It’s 3-on-3 hockey, so let’s not jump to any conclusions.
Two passes and any of the six guys can turn around and score on one of the embattled goalies, literally left on an island for 10 minutes at a time.
But putting two of the top picks for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2014 NHL Entry Draft on the same team might have led to a foregone conclusion.
Team Filppula went undefeated in 3-on-3 play, led by the offensive creativity and puck possession acumen of 1st round pick Anthony DeAngelo (Sarnia Sting of the OHL) and 3rd round pick Brayden Point (Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL). Joined by Brendan O’Donnell (University of North Dakota), Jeff Costello (University of Notre Dame, acquired in the Jason Garrison trade) and eventually Dylan Blujus, Team Filppula steamrolled their competition, needing a shootout to dispatch just one of their victims.
Again — it’s 3-on-3 play, so it’s largely meaningless. But development camp is a good place for the newest members of the organization to acclimate themselves with the professional organization that selected them, to learn some skills and drills to practice when they return to their respective teams, and to get a taste of how the NHL handles its business.
It’s also the first opportunity for many fans to see the newest members of the farm system in action, however trivial that action might be.
I dare you to tell these guys it’s trivial:
Victory for Team Filppula! O’Donnell, Costello, Point, DeAngelo, Blujus. pic.twitter.com/XRsgQpmgGV
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) July 6, 2014
