earned a starting job on the fourth line of the Vancouver Canucks this season. Volpatti who played three years in Vernon (2003-2006) played in 15 games with the Vancouver Canucks last year in his first year in the NHL.
Aaron Volpatti's Player Profile:
http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=76574
This was in Fridays Vancouver Sun Newspaper:
Volpatti, Oreskovich grab fourth-line wing spots
Hodgson looks set to start regular season on second line
By BRAD ZIEMER,
Vancouver Sun September 30, 2011
Aaron Volpatti and Victor Oreskovich have earned starting jobs on the fourth line of the Vancouver Canucks.
Now comes the hard part. Keeping them.
When the Canucks make their final dress rehearsal prior to the regular season tonight at Rogers Arena against the Edmonton Oilers, Volpatti and Oreskovich will be skating alongside centre Maxim Lapierre.
But coach Alain Vigneault made it clear that it will be up to both players -- who are each on a two-way contract -- to play well enough to hang onto those jobs. Vigneault did not exactly give Oreskovich a ringing endorsement, almost suggesting that had Steve Pinizzotto not separated his shoulder on Sunday night against San Jose, Oreskovich might have been heading to the Chicago Wolves.
"In Victor's case, with Steve Pinizzotto getting hurt, he is the guy we have there right now," Vigneault said after Friday's practice. "I thought he played a little bit better in the last couple of games and I'm expecting him to continue to improve."
For the past couple of seasons, the fourth line of the Canucks has been in an almost constant state of flux and this year could be no different.
Volpatti beat out the likes of Mike Duco and Todd Fedoruk for the left wing spot. He helped his cause with his gritty performance in Thursday night's pre-season game in San Jose, where he bowled over Sharks' defenceman Jason Demers and later knocked down winger Brad Winchester with one punch (although video evidence suggests a knee to the groin might have been a contributing factor).
Volpatti had four hits, four blocked shots and logged nearly five minutes on the penalty-kill Thursday night.
"That hit that he threw on Demers is why they (the Sharks) were upset," Vigneault said. "If he wants to play at this level and stay here, that's what he brings. He'll never be a top-six forward. Unfortunately, not everyone has that skill set, but he can be an effective third- or fourth-line player if he improves in killing penalties, in tracking better so that he can finish checks better, stay within the rules of the NHL.
"This is the second year we have been able to see this young man and I see real good improvement there. It's only going to get harder as we move forward. Every team improves, every team gets better and our players have to get better the same way. He is one of those guys who we are hoping can do more."
The Canucks basically had their season-opening roster on display at Friday's practice. Cody Hodgson will start the season on the second line with Mikael Samuelsson and Marco Sturm. Manny Malhotra will centre Jannik Hansen and Chris Higgins on the third line and, of course, the Sedin twins and Alex Burrows remain together on the first line. Andrew Ebbett will remain on the roster as an extra forward.
On defence, the top three pairs look to be Kevin Bieksa with Dan Hamhuis, Sami Salo and Alex Edler and Keith Ballard with rookie Chris Tanev. Andrew Alberts and Alexander Sulzer were the extra defencemen on Friday.
Volpatti, a 26-year-old graduate of Brown University who is just beginning his second full year as a pro, logged 15 games with the Canucks last season. The Revelstoke native thinks that experience helped him in camp this year.
"I had a little more confidence," he said. "I wouldn't say I approached it differently, but I definitely had a little more confidence with the puck especially."
Volpatti brings a strong physical presence to the line, but the Canucks hope he also has more to give offensively. He managed just a goal and an assist with the Canucks last season and only had 11 points in 53 games with the Manitoba Moose.
"If you are going to those tough areas, you are going to the front of the net, you should be able to find a way to contribute a bit offensively," Vigneault said of Volpatti. "I like his progression, I think he really wants this, you can tell in his face and his demeanor. He has earned the opportunity to start with us. Now he has to keep it and stay with us."
Volpatti said he understands that.
"Last year I got a taste of it so that was pretty surreal and now I am trying to become a full-time member and being from B.C., it's definitely pretty cool," he said.
Oreskovich also realizes that he has no guarantees of full-time employment with the Canucks. The 25-year-old recorded three assists in 16 games with Vancouver last season.
"I am excited to be here, but obviously it is just the start of the season," he said. "So I am going to have to play well and perform to try and keep my spot. I know what I have to do, I have to be real physical, get in there and get involved."
Hodgson beat out Ebbett for the temporary second-line centre spot that is vacant due to Ryan Kesler's injury.
"I don't think Cody's situation is any different than any other player on our team," Vigneault said. "You've got to contribute. The evaluation, not just for Cody but for all out players, is done on a daily basis and depending on how you contribute, depending on how you perform, you get ice time and you get dressed. It's as simple as that."
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