Alexandre Grenier | RW

[davinci]

Wow start to get excited about this kid. 1-2 years of AHL experience and there is a high chance this kid will play for us in the NHL. Played on the 1/2 line with Archibald and Lain most of the game. He had tons of ice time and showed that this kid, as of now, has surpassed Jensen down in Utica. He's a big boy and he used his 6"5 frame last night with a couple big hits. Good wrist shot and he's got good speed as far as I can tell from the AHL competition. Let him keep playing big minutes down there and it'll be great for his development.

[Erik Karlsson]

Wow start to get excited about this kid. 1-2 years of AHL experience and there is a high chance this kid will play for us in the NHL. Played on the 1/2 line with Archibald and Lain most of the game. He had tons of ice time and showed that this kid, as of now, has surpassed Jensen down in Utica. He's a big boy and he used his 6"5 frame last night with a couple big hits. Good wrist shot and he's got good speed as far as I can tell from the AHL competition. Let him keep playing big minutes down there and it'll be great for his development.

I hope Gillis is canned next season and we actually let some young guys in our lineup. This team is too old, slow, stale imo.

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows

Shinkaruk-Kesler-?

Higgins-Horvat-Kassian

Archibald-Richardson-Grenier

Get rid of Booth, package up Schroeder, Hansen and whatever else and get a legit top 6 winger.

Grenier and Archi on the 4th line could provide a lot of energy with decent offensive upside.

[UticaHockey]

I hope Gillis is canned next season and we actually let some young guys in our lineup. This team is too old, slow, stale imo.

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows

Shinkaruk-Kesler-?

Higgins-Horvat-Kassian

Archibald-Richardson-Grenier

Get rid of Booth, package up Schroeder, Hansen and whatever else and get a legit top 6 winger.

Grenier and Archi on the 4th line could provide a lot of energy with decent offensive upside.

Just to keep things in perspective Utica may be playing better of late but we still are the 30th place team in a 30 team league. Pulling up several Comets right now to play 4th line minutes instead of continuing to develop with significant ice time will not fix the Canucks current struggles.

[Gerbera]

Just to keep things in perspective Utica may be playing better of late but we still are the 30th place team in a 30 team league. Pulling up several Comets right now to play 4th line minutes instead of continuing to develop with significant ice time will not fix the Canucks current struggles.

He meant next season so is ok. At least Utica seems to be trending in the right direction, I am more than happy to see it at least let us have a good perspective of how our prospects are doing and continue to improving them.

[Erik Karlsson]

Just to keep things in perspective Utica may be playing better of late but we still are the 30th place team in a 30 team league. Pulling up several Comets right now to play 4th line minutes instead of continuing to develop with significant ice time will not fix the Canucks current struggles.

Yeah I know, I said next season. They can get 1st line minutes for the rest of this season and maybe crack the lineup next year. We really need to get younger.

[Absent Canuck]

I am starting to believe this kid can play in the NHL.

How is his skating?

[ShakyWalton]

I am starting to believe this kid can play in the NHL.

How is his skating?

pretty good by the looks of this....

[Salmonberries]

Just to keep things in perspective Utica may be playing better of late but we still are the 30th place team in a 30 team league. Pulling up several Comets right now to play 4th line minutes instead of continuing to develop with significant ice time will not fix the Canucks current struggles.

I don't see why we can't get Zac Dalpe down to you guys. He's collecting dust here, and seems ill-suited to a fourth line checking role when he does play. Chances of losing him on waivers would be negligible and he scores at the AHL level.

[Warhippy]

I don't see why we can't get Zac Dalpe down to you guys. He's collecting dust here, and seems ill-suited to a fourth line checking role when he does play. Chances of losing him on waivers would be negligible and he scores at the AHL level.

Fairly certain we will see movement at or around the olympic break in regards to that. Or a trade will happen first. Schroeder is back soon enough and that is going to require moving bodies around

[Rollieo Del Fuego]

Fairly certain we will see movement at or around the olympic break in regards to that. Or a trade will happen first. Schroeder is back soon enough and that is going to require moving bodies around

There is Jeremy Welsh who could be sent down as well.

Grenier deserves a shot on the third or fourth line, send Welsh down and when Schroeder returns send Dalpe down if Grenier has been playing well enough.

It must be at least 2 weeks before Schroeder comes back, I haven't heard a thing about him, so he isn't even skating with the team yet. He may not even be on skates yet.

[theo5789]

I hope Gillis is canned next season and we actually let some young guys in our lineup. This team is too old, slow, stale imo.

Sedin-Sedin-Burrows

Shinkaruk-Kesler-?

Higgins-Horvat-Kassian

Archibald-Richardson-Grenier

Get rid of Booth, package up Schroeder, Hansen and whatever else and get a legit top 6 winger.

Grenier and Archi on the 4th line could provide a lot of energy with decent offensive upside.

Pretty sure Gillis didn't decide to send down the prospects. Tortorella didn't think they were ready yet. Playing Grenier on the 4th line would've probably hurt his development this year, so it was the right choice to keep him in the AHL and it is paying off if he is building his confidence offensively. So why should we fire Gillis again?

[Gerbera]

Pretty sure Gillis didn't decide to send down the prospects. Tortorella didn't think they were ready yet. Playing Grenier on the 4th line would've probably hurt his development this year, so it was the right choice to keep him in the AHL and it is paying off if he is building his confidence offensively. So why should we fire Gillis again?

Why fire Gillis you ask? Because we didn't win the cup. Apparantly to CDC, any GM that doesn't win the cup this year must be fired. So, expect 29 GMs to be fired at April.

