The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

32 Sports Oakville Beaver ictor Oreskovich is spending his summer finishing his finance degree but he got a lesson in communications on the weekend -- specifically, how quickly word trav- SPORTS EDITOR: JON KUIPERIJ Phone 905-845-3824 (ext. 432) Fax 905-337-5571 email sports@oakvillebeaver.com · FRIDAY, JULY 2, 2010 Oreskovich faces new challenge in Vancouver By Herb Garbutt OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF els. Oreskovich was watching the NHL draft last Friday in Indiana when he got a text message from a friend asking if he'd been traded to the Vancouver Canucks. "I thought he was pulling my leg," said the 23-year-old winger, coming off his rookie season with the Florida Panthers. But apparently his friend had a friend in Vancouver who had heard that the Oreskovich was a part of a five-player deal between Florida and the Canucks. "I really enjoyed Shortly after the trade was being reported on TV and when it came my time with time for Vancouver to make its firstFlorida. It's a new round pick, NHL commissioner challenge to play Gary Bettman announced the deal. in Canada, "I really enjoyed my time with though." Florida," Oreskovich said. "It's a new challenge to play in Canada, n Victor Oreskovich though. Vancouver is a great, great team. I know they have a ton of talent and I'm hoping to be a part of that team and the goal is going to be to win a Stanley Cup." While defenceman Keith Ballard was the main player acquired by the Canucks, Oreskovich is no mere throw-in. "With our third- and fourth-liners, we want to get bigger, stronger and fleeter of foot," said Canucks director of pro scouting Eric Crawford, "all of which Victor brings." Crawford said he would have preferred to see Oreskovich get more seasoning in the AHL last season, though he understands why Florida called him up. He would still like to see Oreskovich playing 15-plus minutes a game in the minors to further his development, but Crawford said Oreskovich has already eliminated any concerns about the negative effects of missing two years. "Anyone who can play 50 games in the NHL after taking a couple of years off -- and key development years -- that says something about his ability." Whether he begins the season in Vancouver or Manitoba, home of the Canucks' American Hockey League affiliate, it will be a far better place than Oreskovich found himself at this time last year. V HEADED WEST: Victor Oreskovich, pictured in action with the Florida Panthers last season, was traded to the Vancouver Canucks last weekend. The 23year-old Minor Oaks Hockey Association product says he is looking forward to the opportunity to play in a Canadian city. JAY KOPINSKI / SPECIAL TO THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Oreskovich had been out of hockey for two years after walking away from the game following his second training camp with the Colorado Avalanche. After he began skating on his own and rekindled his desire to play, he approached agent Pat Morris, who began looking for a team willing to take a chance on his new client. Morris found one in the Panthers, who were being coached by Oreskovich's former junior coach, Peter DeBoer. "I can't thank Florida enough, from management to the coaching staff, for giving me a great opportunity to play in the NHL," Oreskovich said. "That was a dream come true." Oreskovich has every intention of continuing that dream next season, hoping to force the Canucks to take a long look at him with a strong training camp, much like he did in Florida last fall. The inclusion of Steve Bernier and Michael Grabner in the trade does open some spots on the Vancouver depth chart. "The opportunity is there for a few players," Crawford said, "Vic amongst them." Oreskovich knows he can't rely on what he's done in his short time in the league -- he had two goals and six points and was sixth on Florida in hits while averaging less than nine minutes per game. "It was a big step from taking two years off to playing in the NHL and I want to build on last year," he said. "Given an opportunity, I know I can make a difference at the NHL level." Wheelchair racer sets three Canadian records at Swiss track meet Josh Cassidy set three Canadian Paralympic records and narrowly missed the podium at the Swiss Track Championships last weekend in Arbon, Switzerland. Cassidy was fourth in his favourite event, the 10,000-metre wheelchair race, crossing the line in a Canadian-record time of 19:51.54 -- less than a second behind the second- and third-place finishers. Each of the top four finishers broke the previous world record by more than 25 kick," Cassidy said. "That's what I am now working on with my coach." Cassidy's other new Canadian records came in the 1,500m (finishing in 2:55.73, 3.5 seconds faster than the previous standard) and the 5,000m (finishing in 9:55.13, 0.4 seconds short of the previous world record). Cassidy also posted a personal-best time in the 800m, crossing the line in 1:35.72. He was fifth in both the 800m and 1,500m, while placing seventh in the 5,000m. "I am happy. Despite a grumbling arm strain problem, my pushing felt like a jog in the park. I wasn't winded at all," Cassidy said. "I have lots of time to work on my sprint and get my max finishing speed up. I can't wait to see what I can do by the time of world championships this January in New Zealand." Cassidy is now in Atlanta for 5K and 10K road races. Josh Cassidy seconds. "I should have taken second in the race, but just missed that little extra in the final