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we could (since it would be a contract starting next season, not this season, though he could sign an ATO or PTO and play with the wolves this season), but we might have to wait, since merrimak's actually ranked 15th in the nation, so they have a chance at being in the ncaa playoffs. as long as no more than 1 of the league winners are outside of the top 16 then they will be playing in the ncaa championships.

http://www.ncaa.com/rankings/icehockey-men/d1/di_mens_hockey_rpi

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Guest Dasein

I wonder if he'll sign with us or wait us out like Billy Sweatt did Toronto and play the field? He wasn't at prospects camp last summer, whatever that means.

Would you want to leave and sign elsewhere as a goalie if your organization has a proven pedigree in developing two stud goaltending prospects into pros with legitimate chance to become a starter in the NHL eventually?

Yes, Cory is a backup to Luongo. Yes, Eddie will be a backup to Luongo. But both have learned under the coaches in our farm and work with one of the best goaltending coaches in Roland Melanson. They both have become gems who are brought up slowly in a backup role on a contending team until they maximize their values and get a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere. Not only that, they get to work with one of the best of this era in Luongo.

Would you walk away from that opportunity? To take your time getting your game ready in the AHL, then work with Rolandson and Luongo in the NHL as a backup for a contending team, then leave when you're ready to start? Not many places in the NHL that has such a better environment for a goaltender to develop than the Canucks, if any.

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I wonder if he'll sign with us or wait us out like Billy Sweatt did Toronto and play the field? He wasn't at prospects camp last summer, whatever that means.

Because he's a college player, anything Canucks related will have to be paid out of his own pocket and he can only attend certain events (I'm not sure if Prospects camp is allowed anyways).

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Because he's a college player, anything Canucks related will have to be paid out of his own pocket and he can only attend certain events (I'm not sure if Prospects camp is allowed anyways).

he's allowed to the summer prospects camp if he pays his own way, like you said. but seeing as this would have been his 3rd or 4th camp and he'd have to travel so far it was no surprise he didn't go.
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we could (since it would be a contract starting next season, not this season, though he could sign an ATO or PTO and play with the wolves this season), but we might have to wait, since merrimak's actually ranked 15th in the nation, so they have a chance at being in the ncaa playoffs. as long as no more than 1 of the league winners are outside of the top 16 then they will be playing in the ncaa championships.

http://www.ncaa.com/...mens_hockey_rpi

Oh, so Cannata's season technically still isn't over yet? My bad. Still trying to learn the ropes of how the NCAA works. Not as basic as the NHL, AHL or even the Memorial Cup.

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he's allowed to the summer prospects camp if he pays his own way, like you said. but seeing as this would have been his 3rd or 4th camp and he'd have to travel so far it was no surprise he didn't go.

That's it. It's the young stars game that college players can't attend.

Remember when Hodgson didn't show up to his 3rd prospects camp and everyone was bashing him, calling him a primadonna... even though he was training with Gary Roberts? lol, those were the days...

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Oh, so Cannata's season technically still isn't over yet? My bad. Still trying to learn the ropes of how the NCAA works. Not as basic as the NHL, AHL or even the Memorial Cup.

not yet, but they are still in danger of being kicked out since the winners of the 5 league playoffs get automatic seeds into the NCAA playoffs. Since Merrimac is ranked 15th, only 1 of those league winners can be ranked below merrimack in order for them to stay in the ncaa playoffs.

looking at the divisions though, the four remaining teams in the atlantic division are all ranked below merrimac, so that's automatically 1, 3/4 teams in the ECAC are ranked lower, and if either one of our other prospects make it through that automatically kicks out Merrimac. 2/4 teams left in the ccha are ranked below merrimac, 1/4 in Hockey East, and 2/4 in the WCHA.

There's a VERY strong possibility that Merrimac doesn't make it to the ncaa playoffs.

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That's it. It's the young stars game that college players can't attend.

Remember when Hodgson didn't show up to his 3rd prospects camp and everyone was bashing him, calling him a primadonna... even though he was training with Gary Roberts? lol, those were the days...

lol, yeah, but other prospects didn't get so much as a second look when they didn't attend.
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Guest Dasein

I wonder how he'd get playing time in Chicago having to contend with Lack and Climie..

