Brent Burns, wearing black, jostles with Rick Nash in front of goaltender Martin Brodeur at orientation camp on Wednesday. (Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press)

Intensity and ingenuity remain on display at Team Canada's Olympic orientation camp in Calgary.

Mike Babcock, head coach of Canada's men's team for the 2010 Vancouver Games, shook things up Wednesday at the Pengrowth Saddledome, where 45 hopefuls hit the ice for the third day in a row.

Babcock toyed with different line combinations and defensive pairings, and will likely do so again in Thursday's final scrimmage in front of more than 16,000 fans.

"Just told the lines will change again tmrrw [Thursday]," Hockey Night In Canada Radio host Jeff Marek posted on Twitter.

Babcock repeatedly cautioned reporters not to read into anything, but he admitted Wednesday that Sidney Crosby and Rick Nash have clicked from the outset, whether flanked by Jarome Iginla (Monday and Tuesday) or Martin St. Louis (Wednesday).

"I think there is something there," Babcock said.

"Crosby again was the class of the day. He just keeps getting better. Kinda scary actually," Marek tweeted.

St. Louis, a former Hart Trophy winner, relished the opportunity to skate on the No. 1 line.

"It is fun," he said. "You never know how many chances you will get to play with players like that."

Iginla, one of the few players likely guaranteed a spot on the final 23-man roster to be submitted New Year's Eve, was paired with Mike Richards and Jonathan Toews, who was shifted from centre to wing.

"No one knows what the combinations are going to be as far as players and who is going to be around," Toews said. "The coaching staff — I think they're starting to maybe get their own ideas."

Watching both workouts from the stands with HNIC's Cassie Campbell-Pascal, Marek tweeted that "the intensity has picked up even more today. Starting to see a little more contact in the drills," something the players expect to intensify in the Red-White scrimmage.

"Players — they won't necessarily be going out full bore physical, but they will be competitive out there," Iginla said. "Nobody wants to get beat.

'You want your line to do well, you want to do well and have a good showing. Just a natural competitiveness."

'He has done a good job'

Babcock, who will work behind the bench Thursday night, has been bristling with intensity from the drop of the first puck, something not lost on the players.

"He has done a good job at the camp really being black and white, letting everybody know what is wanted and demanded from the players," said defenceman Scott Niedermayer, Babcock's choice as team captain.

"He is not into the details. But it is very quick and it is very direct.

"There is not a lot of grey areas. He tells you exactly what he wants and expects us to do it."

Tweeted Marek: "Cassie points out how everyone watches Babcock when he speaks. He has their FULL attention."

Join Jeff Marek at CBCSports.ca for a live online chat during Team Canada's Red-White scrimmage on Thursday, beginning at 9 p.m. ET.

Wednesday's pairings

Team Red

Forwards

Marleau-Lecavalier-Cleary

Smyth-Spezza-Sharp

E. Staal-Thornton-Carter

Lucic-Roy-Perry

Defencemen

Boyle-Pronger

Doughty-Regehr

Phaneuf-Seabrook

Hamhuis-Robidas

Team White

Forwards

Nash-Crosby-St. Louis

Toews-Richards-Iginla

Morrow-McDonald-Heatley

Doan-J. Staal (Gagne injured )

Defencemen

Niedermayer-Weber

Bouwmeester-Burns

Green-Keith

Beauchemin-M. Staal

With files from The Canadian Press