When it comes to picking training camp sites, some teams opt for isolation. Others go for a little glamour, while most just stay in their own backyard.

	Todd Bertuzzi, right, says training camp in Sweden hasn't been all fun and games.

The Stars hit high-brow Vail, Colo. The Islanders mix it up at beautiful Lake Placid, N.Y., while the rival Rangers exit the city lights for bucolic Burlington, Vt.

But the Vancouver Canucks topped them all this year by heading overseas to Stockholm, Sweden. Sure, it's part goodwill mission for the NHL, as well as a chance to showcase Daniel and Henrik Sedin, the highly touted Swedish twins prepping for their first taste of the NHL.

But make no mistake about it. The Canucks' focus is the NHL season, one in which they plan to turn things around and qualify for the postseason for the first time since 1995.

"The games are going to be fun, and we're getting a lot of publicity over here, but we're playing well and have been skating pretty hard," native Swede Mattias Ohlund said. "Everyone's pretty tired."

The assumption is that with the travel and glad-handing, this kind of trip sets the team back a bit in preparation for the season. But from talking with the players -- and looking at the roster -- it's the exact opposite.

"No, I think it'll be fine," Todd Bertuzzi said when asked about the possible negative impact of having camp overseas. "We actually have a pretty good step on a lot of teams because we're doing a lot of systems work, while other teams are still scrimmaging."

The Canucks couldn't take a full training-camp roster overseas. The team brought 29 players to Sweden and left 40 in Vancouver for a "B-camp." In effect, the Canucks have been practicing with their full team from the beginning. Sure, there are a few names in Vancouver -- like Steve Kariya, Bryan Allen and Mike Brown -- who have a chance to make the team. But for the most part, practices have been more about preparation than evaluation.

In addition, the Canucks play two games -- beginning Wednesday -- against MoDo of the Swedish Elite League before this weekend. That's before most NHL teams play a single period against outside competition.

That could be a huge boost early in the season, especially for a team that begins with three road games, including opening night against the Flyers.

So, for guys like Ohlund, the Sedins and Markus Naslund, it's a great experience to show their home country NHL hockey. But for coach Marc Crawford, it's a much-needed head start on the season.

Brian A. Shactman is the NHL Editor for ESPN.com.