The Vancouver Canucks have wrapped up their 2017 Young Stars Classic which took place in Penticton, British Columbia and have announced the release of Aaron Berisha, Matt Barberis, Johny Corneil and Aaron Luchuk from tryout.
Luchuk and Corneil are both centres that will return to the OHL this season after solid campaigns in the 2016-17 year. Luchuk was a contributing factor in the Windsor Spitfires Memorial Cup run last year and will look to have a bigger role this upcoming season. Johnny Corneil was a pleasant surprise for the Niagara Ice Dogs last year as he led the team in goals and points and will be returning this season as the Ice Dogs captain. Another solid campaign could land Corneil a return invite and even an NHL contract.
Matt Barberis won’t have far to travel as he will return to anchor the defense of the Vancouver Giants in the WHL. A lack of size and history of injuries is what has kept Barberis from making a bigger splash in camp.
An intriguing name that may have been the biggest surprise was that of Aaron Berisha. The 5’10” 190-pound right-winger had a solid OHL career and even landed a professional contract with AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers. Berisha ultimately decided to return to school where he is attending St Mary’s University in the CIS. Berisha has put up points at every level he’s played at and could be a player that could return to Canucks camp in the future.
While this news was not a surprise as these players are not house-hold names, they are names that you could see pop up in the Canucks system in the future. Vancouver will kick off their preseason this Saturday in Los Angeles to take on the Kings at 2pm.
