Trevor Presiloski

Kuklas Korner does the exact same thing you outlined.

On the topic of Eklund, http://nhl.fanhouse....stions-about-a/ Here is a nice read on that. Note the byline...it's Yahoo's Puck Daddy himself. The problem with Eklund is that he has no filter. Someone over on HFBoards made up a rumor about the Blues making a trade at the draft...and Eklund ran with it and posted it on his site. He's affiliated with HendricksHockey, the owner of which is a chubby Habs fan who has absolutely nothing to do with sports journalism. I think he's in IT or an engineer or something. The Twitter account takes other stories and passes them off as his own. If you're following people like Dreger, Bob McKenzie, etc. it's VERY easy to see. He also makes things up. The biggest (when I was paying attention to that account) was that he was insisting that Mat Schneider was going to retire rather than go and play in the AHL when that whole waivers thing was going on this season. Last I checked, he played a number of games with the Moose before being traded to the Coyotes. So much for retirement. If you keep track and pay attention it's patently obvious he's just someone with a lot of time on his hands and absolutely zero credentials. And folks may point to his followers on Twitter as being legitimate...well, he bulk follows people on Twitter who are actively using NHL themed hashtags and gets reciprocals. He added me for a while before dropping me cos I didn't add him back.

Wrong.

The Canucks are meeting the LA Kings in the first round of the NHL playoffs. Since we’re going to be seeing a lot of LA, I figure I’d go and take the time to provide a primer for Canucks fans who may not be 100% up to date on the Kings. Think of this comprehensive, all-inclusive guide as your ‘cheat sheet’ to the Los Angeles Kings. Forwards Dustin Brown – 34 years old, Brown hails from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH4tci3JG-E. Brown earned the ire of Canucks fans everywhere back in 02-03 when he beat out Markus Naslund for the Rocket Richard trophy, but quickly earned it back when in the 05/06 season, cementing his reputation as being one of the league’s top hitters. Known to assault small children, Dustin Brown is the captain of the Los Angeles Kings. Being such a beloved figure down in LA explains why there were so many rumors circling around about trading him to Atlanta in exchange for Ilya Kovalchuk. Rich Clune – Hailing from Toronto, ON, Clune has always dreamed of suiting up to play for the Maple Leafs in the playoffs. Realizing the futility of such a dream, Clune has graciously lended his talents to the Kings. A future Lady Byng candidate, Clune had a storied junior career, including winning silver and gold for Canada at the World Juniors, demanding a trade from the Sarnia Sting and landing with the Barrie Colts. Barrie was so touched with Clune’s professionalism that they promptly awarded him a team sportsmanship award after he scored an empty net goal October 28, 2006 against the London Knights and proceeded to taunt his opponents. Alexander Frolov – A pioneer in gravity control research, per his website: “Alexander V. Frolov has been described as a technology pioneer. Born September 25th, 1962 in the Saratov area of Russia, Alex Frolov has been quietly but progressively becoming one of the world’s scientists to watch.” The fans of the LA Kings are so fond of Alexander Frolov that they were eager to include him in numerous trade proposals for Ilya Kovalchuk. Has the second most asymmetrical face behind only Dany Heatley. O_o Jeff Halpern – American born and bred, Jeff Halpern is a former great captain of the Washington Capitals, being part of a list that reads like some of the greatest names in hockey, such as Steve Konowalchuk, Chris Clark, Ryan Walter (yes, THAT Ryan Walter) and Alexander Ovechkin. Halpern has spent his entire career playing on American teams in the Southern divisions. As a result, it is recommended that you not cheer, jeer or make any other loud noises, look him in the eye or make any mention of the playoffs, so as not to startle and confuse him. Michal Handzus – Once owner of one of the NHL’s most luxurious manes and a heckuva hockey player to boot, Handzus routinely topped the lists of ‘hottest NHLer’ in annual puck bunny polls alongside Mike Ricci. He now looks like a serial killer. Nicknamed ‘Zeus’ by teammates, Handzus lives in mortal fear of tiny midgets with anger management issues. Raitis Ivanans – A Latvian born player, Ivanans is a forward who is known for his hockey smarts: in his very first NHL game, he dropped the gloves against Zdeno Chara and earned a broken orbital bone for his efforts. Also played for the Macon Whoopee, which is probably the greatest hockey team name ever. See Also: Jones, Randy. Anze Kopitar – A virtual unknown to Canucks fans, Anze Kopitar was actually selected 11th overall in the 2005 entry draft, one pick after the Canucks 10th overall selection. The enigmatic Kopitar hails from Slovenia and plays center and is an alternate captain for the Kings. Kopitar has hit 60 points or more in every NHL season he has played in and has 2 30+ goal seasons. Kopitar has been quoted as saying that he is incredibly grateful that he was not drafted by the Canucks, as he wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to showcase his talent like he has in LA. Fredrik Modin – The true #33 for Team Sweden, Modin has a long and legendary career as an NHL forward. The Legend of Modin began in 2004 when, after realizing his boyhood dream of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs, he journeyed to the hockey mecca known as Tampa Bay and became a member of the Lightning. Taking youngsters Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Dan Boyle and Martin St. Louis under his wing, Modin, alongside future Hall of Famer Ruslan Fedotenko, placed the team on their back and won the Stanley Cup. Not content to rest on his laurels, Modin lent his talents to Team Sweden at the 2006 Olympics. His 2 goals and single assist propelled the Swedes to the gold medal. While some may say that the wheels have completely fallen off of the Modin wagon, as his 20 goals in