LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A new voice ran practice Thursday at City National Arena. The expectations surrounding the Vegas Golden Knights sounded much the same.
Vegas opened training camp for its 10th season with Ryan Craig running his first practice as an NHL head coach and a roster still carrying the sting of finishing two wins short of the Stanley Cup last season.
WATCH | VGK opens training camp with ‘unfinished business’ after Stanley Cup Final run
“It’s unfinished business,” general manager Kelly McCrimmon said.
There isn't much time to dwell on it.
WATCH | Hear from Kelly McCrimmon at training camp
Training camp is eight days shorter this season under changes to the NHL's collective bargaining agreement.
Vegas has four preseason games before opening the regular season Sept. 29, creating an immediate sense of urgency for veterans preparing for the season and younger players fighting for roster spots.
Craig said players don't have the luxury of easing their way into camp.
“You don’t have the eight days to kind of wade into camp,” Craig said. “You got to get going here.”
WATCH | Hear from Ryan Craig at training camp
That message wasn't lost on the Golden Knights' leaders.
“You don’t forget coming up two games short of winning the Stanley Cup,” Jack Eichel said. “This group always feels like we have something to prove to ourselves more than anything.”
Captain Mark Stone enters camp with some added certainty after signing a two-year contract extension. Stone said his long-term future may be settled, but his objective hasn't changed.
“My goal is the same every day I step foot in this locker room, and that’s to help this team try and win the Stanley Cup,” Stone said. “I’ve said that since I’ve gotten here, and I’ll say it until I leave here.”
Vegas is also hoping some late-season chemistry carries over.
Mitch Marner, William Karlsson and Brett Howden were reunited to begin camp after finding success together during the postseason. Marner said communication remains one of the line's strengths.
“Just keep talking,” Marner said. “Keep talking how we think we can be better.”
Karlsson offered a simpler version.
“I try to tell Mitch he likes to yap, so keep yapping out there,” Karlsson joked. “It helps me a ton.”
While the established core prepares for another run, the condensed camp also magnifies every opportunity for the players trying to join it.
Braeden Bowman enters camp in a much different position than a year ago after signing a six-year extension. The undrafted forward said he once looked at other players who had taken unconventional paths to the NHL and wondered why he couldn't do the same.
“Why couldn’t that be me?” Bowman said. “Why couldn’t I carve out my own path?”
Now he's trying to carve out a larger role.
Prospect Trevor Connelly is getting his own opportunity. Craig opened camp with Connelly alongside veteran players, giving the 20-year-old an early chance to show he belongs.
In a camp where every practice carries more weight, there is little time for either the prospects or veterans to wait.
Vegas may be starting over under a new head coach, but the destination hasn't changed.
Two wins short last season. One goal entering the next.