Brock Boeser | #6 | RW

[nergish]

Just now, Alflives said:

Hutton came in at 22.  Maybe it's best to wait for Besser too?  Then he makes a bigger impact, when he does arrive.

Yeah, I mean, just because he wants to play in the NHL right away, it doesn't mean he will. But at least it provides some light at the end of the tunnel. 

Not a big need for us to have Brock bypass guys like Shink, Gaunce, etc. even if he does prove to be a superior player. Just trying to put a positive spin on having our buns (Jared and Jake) in the oven, and how it makes the whole prospect pool feel like part of the quasi-rebuild. 

[aGENT]

20 minutes ago, nergish said:

hehe, I think the point is more that we don't actually know. Nobody does. Some guys pan out, some don't. Some surprise you.

If that was his point, then he should have written something more balanced like that ^^^ instead of contributing to the problem 

As for Boesser, I tend to agree that he's an exciting, promising prospect with a great looking tool box. Now we wait and see if he can maintain his current positive trajectory and translate that to the pro's in the next few years.

[NameFaker]

1 hour ago, The Lock said:

Well, I also firmly believe that it takes different mindsets to make the world go round, or at least allow humanity to progress at a faster rate. There are so many different ways to look at things at times. I actually hate the school system where it teaches kids that there's "1 right answer". There isn't.

Anyway, I think it's been a cool discussion at least on a thread we probably shouldn't be having this discussion on. lol

Maybe? I'm not sure I agree with that, but like we've established, this isn't the space for philosophical talk, haha. I like referring to Rick on the subject of school: it's not a place for smart people, Morty.

I'm curious what you think Boeser will develop into, though. From my eyes, I see a guy with possible 30+ goals upside. That comment Benning made about him - how Boeser is ready to shoot before the puck's on his stick, is what'll give him an advantage. There's an intelligence at work behind the shot that's going to translate well - reading the play is probably any player's greatest strength or weakness (if they're outliers - if average, they're not worth discussing), and it seems to be Boeser's biggest plus. 

 

[The Lock]

10 minutes ago, NameFaker said:

Maybe? I'm not sure I agree with that, but like we've established, this isn't the space for philosophical talk, haha. I like referring to Rick on the subject of school: it's not a place for smart people, Morty.

I'm curious what you think Boeser will develop into, though. From my eyes, I see a guy with possible 30+ goals upside. That comment Benning made about him - how Boeser is ready to shoot before the puck's on his stick, is what'll give him an advantage. There's an intelligence at work behind the shot that's going to translate well - reading the play is probably any player's greatest strength or weakness (if they're outliers - if average, they're not worth discussing), and it seems to be Boeser's biggest plus. 

 

I think he's a player who will surprise a lot of people once he's at our camp. I haven't watched him personally but, from what I'm hearing on multiple fronts, he might be the more skilled prospect compared with McCann and Horvat, at least when we're talking about a nose for the net.

Biggest question to me will be this: will he be a player who can generate chances by himself or will he need other players around him to compliment his style? We've seen many shooters in the NHL play poorly until actually provided with the right forward line. We've also seen proven shooters in the NHL fall off the charts when they lose their buddy that feeds them the puck all the time. (anyone remember Cheechoo? lol)

Having said that, I've also heard he has a drive to him. That, to me, bodes well for the question I just asked.

EDIT: Just realised I typed center when he's actually a right wing lol

Edited December 3, 2015 by The Lock

[The Lock]

Actually, thinking about it. A Boeser, Horvat/McCann, Virtanen line (assuming one of them can learn to play left wing) sounds a lot better to me than what people were thinking a few years back with lines like Jensen, Hodgson, Rodin, etc (or whatever they were suggesting back then, I forget lol).

[wshdrvvn]

1 hour ago, The Lock said:

Actually, thinking about it. A Boeser, Horvat/McCann, Virtanen line (assuming one of them can learn to play left wing) sounds a lot better to me than what people were thinking a few years back with lines like Jensen, Hodgson, Rodin, etc (or whatever they were suggesting back then, I forget lol).

Good point.  a lot less ifs on the first line you mentioned..

  IF hodgson can improve his skating, IF Rodin can play more physical, IF Jensen can score consistently.

Only ifs for the new guys is if they can keep up their play!

[The Lock]

4 minutes ago, wshdrvvn said:

Good point.  a lot less ifs on the first line you mentioned..

  IF hodgson can improve his skating, IF Rodin can play more physical, IF Jensen can score consistently.

Only ifs for the new guys is if they can keep up their play!

All 3 players (if what's been said about Boeser is true) would have drive. It could be one of those lines that would be an absolute handful to any opponent. I don't even really know if I can think of another line in the NHL at the moment to compare with really, which makes it even more interesting in my opinion.