the past 119 games (over the past four seasons) would indicate he is slowing down, wise fans know that Modin is simply pacing himself. Scott Parse – A rookie for the Kings, Parse is a former college player and is apparently a huge nerd. How huge of a nerd is he? Well, this is the advice he imparted to youngsters wanting to get better at hockey: Brad Richardson – Is like some sort of cobbled together first generation genetically engineered Chinese hockey player. What do I mean? Well, he’s got the knockoff name of Brad Richards, coupled with the feet problems of Peter Forsberg while being nowhere near as good as either of them. This made him qualify for the Masterton trophy because he went 57 games without scoring a goal, falling short of Kevin Bieksa’s absolutely epic 80 NHL games goalless drought. Wayne Simmonds – Fortunately, Wayne does not get a lot of comparisons to another former King who goes by the name of Wayne and was also born in Ontario. Unfortunately, he does get a lot of comparisons to George Laraque, Jarome Iginla and former King Anson Carter, due to the clueless nature of sports media types. While we’re on the subject, no, Evander Kane and Patrick Kane are not brothers. Ryan Smyth – Formerly of the Edmonton Oilers, Ryan Smyth was about the only person who didn’t want to leave the city of Edmonton, becoming the first recorded instance of NHL Stockholm Syndrome. Has a brother, Kevin, who played for the Hartford Whalers and hates Southwest Airlines. Jarret Stoll – Has a less geekier name than fellow hockey player Norbert Stoll. Stoll’s known to go cougar hunting, as he was dating Rachel Hunter, a woman who was 13 years his senior. Stoll, in a show of being a true gentleman and all around classy guy, broke up and cancelled his wedding engagement with Hunter via e-mail and hooked up with Melrose Place star Katie Cassidy. Not since the days of have we seen such a ‘dynamite’ pairing. Justin Williams – Williams won a Cup with Carolina back in 2006. Looking to learn more about this youngster who has managed to put together back to back 30 goal seasons, I headed over to Wikipedia. I learned that Williams is adored by ‘female fans everywhere’ and that in August 12, 2006 he married his fiancee. Truly, there has never been a more talented hockey player than Justin Williams. Defense Drew Doughty – Much like Canucks blueliner Willie Mitchell, Doughty is apparently is suffering from post-concussion issues, as he issued a bewildering statement Tuesday, stating that he thinks that his D will have no problems shutting down the Sedins. He went on to elaborate ‘Well, we’ve got Scotty and Pronger back there, plus, we’ve got the home team supporting us at Canada Hockey Place. This should be easy.’ Also: has more chins than Kyle Wellwood. Davis Drewiske – Hollywood is full of Double Ds and I guess the Kings are no exception. Matt Greene – Traded from Edmonton, Matt Greene became the 74th defenseman to have been traded out of Rexall Place in the last 3 years who went on to bigger and better things. The defenseman who was traded for him, Lubomir Visnovsky, became the 75th Oilers defenseman to have been traded in the last 3 years who went on to bigger and better things. Greene is highly regarded for being a great playoff performer and is known for racking up points in the offseason and will be a welcome addition to the Kings PP. Peter Harrold – Is the most boring person in the NHL. More boring than the Jacques Lemaire coached Minnesota Wild. How boring is he? Even fan dislike of him is underwhelmingly tepid at best. Zzzz. Jack Johnson – That’s J-A-Ha-Ha-C-K, J-O-Ha-Ha-H-N-S-O-N, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxKSM1tLGwY, Jack Johnson. Future country music superstar and beloved by everyone in Vancouver for his tremendous displays of sportsmanship and class. Johnson plays a physical, dominating game and comes up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWdqXolKNxM. Randy Jones – You know how Alain Vigneault continually dresses that one player you despise above all others and you cannot fathom how he continues to make it into the lineup because his existence in said lineup defies all convention, logic and reason? Randy Jones is the Kings equivalent of that player. Sean O’Donnell – Affectionately known as ‘SOD’, not because that’s the acronym his name makes, but because he resembles an inert pile of grass and dirt, Sean O’Donnell is a big, hulking Irish defenseman who is prone to taking penalties. Basically SOB in about a decade, but without the party animal vibe. Rob Scuderi – Scuderi is known as The Piece, apparently because he arrogantly defined himself as ‘The Piece’ to the Pittsburgh Penguins puzzle. Much like his other namesake, ‘Scud’, he remains inaccurate and non-lethal. Goalies Dan Cloutier – Is still on the Kings payroll this season and could probably provide more consistent goaltending than Quick/Ersberg/Bernier. Jonathan Quick – The latest ‘anointed’ one by Kings faithful, Quick is the most recent in a long list of goalies that have been mass produced by the City of Angels, the likes of which have included such great starters such as Kings goalie of the future Jason ‘The Barber’ Labarbera, Leafs goalie of the future Jean-Sebastien Aubin, Habs goalie of the future Mathieu Garon, Flyers goalie of the future Roman Cechmanek, Habs goalie of the future Cristobal Huet, Leafs goalie of the future Felix Potvin, Red Wings goalie of the future Manny Legace, Canucks goalie of the future Dan Cloutier as well as Jamie Storr and Steve Passmore. Basically what I’m trying to say is that Vancouver’s ‘goalie graveyard’ was the book upon which LA’s ‘goalie graveyard’ direct to video film was based upon. Erik Ersberg – Is really hoping that Jonathan Quick is a good goalie Jonathan Bernier – The other Jonathan who plays goal for the Kings. Spent 4 games up with the Kings in 07/08, boasting a 4.03 GAA and .864 Sv%. In the eyes of your typical Canucks fan, is still a far more effective hockey player than Steve Bernier. And that should hopefully be all you need to know about the Kings going into Thursday’s game! Kings fans, this is all in good fun and would love to see your ‘take’ on the Canucks!

