipeg Jets. It’s an excellent chance to get an early look at big names like Elias Pettersson and Olli Juolevi, along with wildcards like Petrus Palmu and Zack MacEwen.
Along with all the Canucks prospects in the lineup, there will be several undrafted and unsigned invitees. There’s always a certain amount of intrigue around invitees, as there’s a chance you can find a diamond in the rough — a legitimate prospect that can improve your team’s depth and could potentially make the NHL in the future. After all, Troy Stecher was once a Canucks camp invitee.
The Canucks will have 11 invitees in Penticton, though that includes a few players that have already signed AHL contracts with the Utica Comets. Some of those invitees have already been the subject of invitee profiles from when they attended the Canucks’ prospect development camp this summer, such as Nando Eggenberger and Tanner MacMaster. Others, however, are largely unknowns in the Canucks market.
So, let’s get to know some of the invitees that will be donning Canucks jerseys next week and see if they have a chance at becoming Canucks prospects. Let’s start with someone who might be slightly familiar to Vancouver hockey fans: Giants forward Owen Hardy
Owen Hardy – Left Wing
6’1″ – 201 lbs – Feb 13, 1999 (19)
Nanaimo, BC
Vancouver Giants (56-11-12-23)
Expectations were somewhat high for Hardy in his draft year. In the previous season, he played 45 games for the Vancouver Giants as a 16 year old. While he didn’t light the league up with points, he certainly held his own. Unfortunately, he didn’t live up to those expectations, scoring just 5 goals and 14 points in 65 games.
He did improve on those totals last season, scoring 11 goals and 23 points in 56 games, but that wasn’t enough to grab the attention of any NHL teams at the draft. That means Hardy has gone undrafted twice now, which isn’t too surprising given his paltry point totals, but he does have other attributes that give him a chance at a depth role in the future.
.@owenhardy1313 is on the case! @WHLGiants on top at home! #VICvsVAN #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/ok22OYVI9n
— The WHL (@TheWHL) March 28, 2018
Hardy has aspects of a power forward to his game, with the strength and willingness to drive to the net effectively. The issue is that he doesn’t quite have the hands to put the puck in the net with any regularity once he’s there. Still, his size, conditioning, and decent defensive game should give him some sort of future in professional hockey.
Hardy refers to himself as a “gym rat”, so there are no issues with his off-ice habits.
“I started hitting the gym regularly in Grade 7,” said Hardy. “I love doing things outside of the normal hockey workouts. I love long distance running, swimming, boxing and jiu-jitsu.”
That makes Hardy a well-rounded athlete, but he’s also got big goals on the ice for the coming season.
“The first big one for me is to be ridiculously consistent. I want to dominate every game,” he said. “The long-term goal for me this season is to sign a contract. I know it’s a big goal but I’m not phased by it. I want to shoot for the stars. I’m in it to go all the way.”
Of course, Hardy has set big goals before. Heading into his draft year, he said, “I could care less whether it’s first or last pick. I am getting drafted.” That didn’t quite work out like he planned.
Still, Hardy definitely has the character and work ethic to get on a coach’s good side and earn a contract. He has some work to do this coming season.
When Hardy is on his game, he’s a force physically, throwing big hits of occasionally questionable legality, getting in hard on the forecheck, and getting under the skin of his opponents. That frequently leads to opportunities to fight, and he’s more than willing to drop the gloves.
The challenge for Hardy will be adding more dimensions to his game: puck skills, more refined skating, and finish around the net.
You could see hints of it last season: the occasional quick hands around the net to tuck a puck around a goaltender; a surprisingly wicked wrist shot when given some extra space; shifts where he’d dominate physically, then use that dominance to create a great scoring chance.
The issue was, as Hardy suggested, consistency. Too often that shot would go wide, a puck would roll off his stick in tight around the net, or his search for a big hit would leave him out of position. If he can figure that out, he could have a strong season.
“I didn’t get drafted. I haven’t gone to a camp,” said Hardy. “But I’m not sitting around dwelling on it. I’m almost thinking ‘good, I have more time to get ready.’ It’s just forced me to work even harder. I feel like I’m right there and on the verge of a breakthrough and I’m so pumped for this year.”
If that breakthrough comes, the Canucks will be glad to have had a close look at Hardy at their camp.