And this wouldn't even include the fact that either Horvat or McCann would be driving the 2nd line at the same time. lol I like where this team is headed. (now here's to hoping it's not just a pipe dream ;))

Edited December 3, 2015 by The Lock

[aGENT]

1 hour ago, The Lock said:

Actually, thinking about it. A Boeser, Horvat/McCann, Virtanen line (assuming one of them can learn to play left wing) sounds a lot better to me than what people were thinking a few years back with lines like Jensen, Hodgson, Rodin, etc (or whatever they were suggesting back then, I forget lol).

Virtanen has played both wings in the past FWIW.

[The Lock]

Just now, J.R. said:

Virtanen has played both wings in the past FWIW.

I wouldn't be surprised if Boeser would be willing to in the future as well. McCann even played wing once or twice this year. 

I love versatility and I love how the players and WD are willing to try different things really. I have to admit that.

[Edlerberry]

On December 1, 2015 at 10:43:24 PM, Alflives said:

I see no reason for the insulting sarcastic comment about a guy, who didn't choose the college route.  Many brilliant people didn't finish highschool, let alone college - Einstein for one.  

lol what

On December 1, 2015 at 11:09:07 PM, The Lock said:

"drafter higher" and "smarter"

Okay there....

yes. obviously. from 6-23 that's nearly 4x smarter.

 

[Alflives]

14 minutes ago, Edlerberry said:

lol what

yes. obviously. from 6-23 that's nearly 4x smarter.

 

You convey through your writing that JV is a dumb guy, because he didn't go to college like other players have.  Why the sarcastic Lots Of Love.  You're a Canuck's fan, a little misguided (yes) but of course I love you. We are all Canucks 

[Edlerberry]

35 minutes ago, Alflives said:

You convey through your writing that JV is a dumb guy, because he didn't go to college like other players have.  Why the sarcastic Lots Of Love.  You're a Canuck's fan, a little misguided (yes) but of course I love you. We are all Canucks 

nope

[Alflives]

3 minutes ago, Edlerberry said:

nope

Nope, you didn't mean to imply JV was dumb, or nope you don't love me? 

[Edlerberry]

Just now, Alflives said:

Nope, you didn't mean to imply JV was dumb, or nope you don't love me? 

no

[Alflives]

2 minutes ago, Edlerberry said:

no

I accept that no means no.  

Edited December 3, 2015 by Alflives

[NameFaker]

5 hours ago, The Lock said:

I think he's a player who will surprise a lot of people once he's at our camp. I haven't watched him personally but, from what I'm hearing on multiple fronts, he might be the more skilled prospect compared with McCann and Horvat, at least when we're talking about a nose for the net.

Biggest question to me will be this: will he be a player who can generate chances by himself or will he need other players around him to compliment his style? We've seen many shooters in the NHL play poorly until actually provided with the right forward line. We've also seen proven shooters in the NHL fall off the charts when they lose their buddy that feeds them the puck all the time. (anyone remember Cheechoo? lol)

Having said that, I've also heard he has a drive to him. That, to me, bodes well for the question I just asked.

EDIT: Just realised I typed center when he's actually a right wing lol

Surprise everyone but the wise who've traversed the storied halls of CDC.

Yeah, I've heard the same about him - that he's a pure goal scorer. If we have players like McCann, Boeser, and Shinkaruk in our top 6, we should be able to score some goals. All of those guys have demonstrated the ability to put the puck in the net with precision and power. Hopefully it translates for all of them. 

I think, like I wrote before, that Boeser seems really smart on the ice, so I think he'll be able to generate chances regardless of who he's playing with. Obviously, he'd benefit enormously from a set-up man like Baer, but it remains to be seen who'll stick.

[The Lock]

34 minutes ago, NameFaker said:

Surprise everyone but the wise who've traversed the storied halls of CDC.

Yeah, I've heard the same about him - that he's a pure goal scorer. If we have players like McCann, Boeser, and Shinkaruk in our top 6, we should be able to score some goals. All of those guys have demonstrated the ability to put the puck in the net with precision and power. Hopefully it translates for all of them. 

I think, like I wrote before, that Boeser seems really smart on the ice, so I think he'll be able to generate chances regardless of who he's playing with. Obviously, he'd benefit enormously from a set-up man like Baer, but it remains to be seen who'll stick.

I would love to see Baer develop into the player a lot of people seem to think he could develop into. Hopefully he does. However, like Virtanen, people need to learn to be patient with Baer. People seem to think 2 months is enough to judge a player. It's not.

[NameFaker]

1 hour ago, The Lock said:

I would love to see Baer develop into the player a lot of people seem to think he could develop into. Hopefully he does. However, like Virtanen, people need to learn to be patient with Baer. People seem to think 2 months is enough to judge a player. It's not.

What's your take on the amount of time it takes to get a sense of what the player can deliver?