See post #49:

You don't care that something is factually incorrect?

Aftonbladet is an actual newspaper in Sweden, although they are tabloidy. The problem is that people are taking a Google Translate version of this post as 'proof' he's about to sign. Someone who speaks Swedish and commented on the article has said that the exact opposite of what the 'English' version of the translation says: he hasn't yet been offered a contract. It is entirely possible that Rodin COULD be offered a contract, but that article in the OP is translated badly and is misleading. Things get complicated when you talk about the situation with the transfer agreement with the SEL and the NHL.

Something has been confirmed, with these last couple of posts.

It's only a rumor because of a poor job at translating an Aftonbladet article through Google Translate. It says may, but it's irrelevant. Contract language is different from usual language. I can dredge up a post of someone (Wetcoaster, for those who remember an older poster on here) who has legal expertise who will support this. This transfer agreement is setup so that SEL teams, who fund development of Swedish junior players, aren't losing out on their investment. Why would they create a loophole so big Kyle Wellwood could skate through it?

Doubtful. The article states that he has not received a contract offer yet. Source: Someone who actually speaks Swedish Further, you may want to look at this: http://www.hockeylig...hp?article=5020 It's a transfer agreement with the SEL. Of specific interest is that players who are under 22 years of age, playing in the SEL and have not been drafted in the first round will be returned to their SEL squad if they do not make their NHL team. Rodin is under 22 years of age and is not a first round draft pick. Here is an English post from a Swedish poster, also linking to that article: http://hfboards.com/....php?p=24701893 Not saying it won't happen or that Rodin won't sign, but there are some significant hurdles in the way.

Yeah, it's hard to be rosy when Luongo was in for 8 goals against Los Angeles, a possible playoff opponent. I'm prepared to wait and see until the playoffs roll around. His body of work prior to the last 20 or so games has earned him the benefit of the doubt, even if I, as a fan, have lost patience with his on-ice performance and am looking for better from him. It's a crappy situation to be in, but with all the gloom and doom kicking around regarding Luongo, I thought another perspective could do around here.