Lack's probably going to make the Canucks next season. If not, we can loan Cannata to another AHL team I think.

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Lack's probably going to make the Canucks next season. If not, we can loan Cannata to another AHL team I think.

yeah we can loan him out, or we can drop Climie, as he's just on a 1 year contract this season. I think Schneids will probably be dealt at the draft so Lack will be the backup season too, but there's always the possibility of cory re-signing or us bringing in an experienced backup if we think Lack needs some more time in the minors (like they did with Cory). if the latter happens, and lack remains in the AHL, then I see Cannata getting the wolves position and climie signing somewhere else.
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Guest Dasein

yeah we can loan him out, or we can drop Climie, as he's just on a 1 year contract this season. I think Schneids will probably be dealt at the draft so Lack will be the backup season too, but there's always the possibility of cory re-signing or us bringing in an experienced backup if we think Lack needs some more time in the minors (like they did with Cory). if the latter happens, and lack remains in the AHL, then I see Cannata getting the wolves position and climie signing somewhere else.

If we trade Schneider, guaranteed MG will sign a UFA veteran backup so that Eddie has to compete for the spot. He's not just gonna give Lack the backup role for sure - he'll have to earn it and battle out the competition.

I think we'll trade Schneider at the draft, re-sign Lack to a 2 or 3 year deal, re-sign Climie to a 1 year deal, sign Cannata to his ELC, and sign a UFA goaltender to compete with Lack.

I think Lack will beat out the UFA signing for the backup role and we'll waive the UFA signing. I think the UFA signing will get picked up before clearing waivers, so we wouldn't have a problem in the AHL. But if he does clear, then I could see us trading Climie so that Cannata has a mentor to learn from in the UFA player, or loan Cannata out to another team.

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Canucks high on goalie Cannata, know he’s no ordinary Joe

‘Vancouver has a special player’ — club’s sixth-round draft pick in 2009 targeted for AHL Wolves by next season

BY BRAD ZIEMER, VANCOUVER SUN MARCH 12, 2012

Joe Cannata, a goalie drafted in the sixth round (173rd overall) in 2009 out of Merrimack College by the Vancouver Canucks.

Photograph by: Jeff Vinnick , NHLI via Getty Images files

VANCOUVER — He is a collegiate goalie from Massachusetts, a combination that has already proven to be an excellent one for the Vancouver Canucks.

Joe Cannata may not have the pedigree of Cory Schneider -- he was a sixth-round pick, while Schneider went in the first round -- but the Canucks are extremely high on the 22-year-old who wrapped up his collegiate career this past weekend for Merrimack College.

"We're very high on him and we are in the process right now of trying to sign him," Canucks assistant general manager Lorne Henning said Monday. "We love him and have been watching him all year. Dave Gagner (director of player development) was actually just in there to watch him and he is very high on our list."

Cannata was a four-year starter for Merrimack, a private Catholic college in North Andover, Mass. He hails from Wakefield, Mass.

The Canucks made him their sixth-round pick in 2009, following his freshman year at Merrimack. Cannata is credited with helping to turn around a struggling Merrimack program. He graduates as the program's all-time leader in wins, minutes, goals-against, saves and save percentage.

His numbers this past season included a .925 save percentage and a 2.18 goals-against average.

Merrimack's season ended Sunday when it lost a 2-1 decision to Maine in the third and deciding game of its Hockey East quarter-final series. Cannata declined an interview request Monday as Merrimack's season is not yet officially over. The school is hoping for a selection to the NCAA tournament, although that seems highly unlikely.

Cannata made 30 saves in Sunday's loss to Maine, whose head coach Tim Whitehead raved about him afterward.

"Vancouver has a special player," Whitehead told the (Lawrence, Mass.) Eagle-Tribune newspaper after that game. "He made so many key stops in the third. They were pushing, trying to get a guy out to open up the ice and they knew with him back there they could."

His own coach, Mark Dennehy, recently called Cannata, "in my opinion, the best goalie in the country."

