‘“We all believe in the direction we’re heading,” said Appert. “We all know we still have a lot of work to do, so it’s a great opportunity for our young players and our prospects to show what they’re made of. For our young guys, it’s an introduction into our organization and they get to make those statements in their play against some other world-class players, which is awesome. And for our returners, it’s an opportunity to make a statement that they’re going away from being a prospect and they’re ready to compete for NHL time.”’