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WHISTLER — He whipped through the neutral zone untouched during a high-paced Saturday scrimmage.

He circled the net like he had the puck on a string and a nobody could lay a stick or body on him. He then set up a scoring chance and nearly scored on another fast foray.

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He was not Elias Pettersson, Bo Horvat or even Nikolay Goldobin.

He was Jay Beagle. Yes, Jay Beagle.

The 32-year-old grinder has become a centre of attention through two days of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp. Signed to an eye-popping four-year US$12 million free-agent deal on July 1 to bring faceoff efficiency and a penalty-kill presence, the Stanley Cup champion has found the Fountain of Youth.

Photo by Harry How / Getty Images Files

Beagle breezed through a bag skate Friday that brought new teammates to their knees and even had Troy Stecher throwing up. And the 6-3, 215-pound Beagle wasn’t supposed to be the first guy you noticed Saturday.

“He looked good and is probably faster than I thought he was going to be,” said Canucks coach Travis Green. “He’s a good player and you’re looking for that from guys who have a combination of everything.