The Vegas Golden Knights begin their eighth season in the National Hockey League on Thursday night. But this is a very different team than the one that debuted in 2017.
During the VGK's offseason, which followed a first-round exit from the Stanley Cup playoffs, players who left for more lucrative deals include Jonathan Marchessault, Chandler Stephenson and William Carrier.
So what has team management been able to do to fill those gaps? And what else will be new in the Fortress?
Some on-ice developments of note:
- From the New Jersey Devils, right-wing player Alexander Holtz is primed to provide some needed offensive skill, hopefully enabled by a new environment. "Sometimes, all it takes is a move, a new coach, a new breath of fresh air for a young player to come in and say, oh, this is a new start for me," says broadcaster and former NHL player Shane Hnidy. "He's a guy that has a ton of skill. He's got a great shot for a young player."
- Victor Olofsson, also a right-winger and acquired from the Buffalo Sabres, brings valuable experience and goal-scoring bona fides to his new team.
- The Knights will lean on younger players with opportunities to test their mettle. "To keep this team competitive, you have to start to bring up some youth, and that's what [management is] doing this year," says Hnidy.
The Knights have widened their fan and community engagement, including:
- The continued development of youth hockey, aided by practice facilities all over the valley. Team president Kerry Bulbolz says the team is making plans for a new rink in West Henderson, and an increasing amount of younger players continue to fill the calendars at America First Center off Water Street (also in Henderson), the ice rink at the former Fiesta Rancho, and the City National Arena, adjacent to Downtown Summerlin and serving as VGK headquarters. "I love to see kids out on the ice where just two hours earlier, the best players in the world were out on that same ice," says Bulbolz.
- Outreach to the Latino community, which will see a Noche de LosVGK game night in early November. In September, the team held clinics and fan events in Mexico City and Monterrey, one of the few NHL teams to do so.
- More community/theme "knights" include Pride Knight, Asian American and Pacific Islander Knight, nights recognizing Black History Month and Women’s History Month, and multiple first-responder and military appreciation nights, among others. "We want to make sure that we sit with those communities and ask them, hey, if we're going to recognize you, what would you like to see as part of an event like this?" says Bulbolz. "And so we really sit down with them and we talk about what's important to them, and then we authentically integrate that into our presentation for the event. ... It's a lot of fun to see the faces of the people that attend our games. It's different than any other team in our league because it's working, and we're really diversifying the game — and we have to. It's an important part of Hockey is For Everyone."
Guests: Shane Hnidy, former player and broadcaster, Vegas Golden Knights; Kerry Bubolz, president, Vegas Golden Knights
