In the interview Dudley discusses Craig Ramsay’s strength, some of the moves he has made, the plan to put Byfuglien on defense, and more. It’s well worth your time to listen to the whole thing.

Time is of the essence so you have until Friday to get your demo video submitted. It doesn’t have to be sports related- it just has to show that you’re enthusiastic, comfortable in front of a camera, and professional.

The top six participants will be asked to showcase their skills next week at Taco Mac in Duluth and then potentially at Thrashers preseason games.

All the details and the submission form are right here.

Modin has battled injuries lately, limiting him to 23, 50 and 44 games over the last three seasons, but he stepped up his game with the Kings in the playoffs, scoring three goals and four points in six games while also playing more than 17 minutes per game- up from his regular season average of just over 14 minutes.

Although Modin only had five goals and 11 points in 44 games last season he could prove to be a valuable addition to the team. He won’t put up numbers like Afinogenov who was another somewhat injury-prone late summer addition last season, but he does have the potential to fill a top six role when needed. He has a bog shot and was used on both the power play and penalty kill with the Kings.

An important factor to consider is the familiarity the Thrashers have with Modin. He played for both Rick Dudley and Craig Ramsay in Tampa Bay, was a teammate of Ron Hainsey in Columbus with the Blue Jackets, and suited up for Sweden in the Olympics along with his countrymen Toby Enstrom and Johnny Oduya.

With Modin signed it will be up to coach Craig Ramsay and his staff to determine exactly where he fits in training camp.

Here is the full schedule and roster which includes top prospects like Akim Aliu, Alex Burmistrov, Patrice Cormier, Angelo Esposito, Paul Postma, Andrey Zubarev and goalies Chris Carrozzi and Ed Pasquale.

Notably absent is Carl Klingberg who seemed fairly certain he’d be playing in the Swedish Elite League this year when he was in Atlanta in July (no word yet on the official reason for him not coming to the camp). Speaking of Swedes, forward Fredrik Pettersson will be at this camp, marking his first trip to Atlanta since he was signed as a free agent in June. Rick Dudley has him tagged as a player who could compete for a roster spot in the main camp.

The top performers at the rookie camp will earn invitations to the main camp while the others will return to their junior teams or wait for their minor league camps to open.

2010-11 Preseason Report Card:

Forwards: C
Defense: B
Goaltending: C+
Special Teams: C-
Coaching: Inc.
Management: B-

Obviously it’s tough to give final grades without knowing what the full roster looks like and Wyshynski is under a deadline to get all the previews done this month, but what do you think? Is he off the mark in any area?

I’m hoping he’s on the low side when it comes to goaltending and special teams. If those two areas are more improved than he thinks the Thrashers should be in the thick of things come April.

McKenzie, 23, split last season between the AHL and ECHL (where he won an ECHL championship with the Cincinnati Cyclones). The 6-5, 235 Saskatchewan native is an energy player who doesn’t mind dropping the gloves and realistically he’s probably not going to challenge for an NHL job this season.

The writing was on the wall for Grant Lewis when the Thrashers loaned him to the Hershey Bears last March rather than add him to the Chicago Wolves clear list and playoff roster. Lewis is a talented defenseman but has struggled with injuries since turning pro in 2007-08, averaging just 38 games per season over the last three years.

With 12 pro defensemen under contract for next season and Kyle McLaren coming in on a tryout the move frees up some space and ice time for whichever defensemen find themselves playing for the Wolves this season.

The first is a feature on prospect Angelo Esposito and how he is willing to adapt his game to earn a spot with the Thrashers. The former junior star had two knee surgeries in the span of a year but is back at full strength and ready to prove he still has what it takes.

The second story is about former Thrashers strength and conditioning coach Ray Bear who left the team to work for the US Army where he will be in charge of physical training for troops. Ray Bear was a pleasure to work with and will be missed this season, though new strength and conditioning coach Barry Brennan comes in with a great reputation among players as well.

Your most economical option if you aren’t a season ticket holder is still to go the Flex Plan route. You get better per game prices and a Home Depot gift card with each plan purchased.

And if you missed it yesterday, here is a video of Evander Kane talking about his summer: