Tearloch7 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 The most important factor to being elite is hockey IQ. You can have all the elite tools but not be elite due to lack of hockey sense. If Booth had hockey IQ and vision/playmaking ability, he would probably be compared to the elites like Perry or Giroux. I want someone with hockey IQ, a player like Dal Colle, Draisatl, Bennett, Reinhart etc. Even Ritchie has a higher hockey IQ and better vision than Virtanen. Thank you .. I appreciate a lecture on hockey IQ .. I was asking about His hockey IQ, but thanks .. so your opinion his IQ is average? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad Marchand Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Uh oh, better call their optometrists and see if we have to change their contact lenses.... Better yet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asian player Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Virtanen kinda bulls his way and relies on instincts rather than reading Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesB Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I doubt the top5 will fall. Between Ritchie and Virtanen I'd have a really tough time deciding. Would probably draft Ritchie and trade Kesler for Etem and the 10th overall for a chance at Perlini or Virtanen. Virtanen is super young with an August birthday, he's played against 18/19 year olds as a young 17 yr old all year Etem, Ritchie, Virtanen, Horvat, Gaunce, Shinkaruk, Fox, Cassels Hmm seems we're kind of getting setEven though top 5 in the draft is pretty much a consensus, there is still a lot of uncertainty regarding how players will perform in a few years. And the spots from 6 - 12 are anything but consensus. Virtanen seems to be rated anywhere between 6 and 12. There is very little basis to say who in that group will emerge in a few years.The conventional wisdom is to "pick the best player". That would be fine if we knew who the best player was. When there is a group of players who seem pretty similar, the home town effect means something. There is something to be said for picking someone who really wants to play here. Among other things, he will be more willing to sign for a reasonable cap hit down the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustABandwagoner Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Watch Reinhart, Dal Colle, German, Ekblad, and bennet be gone at the 6th pick. We better pick Ehlers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlinkas wrister Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 The CHL playoffs and resulting Memorial cup still to finish / play, possible injuries between now and the draft, player interviews and the draft combine still to go. There might even be pre-draft personnel moves by Trev looking to make a statement. At this point its impossible to say who is going to be available to us at number 6, I'd give it more than 50 % that one of the players who is a consensus top 5 right now will be there for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALMO to BURE Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I could see Calgary drafting Richie or Virtanen if for no other reason then they are "Truculent" This could give us a chance at one of the players slated in the top 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kmotamed Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Doesn't Bure have a son that is ready to play yet? =P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absent Canuck Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Watch Reinhart, Dal Colle, German, Ekblad, and bennet be gone at the 6th pick. We better pick Ehlers. I do, but if we pick Nylander instead I wont cry a river. Hopefully someone will go off the board and we can get Dale Cole or Daistraitl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALMO to BURE Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I do, but if we pick Nylander instead I wont cry a river. Hopefully someone will go off the board and we can get Dale Cole or DaistraitlI think someone will but I believe Daistriatl will be taken over Bennet (IMO). If we can get a chance at one of Bennet or Del Colle I would be extremely happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruce Boudreau Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 He makes sense. Linden could start his tenure by drafting a hometown boy who played in Alberta. He would go well with Shinkaruk on a line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rb4u Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Took a peek at Virtanen's highlight reel, and he looks to have a great shot with a quick release, an outstanding backhand, decent speed and size (vs his age group) and isn't afraid of physical contact. My only concern is how this skill set translates into the NHL where his size and speed won't necessary translate into any tangible advantage (ie. goalies and defensemen are just as big and quick... don't see all those wraparounds happening at the Pros). Take away the ability to bully his way to the net to release that shot, are we still looking at the same player (his passing ability doesn't particularly stand out to me)? Draisati on the other hand looks to rely on his excellent on ice vision to make others better. Not as physical, doesn't have close to the same shot and breakaway speed though. How does that translate into the NHL? Will he be outmuscled and thus stop being an impact player? Will defenders take away his passing lanes making him less effective? On another note, I took a look at Central Scouting Lists from 2004-2012, and noticed that they are pretty bang on in their assessment from No 1-5 picks. Teams who follow their list almost always drafted a NHL player (some having a bigger impact than others obviously). After the 5th pick is where the order on the Central Scouting List isn't as big a determinant on the probabitly of success of a prospect. At this point we are at the cutoff, and our best hope is that one of the teams ahead of us goes off the board and allows a top 5 player to drop down to us. Else, our chances of drafting a player is just as good 6-12 (stacked draft years like 2003 being the obviously exception). Personally I would hope that anyone from the Top 5 list drops down to us. Else I would probably pick Virtanen based on his elite level shot and willingness to be physical. Fingers crossed that he will still grow and fill out (he is 18 after all) to allow him to bully his way to the scoring areas. Skating wise, he is NHL ready with the potential to get quicker if he keeps on working at it. Bonus will be that he is a local kid. I won't even hold it against him that he seems to be a little selfish with the puck (aren't all the snipers like that to some degree?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spur1 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Iss has Virtanen ranked 10th. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kassquatch Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 I can see similarities between Virtanen and Corey Perry game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadiangunner Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 This is a pick I would trade if the right deal came along for the nucks...cough evander kane cough. Evander is better then anyone we will get at 6th and would look dynamite next to kesler. He's only 22, big, fights, scores, hometown boy. If he gets some good guidance here which i'm sure everyone's loverboy linden will give him then he is a potential superstar. And at 22 he is very young and will finally give kesler someone to play with. Would also mean kesler/kane would allow sedins to be the best second line in the league! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaNux Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Seems like a well-rounded player. Only thing I would see as a concern, is a junior player who's game relies that much size/strength, translating into the NHL. Attempting some of his techniques against NHL defenders may not work out as well. In juniors his size has more of an impact. Perhaps down the road in the NHL he may be able to impose his will a little more. He does have a good skating ability, shot and tenacity. Love the back-hander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiffyPB Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 This is a pick I would trade if the right deal came along for the nucks...cough evander kane cough. Evander is better then anyone we will get at 6th and would look dynamite next to kesler. He's only 22, big, fights, scores, hometown boy. If he gets some good guidance here which i'm sure everyone's loverboy linden will give him then he is a potential superstar. And at 22 he is very young and will finally give kesler someone to play with. Would also mean kesler/kane would allow sedins to be the best second line in the league! Nobody should ever go out and trade for someone just because they "are a hometown boy." If those players REALLY wanted to be here they would be asking their agents to request a trade specifically to this team and we'd get those players for cheap. Most likely, Kane doesn't care enough to be here and getting him will cost this team the sun and the moon. The trade would be a massive rip-off and his attitude issues don't help his cause. Also Kane, a goal scorer, would absolutely mesh well with Kesler, a goal scorer . Putting Kane with Kesler would be as disastrous as putting Booth with Kesler because both of them aren't exactly puck distributors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cocosdad Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 You can't teach reach or speed. Virtanen has great speed, decent size, and a good shot, the only thing to worry about is his ability to adapt those to the next level. If he interviews well and has a good attitude to adjust his game, then he would be a good pick where we are. Character is the only concern with him. Calgary will probably pick Ritchie or Virtanen with their pick, so we may not need to argue about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belsy91 Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 IMO Virtanen is the best offensive prospect left outside the top 5 that has potential to be a key piece in a teams offense, he's big and strong with a wicked shot also a great backhand is great entagible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maniwaki Canuck Posted April 16, 2014 Share Posted April 16, 2014 Doesn't Bure have a son that is ready to play yet? =P That would be Ehlers, but don't tell his mother's husband. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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