Deboer not allowing for any complacency

Coach eyes ‘sweet spot’ of quality work, pace

The loud thwack of stick hitting glass Tuesday at City National Arena was a not-so-subtle reminder for the Golden Knights that they’re not easing into training camp.

Coach Pete Deboer was only too happy to play percussion during his second practice to remind his players to skate hard through the end of drills. With less than three weeks to go until the team’s first meaningful game in four-plus months, the Knights are trying to get back to full speed as soon as possible.

“The last two days have definitely been an indication of how camp is going to be,” defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “Flying around each and every day. It’s been really nice to have that pace. It really brings your lungs back. It brings things back to game speed a lot quicker.”

Deboer has put the Knights right back to work in camp. Tuesday featured plenty of full-ice drills centered on the team’s breakout and rush patterns, plus a scrimmage for the second straight day.

The up-tempo work fits right in with Deboer’s vision for the team. Upon his arrival in January he spent plenty of time working on the Knights’ transition game to get them again playing like the high-flying outfit that reached the 2018 Stanley Cup Final.

“I thought we ramped up the work level today and the guys responded,” Deboer said. “The pace was real good again. You’re always looking for that sweet spot where you can keep that pace and quality of work. We went over an hour today, an hour (and) 15 (minutes). There was pace right from minute one right through minute 75. I thought it was a real good day.”

Schedule update

The Knights will play their lone exhibition game in before the postseason starts at 7 p.m. July 30 against the Arizona Coyotes in Edmonton, Alberta, the NHL announced Tuesday.

The league also said the Knights’ first round-robin game against the Dallas Stars will begin at 3:30 p.m. on Aug. 3. Start times for the Knights’ other two round-robin games against the St. Louis Blues (Aug. 6) and Colorado Avalanche (Aug. 8) have yet to be determined.

Knights avoiding Strip

The Knights aren’t required to stay home when away from the rink during training camp, but the team wants players to be smart.

Center William Karlsson said players have been asked not to put themselves at risk before they leave for their hub city, on July 26. Training camp protocols ask players to stay home “as much as possible” and avoid unnecessary contact with nonfamily members.

“Obviously, going on the Strip I don’t think is a great idea,” Karlsson said. “Pretty much the recommendation is to stay off the Strip.”

Fleury misses practice

Marc-andre Fleury was at City National Arena chatting with teammates Tuesday, but he didn’t practice for the second straight day.

Deboer said Monday the goaltender wasn’t being held back because of a positive COVID-19 test. Fleury is expected to practice with the Knights later this week.

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