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Three totally random thoughts from the first day of the Vancouver Canucks’ development camp in Shawnigan Lake.

LEADER OF THE PACK

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Except for the logo, there are no letters on the front of the jerseys of the prospects who are skating this week for Canuck coaches and management. But it’s clear that college free-agent defenceman Troy Stecher of Richmond is one of the leaders.

General manager Jim Benning said Stecher, signed in April from the University of North Dakota, has been front and centre in his group in all the team-building exercises that have complemented the on-ice work so far. Sure, at 22 years old, Stecher is among the older prospects at camp and, presumably, among the most mature. But there is more to Stecher’s leadership than that.

“I’ve always been comfortable in that role,” the five-foot-10 defenceman said. “I want to be counted on. I want to be the guy who has the puck on his stick at the end of a game.”