[Maniwaki Canuck]

With Burrows down, this would be a really good time to give Grenier a taste of 3rd line action in the NHL and see how he responds. It wouldn't be for long, only untill Schroeder's back, but let him see what the next level is like, and measure his game against it. It was good to do that for Archibald, and would also be good for Grenier. We'll reap the benefits full-time next year.

[elvis15]

There is Jeremy Welsh who could be sent down as well.

Grenier deserves a shot on the third or fourth line, send Welsh down and when Schroeder returns send Dalpe down if Grenier has been playing well enough.

It must be at least 2 weeks before Schroeder comes back, I haven't heard a thing about him, so he isn't even skating with the team yet. He may not even be on skates yet.

Schroeder was projected as an early January return, so don't expect him before Christmas. And I wouldn't send both Dalpe and Welsh down, particularly with us using Kesler at times on the wing. Both Dalpe and Welsh are centers, and we'd be forced into using someone like Higgins at center if we did want to move someone to the wing.

I wonder if Grenier doesn't get a short term look to give him some experience, particularly if Kassian doesn't get out of the doghouse, but I don't know that I see a call up otherwise. Come the new year though, we will have a roster crunch so it'll either be extended slightly with Schroeder maybe getting a conditioning stint, or one of Welsh or Dalpe are sent down.

And I didn't see it posted earlier but it was available from the related videos after I watched the breakaway goal above:

Not much of a fight, but he is a big guy learning to use his size. Good to see him step in to defend a teammate even if it was a hug fest.

[Millerdraft]

I'm starting to get excited that this guy might pan out afterall. Things were looking a little dicey after an underwhelming final year of junior, a year in Austria and a stint in the ECHL but it looks like it's all coming together for him now.

[Fred65]

He seems to be playing with some confidence right now shame to spoil that by bringing him up to maybe play 4th line in Vcr

[thad]

Lp

[Gerbera]

Schroeder was projected as an early January return, so don't expect him before Christmas. And I wouldn't send both Dalpe and Welsh down, particularly with us using Kesler at times on the wing. Both Dalpe and Welsh are centers, and we'd be forced into using someone like Higgins at center if we did want to move someone to the wing.

I wonder if Grenier doesn't get a short term look to give him some experience, particularly if Kassian doesn't get out of the doghouse, but I don't know that I see a call up otherwise. Come the new year though, we will have a roster crunch so it'll either be extended slightly with Schroeder maybe getting a conditioning stint, or one of Welsh or Dalpe are sent down.

And I didn't see it posted earlier but it was available from the related videos after I watched the breakaway goal above:

Not much of a fight, but he is a big guy learning to use his size. Good to see him step in to defend a teammate even if it was a hug fest.

He got a few good punches initiallly, so I am ok with that.

- Can fight

- Good size

- Can score (at least in AHL)

- seems to play a 2 way game

Looks like some forward we can look forward to from the farm.

[Rey]

He got a few good punches initiallly, so I am ok with that.

- Can fight

- Good size

- Can score (at least in AHL)

- seems to play a 2 way game

Looks like some forward we can look forward to from the farm.

I don't think anything has changed from the time he was drafted. He's a big kid, with decent wheels. That's basically it. Question marks,are whether or not he can use his size more effectively, and be consistently scoring, which he hasn't. Hard to judge someone, when he's getting his minutes and not putting enough points up. There's a reason why Utica is so bad.

Wouldn't say he's a fighter either. NHL is a different game though, he'll always have his reach. I doubt he survive against a real fighter. It's too hard to judge whether or not they can translate in the NHL. Still wonder if Grenier can transition into the NHL while someone like a Darren Archibald seems like a guy, who seems more suited to be in the NHL due to his physical presence. While, Grenier might be like Zac Dalpe, where he might not be physical enough in the NHL to be a grinder, but not explosive offensively enough to take a hold of a top six position.

I don't know what's going on with the Canuck's farm, but ever since Anton Rodin left it, he's been one of the top players in the SEL.

[Gerbera]

I don't think anything has changed from the time he was drafted. He's a big kid, with decent wheels. That's basically it. Question marks,are whether or not he can use his size more effectively, and be consistently scoring, which he hasn't. Hard to judge someone, when he's getting his minutes and not putting enough points up. There's a reason why Utica is so bad.

Wouldn't say he's a fighter either. NHL is a different game though, he'll always have his reach. I doubt he survive against a real fighter. It's too hard to judge whether or not they can translate in the NHL. Still wonder if Grenier can transition into the NHL while someone like a Darren Archibald seems like a guy, who seems more suited to be in the NHL due to his physical presence. While, Grenier might be like Zac Dalpe, where he might not be physical enough in the NHL to be a grinder, but not explosive offensively enough to take a hold of a top six position.

I don't know what's going on with the Canuck's farm, but ever since Anton Rodin left it, he's been one of the top players in the SEL.

Thank you for your assessment. I agree with what you are saying about Grenier and Archibald, lets hope they can come up a few games later in the year and see how they do.

As for Canucks farm team, I think we don't have obstructions from AHL management and suspect coaching so this year all our prospects can get to show their true quality. Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of them are not meeting expectations. But thankfully, we control the AHL team now so we can quickly scratch the borderline prospects or send them to ECHL to further develop and sign some decent AHL players to fill their holes.

There is clearly a bit of improvement after we signed Huskins and O'Rielly to PTO (I believe is still PTO) and see improvement on the team. Hopefully they can keep it this way and we can continue to monitor our prospects.

As for the prospects, we can just pray that we will be able to draft well and have lesser busts, but since Canucks is not as dominant lately, we should (touch wood) be able to draft higher and possibly draft slightly better talent (sorry, don't see Canucks becoming a bottom 10 NHL team yet) in the drafts easier.