So Roberto Luongo has been getting it from all angles as of late and Saturday's game against the Sharks, an affair where he gave up 3 goals in a losing effort has ratcheted up the criticism. (Sidenote: I apologize for the lack of a Postscript for the San Jose game, I came down with something and was incapacitated for Saturday night/Sunday. Oops.) While I wasn't a fan of the Marleau goal (which came after a smart play from Rob Blake, forcing Alex Edler to turn over the puck) and thought he 'ran out of mulligans' against the Oilers, I do think some of the criticism is being a little over the top. Take, for example, Dave Hodge's feature on TSN during the Edmonton game. Sold as looking for reasons as to why the Canucks won't win the Cup this season, it quickly morphed into Hodge running Luongo down, claiming he is the reason why Vancouver won't win the Cup. On Sunday during TSN's The Reporters, Hodge brought up Luongo again with most of the guests taking their turn at bashing him. I understand there'll always be differing opinions in the world of sport, you sort of have to wonder about the motivations of folks like Damien Cox, whose criticism of Luongo you have to take with a grain of salt. It's not just the press, though. Fans have been giving Luongo grief for his play as of late. Twitter, message boards and blogs like this one have been highly critical of Luongo. No matter where you look, there seems to be someone else out there willing to give both barrels to the captain of the Canucks. The big argument right now is that Luongo absolutely needs to have a strong playoff performance this year or he, and the Canucks, are doomed with that albatross 12 year contract of his. Another Game 6 effort like the one Luongo had against the Blackhawks last season and, well, the Canucks are doomed to become the next San Jose: a good enough team in the regular season, unable to get it done in the postseason. In a lot of ways, this criticism is similar to what two other Canucks players have been getting. I am, of course, referring to the Sedins, who have faced endless amounts of criticism, vitriol and irrational hatred ever since they put on a Canucks sweater. Even now, as recent as during the Olympics, fans have described them as being nothing more than 'really good second liners.' Yet, every time they've been faced with criticism they've met it and squashed it. Too soft? They bulked up by running up hills all summer. Not able to score enough? Each season they set new offensive highs. Can't play without each other? Henrik's performance this year seems to disprove that theory. Unable to get it done in the playoffs? That's been the big reason why fans were loathe to see the Twins re-signed this offseason, despite Daniel Sedin being able to pot 2 goals in that infamous Game 6. Unfortunately, it's hard to remember the 'good' and far easier to focus on the 'bad': the bad generally stings a lot more and is far more memorable, especially when it's outweighed by a rather catastrophic bad moment, like getting eliminated from the playoffs. The Canucks' inability to score a goal (just one!) in the 05/06 playoffs remains indelibly linked to the Sedins, leaving folks to think that they can't score, despite more recent evidence pointing to the contrary. So it goes. Which is why I think that Luongo's struggles as of late are a tad bit overblown. I'm not trying to excuse his bad play: he has ranged from mediocre to terrible for a while now and has been hooked an uncommon number of times this season. I also think that if Luongo's struggles extend into the postseason this year it's not cause for concern and folks shouldn't be throwing themselves off the Lion's Gate Bridge if the Canucks are given an early playoff exit. The reason? Goalies, no matter how good (or bad) they are, will go through slumps and have problems with their play. It happens to the best and Luongo is no exception. Looking at some of Luongo's contemporaries and it can become easy to criticize a goalie at the first sign of trouble. I've been guilty of this myself. Take a Miikka Kiprusoff of the Flames. After having two phenomenal seasons which saw him carry the Flames to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and win both the Vezina and Jennings trophies, Kipper's stats went on a horrible slide: his GAA went from 2.24 all the way up to 3.52 while his save percentage fell from a great .921 to a Dan Cloutier-esque .884. That changed this season, as Kipper's stats are on the upswing (2.27 and .920 as of this writing), even if the rest of his team isn't. While Canuck fans may not want to compare Luongo to Kipper in a favorable light I feel they're comparable: Luongo languished in hockey purgatory playing for some horrible teams in Florida before becoming a Canuck at age 27, while Kiprusoff didn't get a chance at being a bonafide #1 until he was 28. (For