What to watch as Golden Knights begin training camp

Skates and sticks have hit the ice at City National Arena. Drills have been won and lost. Games have been played.

Wednesday, however, it all becomes more official.

The Golden Knights’ weekslong informal workouts will become formal when training camp officially opens with medical and fitness testing. The team’s first on-ice workout is Thursday, the initial step in what the group hopes is a return to the playoffs after a disappointing campaign last season.

Almost every member of the Knights has been in town skating in preparation. They have about three weeks until their Oct. 11 opener at Los Angeles.

“Guys are excited for the year,” center Jack Eichel said. “Team camaraderie seems like it’s pretty high right now.”

Here are three things to watch as training camp begins:

1. Cassidy’s changes

Knights coach Bruce Cassidy, 99 days after being hired, only has to wait a few more to get on the ice with his new team.

The 57-year-old is coming off an impressive six-season run in Boston that featured elite defense, strong special teams and enough offense to reach the playoffs six times. The Bruins also reached the 2019 Stanley Cup Final and lost in seven games.

Cassidy doesn’t have much time to teach his new players his systems before the preseason opener Sunday against Colorado. He said he probably will spend his first three practice days emphasizing offensive, defensive and neutral zone play and implement his power play and penalty kill concepts later.

His special-teams expertise in particular could be much-needed for the Knights, even if it’s not an immediate focus. They ranked 21st on the penalty kill last season and 25th on the power play.

“Special teams will be built in at the end,” Cassidy said. “Those will be a little behind the first couple games until you find your chemistry anyway. I think it’s more important getting your five-on-five stuff, how you want to play down.”

2. Goalie competition

The Knights’ opening-night starter their first five seasons has been either a three-time Stanley Cup winner in Marc-Andre Fleury or a Vezina Trophy finalist in Robin Lehner.

That will change this season.

The net probably will either belong to rookie Logan Thompson or trade acquisition Adin Hill for the season opener, barring Laurent Brossoit recovering from offseason hip surgery in time. Cassidy said the job is likely Thompson’s to lose because he started the final four games last season.

Still, the 25-year-old will have to earn it. He will be competing with Hill, a goalie with a .908 career save percentage who goaltending coach Sean Burke knows well. Hill and Thompson, who went to the same middle school, probably will battle throughout the season for playing time as the Knights search for the right mix.

“I can only say that some of the best goalie competitions I’ve had is when you’re friends off the ice and you compete on the ice,” Hill said after joining the Knights. “It makes it a lot more fun. And hopefully at the end of the day, you push each other to be better and it results in team success.”

3. Hague’s contract talks

The Knights’ blue line has a chance to be one of the NHL’s best. The team just has to get everyone under contract.

Nic Hague is a restricted free agent and doesn’t have a deal with the team. The 23-year-old was in Las Vegas to skate with his teammates and meet with coaches, according to his agent, Murray Koontz, but has since left.

Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon said Aug. 25 that re-signing Hague was “priority one,” but cap space remains tight. The team’s only previous training camp holdout came in 2018, when defenseman Shea Theodore missed 11 days before signing a seven-year contract.

It remains to be seen if Hague will show up. If the Knights bring him back, they will have seven quality NHL defensemen before even digging into their prospect depth.

“You have competition every single practice,” defenseman Ben Hutton said.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.