I agree with your point on Baer. My take on it is that we won't know until he's had a full season and then some playing with consistency and holding a spot. He's described himself as a rhythm player, and every time he's talked about his game he's talked about it like a craft. McCann seems to be cut from the same cloth but obviously a separate character and player. With Baer it seems to boil down to how he's mentally positioned himself within any given team's hierarchy. He believes he should be one the most productive players because he believes he's one of the most skilled. I think this is why he started to struggle when Calgary started touting other prospects instead of him. If I were him, I'd be annoyed that the coach treats me like a rookie, because honestly, aside from getting muscled off the puck, Baer doesn't make many mistakes. He's easily the third best passer on the team, in my opinion, and has a ton more skill than Vey. I've seen some pretty useless comparisons between the two. Anyhow, I've seen more and more from him lately, so I'm hoping the trend continues.

tl;dr - Agreed. More time's needed before evaluations are made about our current prospects.

[The Lock]

14 hours ago, NameFaker said:

What's your take on the amount of time it takes to get a sense of what the player can deliver?

I agree with your point on Baer. My take on it is that we won't know until he's had a full season and then some playing with consistency and holding a spot. He's described himself as a rhythm player, and every time he's talked about his game he's talked about it like a craft. McCann seems to be cut from the same cloth but obviously a separate character and player. With Baer it seems to boil down to how he's mentally positioned himself within any given team's hierarchy. He believes he should be one the most productive players because he believes he's one of the most skilled. I think this is why he started to struggle when Calgary started touting other prospects instead of him. If I were him, I'd be annoyed that the coach treats me like a rookie, because honestly, aside from getting muscled off the puck, Baer doesn't make many mistakes. He's easily the third best passer on the team, in my opinion, and has a ton more skill than Vey. I've seen some pretty useless comparisons between the two. Anyhow, I've seen more and more from him lately, so I'm hoping the trend continues.

tl;dr - Agreed. More time's needed before evaluations are made about our current prospects.

I have to agree that at least a full season should be needed to evaluate any player. The season can have so many ups and downs and it can be a long haul. Some players can start slow early on in the season and end on a high note. Other players have started a season only to seemingly feel the wear and tear as the season progresses and slow down as a result.

Not only that, a lot of people tend to forget what happens during previous seasons (especially on CDC) and focuses on previous seasons in general. Often, from a fan's perspective, while some people get impatient with these players right now, I think it's almost guaranteed these ups and downs will be forgotten in a year's time. lol

With Baer, I like your assessment. He is evidently gifted. Baer's also a pretty quiet type who's poker face reads like a tax form (seriously, I think he should do poker on the side lol). So he strikes me as someone who is determined to prove himself. Benning's even said he felt Baer was the best prospect out there during his time in the WHL. Coming from a scout of his resume (he's drafted a LOT of NHL'ers), that, to me, says a lot.

I'm pretty positive that the coaches see that he's improving. At the end of the day, the coach is the set of eyes you want to impress and not the fans with untrained eyes. I'm glad that WD is in charge and not most of CDC.

Edited December 4, 2015 by The Lock

[NameFaker]

47 minutes ago, The Lock said:

I have to agree that at least a full season should be needed to evaluate any player. The season can have so many ups and downs and it can be a long haul. Some players can start slow early on in the season and end on a high note. Other players have started a season only to seemingly feel the wear and tear as the season progresses and slow down as a result.

Not only that, a lot of people tend to forget what happens during previous seasons (especially on CDC) and focuses on previous seasons in general. Often, from a fan's perspective, while some people get impatient with these players right now, I think it's almost guaranteed these ups and downs will be forgotten in a year's time. lol

With Baer, I like your assessment. He is evidently gifted. Baer's also a pretty quiet type who's poker face reads like a tax form (seriously, I think he should do poker on the side lol). So he strikes me as someone who is determined to prove himself. Benning's even said he felt Baer was the best prospect out there during his time in the WHL. Coming from a scout of his resume (he's drafted a LOT of NHL'ers), that, to me, says a lot.

I'm pretty positive that the coaches see that he's improving. At the end of the day, the coach is the set of eyes you want to impress and not the fans with untrained eyes. I'm glad that WD is in charge and not most of CDC.

So there was something interesting I noted in that all-access video posted with Prust showing the plane off. Baer's response to the video - he looks at Prust for a sliver of a second before casting his eyes away, his face growing beet-red as he brings up his hand to conceal his face from Prust and the camera. Wasn't a poker moment for him - I can't read it as anything specific, but what it did tell me is that the kid is intensely sensitive. I think it's important to note he was also sitting on his own, not with the other players. Seemed to be a level of alienation at work - not sure how much. I'm curious whether the research Gaunce and Demko have done in college on psychology helps them, and I wonder if it could help a player like Baer, too.

On the note of Demko, I'm stoked he's studying psychology and philosophy (I'm a philosophy major with major biases)