the record, Luongo's stats have actually slightly decreased over the same four year span going from 2.97/.914 in his last season as a Panther to 2.49/.920 as of today. Looking at Luo's stats as a Canuck shows there hasn't been much variance from his first season to now, even with the rather spotty play from him as of late.) Some of Luongo's contemporaries have either struggled or been faced with criticism over the past couple of years. JS Giguere had a stunning Cup run back in 02/03 and then struggled afterwards before winning the Cup several seasons later after Brian Burke had retooled the team. Interestingly, Luongo was part of a mini-rebuild in Vancouver that saw the Canucks transition from the WCE Era Canucks into the Luongo/Sedin-led Canucks that was started by Dave Nonis. Mike Gillis now heads up the club and I find it hard to believe that he's done putting his stamp on the team, which is scary when you think about it. There's also been a history of goalie greats who have struggled. After Martin Brodeur won the Cup in '95, he went on a bit of a playoff drought winning only one playoff series in the next four seasons, and failed to make the playoffs in 95/96. This was on a team with the likes of Scott Stevens and Scott Niedermayer, I might add. Marty also managed some decidedly un-Martylike numbers, averaging a 2.17 GAA and a .913 save percentage. (Keep in mind this was during the 'Dead Puck' Era where Brodeur's GAA was 1.67 when he won the Cup.) While I was a little hesitant to bring up Brodeur here, as he does have a Cup ring defending his play, I feel it's important to point out that even the greatest have their moments where they appear to be weak. Another example of this would be Dominik Hasek, who served as backup to Ed Belfour when both were members of the Blackhawks and didn't get a chance to play as a starter until his fourth season of being in the NHL and didn't make it out of the first round for another three years after that. Hasek also had more than his fair share of problems off the ice, including a highly publicized feud with Sabres coach Ted Nolan (the fallout of which has led Nolan in having some major difficulties in finding employment at the NHL level, despite being seen as a very good coach and having won the Jack Adams) and injury woes which led to him allegedly quitting on his team in the playoffs. This last bit placed Hasek under some scrutiny and led to some Buffalo reporters speculating on the nature of Hasek's injuries…which resulted in an angry Hasek attacking one reporter and earning a three game suspension for his antics. And you thought Luongo's bathroom break and pregancy woes were bad. Hasek did, of course, end up winning the Cup after a lengthy journey. Again, there are some parallels you can make with Luongo. As I said earlier, Luongo toiled on some bad Panthers clubs, never qualifying for the post season. It took him until the age of 27 before he got even a sniff of playoff hockey. He's now 31 and folks are freaking out that he's just about finished and his better days are behind him. Ignoring that Hasek first made it to the Finals when he was 34 years old and didn't win the Cup until he was an ancient 37 years of age, I feel that ignoring his relative playoff inexperience is unfair to Luongo. Not everyone has the luxury of playing for a strong team right out of the gate like Luongo's idol Grant Fuhr did. Sometimes the path to the Cup takes a little longer, and the players just need some seasoning before they're ready to win it all. Finally, while I hate to trot out excuses, there is a rather significant one that explains Luongo's poor play as of late. The Olympics were a huge event for everyone and you know that the toll it took on the players involved, particularly those on Team Canada, had to be physically, mentally and emotionally draining. Being in the starter's role, playing in your home arena and representing your country can't be an easy task and going from playoff like levels of intensity and excitement to the NHL regular season has got to be jarring. I know it was for me, and I'm only a fan! I can't imagine what it would've been like for the players who were actually a part of it, although Luongo has conceded that the Olympics were the 2 most emotionally draining weeks of his career. That all said, I don't think it's the end of the world if the Canucks don't win the Cup this year and I don't think that it makes Luongo an overrated player, despite what TSN will have you believe. Every goalie struggles, but it's the fact that they are able to rebound and put in Cup or Gold winning efforts that makes them great. Will Luongo take that step and become a truly 'great' goalie? Or will he stumble and become merely a 'very good' goalie, a la Curtis Joseph? Time will tell, but I'll believe Luongo when he says that he'll 'be there when it matters.'