The Canucks likely won't get Cannata signed before this Sunday's NCAA selection show.

"He has been awesome this year," Henning said. "We have had several people tell us from other teams who have been in there watching their people play that he has been outstanding."

If they do get Cannata signed in the next week or so, Henning did not know whether he would play somewhere in the minors before the end of this season.

"He still has his school to deal with," Henning said. "It's very similar to what Cory (Schneider) went through. Ideally, you'd like to get him signed and get him into Chicago. But we have to work with him and obviously he wants to graduate."

The Canucks do see Cannata playing in Chicago next season. If Eddie Lack remains there next season, Cannata would likely be his back-up. If the Canucks happen to deal Schneider this summer and give Lack an opportunity to play in Vancouver next season behind Roberto Luongo, then Cannata would likely share duties in Chicago with a veteran netminder.

"That's what we are counting on," Henning said. "He's certainly ready to take another step, that's for sure."

Lack, meanwhile, has been impressive of late with the Wolves. Lack has surrendered just 21 goals in his last 13 appearances, which includes two shutouts, and has posted a 1.61 goals-against average and .951 save percentage during that span (8-5-0). He ranks third in the AHL with a .927 save percentage.

Lack had been outplayed early in the season by Chicago's other goalie, Matt Climie.

"The last month he has been really, really good, on top of his game," Henning said of Lack. "I think what happened early is that Matt Climie is an outstanding goalie as well and last year if Eddie had a bad game he would have a chance to come back and get back on track the next night. And I think early on if he had a bad game or the team did, then Matt would play the next game. He didn't really get a chance to get any kind of rhythm going."

The Canucks have two other young goaltending prospects. Last summer, they selected David Honzik in the third round of the draft. Honzik, 18, is in his second year with the Victoriaville Tigres of the Quebec League.

In 2010 they drafted Finnish goalie Jonathan Iilahti in the sixth round. Iilahti, 19, has played this season with the Espoo Blues of the Finnish league and the Canucks must soon make a decision on whether to sign him.

bziemer@vancouversun.com

On Twitter: Twitter.com/bradziemer

vancouversun.com

© Copyright © The Vancouver Sun

Read more: http://www.vancouver...l#ixzz1p0xbV8j8

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Thanks for this. I was wondering if the Canucks were looking to sign him pretty quick and Henning confirmed as much. If Schneider is dealt and Lack does indeed get the backup job for the Canucks next year, don't count out the possibility that Cannata actually wins the starting job for the Wolves, even if the Canucks do bring in a capable veteran goalie or re-sign Climie.

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Joe was ranked 3rd amongst College goaltenders by HF. Here's the segment about him.

3. Joe Cannata, Senior, Merrimack College

NHL Rights: Vancouver Canucks

Drafted 6th round, 173rd overall, 2009

Merrimack started the season going undefeated in its first ten games (9-0-1) and a big reason behind it was the play of Joe Cannata. Since arriving in North Andover, Cannata has developed into one of the college hockey's premiere goaltenders. The Wakefield, MA native has appeared in 36 games this season, posting a 17-12-7 record that includes two shutouts.

Cannata plays the game with a tremendous amount of calmness and thrives under pressure, both of which have greatly benefitted the Warriors. He possesses a great glove and his rebound control has steadily improved. While Merrimack has struggled to find the same consistency they had in the first half in the second half of the season, Cannata has consistently given his team an opportunity to win each night.

One attribute that has made him so dominant is his ability to stifle opposing players. Throughout his collegiate career, Cannata has shown that he can steal scoring opportunities from players. And he has done it on a team that has few NHL prospects on its roster.

Two notable areas where Cannata has really developed are his movement and positioning. While he possesses great athleticism, the noticeably quicker reflexes that he has developed have allowed him to move more efficiently. Where his improved positioning can be seen is in his ability to stay upright to effectively stop high shots and staying square to shooters.

The Vancouver Canucks are expected to offer Cannata a contract this offseason. But with Roberto Luongo and former Boston College standout Cory Schneider firmly entrenched as the team's top two netminders, Cannata will have to wait for his opportunity to play in the NHL.

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