You're right, actually. I was more trying to balance his comments about getting an education and how he values that vs. a professional hockey career. This also happened with Raymond, who only put in 2 years. I think Bieksa and Schneider are the only 2 NCAA guys of note (ie, not Matson/White) the Canucks have drafted in recent who have stayed beyond 2 years.

There was a bit of excitement over the weekend as I over a story that I also tweeted about regarding Ken Wiebe of the Winnipeg Sun's article suggesting that Canucks first round draft pick Jordan Schroeder may be leaving his NCAA team, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and joining the Moose. This would follow rumors from earlier in the season that Mike Gillis was trying to get Jordan Schroeder to turn pro and sign with the Canucks. Given how much Gillis wants to be 'hands on' with player development, I can't blame him for wanting to do so. Schroeder, to his credit, has remained interested in staying with the Gophers. A quick explanation, for those who aren't familiar with the varied rules regarding NHL prospects. Schroeder is playing in the NCAA, which has very strict rules regarding professional involvement with their athletes. Players can't sign pro contracts (like the one that Cody Hodgson has, as he plays in the OHL) nor can the club that they are with do anything to help them out. Folks may recall Pat White and Cory Schneider, two other Canucks NCAA draft selections, having to pay their own way to the Canucks Prospects Camp from the last couple of years. Despite paying their own way there, they couldn't accept any gifts (such as a jersey with their name on it) or any sort of payment from the Canucks. Heck, NCAA players aren't even allowed to have agents, although most players circumvent that by having 'family advisors'…who just happen to be sports agents. Regardless, dealing with and communicating with a prospect that is in the NCAA system can be hard due to the rules the NCAA has. It makes sense, then, that Gillis wants Schroeder to go pro. It makes it far easier to communicate and manage the prospect, as he won't be hampered by NCAA rules. However, were Schroeder to go pro and sign with the Canucks, it would close the door on ever returning to the NCAA. Schroeder has stated in the past that he remains committed to the Gophers, answering Internet rumors from last year that he was poised to jump ship mid-season. His father also commented back in August that the rumors of his signing with the Canucks were false. However, these rumors refuse to die, which would indicate to me that Gillis is still trying to pursue this. I'd also point to an interesting quote from his father in the last article, where he stated that, "We've told [the Canucks] he's going to go back to school for another year. He'll be a leader on his team and can work on some things, like his shooting. He can grow in maturity and be ready to step into professional hockey at the end of the season." End of the season. Hmm. Not finishing the typical four year NCAA program. Well, we are at the end of the season now and speculation is starting to ramp up. For good reason, too. The Golden Gophers have fallen on hard times, with several high profile first rounders leaving the program early. The biggest name out of the bunch, arguably, was the New York Islanders draft pick Kyle Okposo. Isles GM Garth Snow wasn't happy with the development of his prospect, as he said to the Minnesota Star-Tribune: "Quite frankly, we weren't happy with the program there," Snow told the paper. "They have a responsibility to coach, to make Kyle a better player, and they were not doing that." He continued, "[Okposo] just wasn't getting better – bottom line. And to me, that's the frustrating part. We entrusted the coach there to turn him into a better hockey player, and it wasn't happening. We feel more comfortable in him developing right under our watch." "Whether it was Kyle or another player, until things change in that program we'd probably make the same decision," Snow told the Star-Tribune. "There should be a coach there that looks in the mirror. … I don't think we'd be at this point if he was being coached properly." Other notable players that have left the Gophers program early include Phoenix Coyotes 1st round draft pick (and subsequent Bruins signee) Blake Wheeler and St. Louis Blues first rounder Erik Johnson, who left after one year. In Johnson's case, at least, it could be argued that he decided to go pro because he was guaranteed a slot with the Blues. Okposo and Wheeler, though, are interesting situations. Schroeder hit a bit of a bump this year, his 8 goals and 27 points this season are lower than the 13 goals and 45 points he produced last season. Whether that's because of teammates like Ryan Stoa leaving the squad, injuries to his linemates, coaching or a sophmore slump is up for debate, but it doesn't look like Minnesota is where Gillis wants Schroeder to be. It's also interesting to note that when Sportsnet's Dan Murphy blogged about this back in August, he speculated that the reason why the Canucks want him to leave Minny is because they aren't happy with the program. Murph also went on to say 'And if Patrick White is staying in Minny, then that might also tell you how the Canucks feel about him and his progress within the Gophers system.' Pat White was, of course, handed off to the Sharks days later in the trade that brought Christian Ehrhoff and Brad Lukowich to the Canucks. Sidenote: I'll admit that I was rather optimistic about White and felt that the Gophers might be the right place for him to develop. Sort of missed the boat on that one, oops. The Canucks have had a lot of success when dealing with players from the NCAA. Past draft picks who have enjoyed success with the Canucks franchise include Ryan Kesler, Kevin Bieksa and Cory Schneider. If the Gillis and company are pushing hard for Schroeder to go pro, it's probably because it is in his best interests.

Blog post I did on Schroeder potentially going pro. I think most people are familiar with everything contained within, but it may be handy to have everything condensed together? http://trevorpresiloski.com/2010/03/jordan-schroeder-going-pro/