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Dmitry Zhukenov | C

HowYaDrouin

By HowYaDrouin
in Prospects / Farm Team

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Quantum Canucks Rookie

Quantum

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I wouldn't be shocked if a decision to ink Zhukenov to an entry deal is made after July 1st... Canucks will probably see how their July 1 shakes out (especially with who they land as depth signings). He still hasn't signed in Europe yet(as far as I know, correct me if I'm wrong) which suggests he's hoping to stick around North America... Or else he would have likely signed a KHL deal by now.

 

That's just my hunch.

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Bigturk8 Canucks Prospect

Bigturk8

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1 minute ago, J.R. said:

Harrumph.. man we seem to have trouble actually getting talent to Utica. They either head straight to the NHL or are in Europe, college etc.

I was excited to see him in the A this year. It looks like we`ll have a small window at the end of his KHL contract to negotiate with him before he becomes a UFA. If he continues to develop, I hope we don`t lose him entirely. Definitely not an enviable position for the Canucks though.

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stonecoldstevebernier Canucks Third-Line

stonecoldstevebernier

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22 hours ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

Gotta feel bad for Utica.  Ever since that Calder Cup run, the team lacks that skillful forward group.  Poor drafting and players either making the jump straight to the NHL or leaving, has left a large gaping whole talent wise on the farm.

Aside from Virtanen (1st rounder), the only Canucks-drafted forwards who could be on the Comets roster next year are Cassels (2013) and LaBate (2011), neither of whom provide much offense. That's absolutely horrible. They've added a couple of others via trade and free agency but normally you'd like to see your farm team stocked with some homegrown mid-round picks and seeing them develop there. They've done that decently well on defense but the forwards are sorely lacking.

 

I don't think Zhukenov would've made a huge impact in Utica offensively right away but when you start to get these mid round draft picks playing a couple of years in the minors together, that's how you build a good farm system.

 

Which is one of the reasons why I'm so excited about this year's draft. Between a few recent trades and all the forwards we just drafted, our forward prospect depth is starting to look respectable again. Gaudette and Lockwood are a couple of nice college finds who are a couple of years away from Utica, too.

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DeNiro Canucks Hall-of-Famer

DeNiro

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23 hours ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

Gotta feel bad for Utica.  Ever since that Calder Cup run, the team lacks that skillful forward group.  Poor drafting and players either making the jump straight to the NHL or leaving, has left a large gaping whole talent wise on the farm.

AHL teams are going to go through their ups and downs just like NHL teams. Especially when prospects graduate. If anything, not having good prospects down there is a good thing because it means Utica is doing it's job of producing NHLers.

 

They should be absolutely stacked in the 18/19 season, that will be their new window for a Calder Cup run. It's not like they had to wait too long.

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CRAZY_4_NAZZY Canucks Franchise Player

CRAZY_4_NAZZY

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39 minutes ago, DeNiro said:

AHL teams are going to go through their ups and downs just like NHL teams. Especially when prospects graduate. If anything, not having good prospects down there is a good thing because it means Utica is doing it's job of producing NHLers.

 

They should be absolutely stacked in the 18/19 season, that will be their new window for a Calder Cup run. It's not like they had to wait too long.

I understand teams will go through that phase but I don't necessarily believe that is the case for Utica.  Because of the many years that the Canucks didn't do great on the draft floor players like Bo Horvat, Ben Hutton, Troy Stetcher all placed in the NHL in regular duty.  If the Canucks had properly dont enough to supplement over the years before I'm sure they would have spent some time in the AHL longer to help the Comets out.  Even trading away Jared McCann to get immediate help for Gudbranson, when he would've been in the AHL for the Comets this year I'd assume along with Jake Virtanen.  You could argue Baertschi, Conacher, Hensick were very skilled guys but they either came after the trade deadline or made the jump right to the big club like Baertschi did and didn't see time until later into the Calder Cup playoffs.  Yes they had Shinkaruk, but pretty much carried the load offensively for two years, while some AHL 

 

Point is, Utica has never really had a good influx of good offensively skilled talent coming into their system.  Either the prospects that probably were destined to go were expedited quickly to fill holes up in Vancouver, were traded away, or never panned out after being drafted.  Which speaks volumes to Travis Green as a coach mustering up everything that he could from this offensively challenged group.

 

Canucks need several more good drafts like this past year to stack the cupboards up again, because even with the likes of Gaudette, Pettersson, Palmu, etc come into the farm system in the next year or two, with the twins possibly leaving and further holes being opened, we could see this vicious cycle where players are fast tracked up and Utica gets the stiff end of the stick again. 

 

Not that i thought Zhukenov was going to be a revelation at all for the Comets, but adding any source of offensive flare and production is sorely needed for this farm team. 

Edited by CRAZY_4_NAZZY
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Camel Toe Drag Canucks Regular

Camel Toe Drag

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31 minutes ago, Rush17 said:

So the rumours from several months ago were true.  an unfortunate set of events indeed.

Not that unfortunate. 

1. He's still our prospect

2. He's still developing 

3. He's still young

 

By the end of those 2 years we will likely have a better prospect. 

 

 

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SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Canucks Franchise Player

SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME

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1 hour ago, Camel Toe Drag said:

Not that unfortunate. 

1. He's still our prospect

2. He's still developing 

3. He's still young

 

By the end of those 2 years we will likely have a better prospect. 

 

 

Yep. And when you trace back through the past few months, you can get a sense of what Zhukenov hopes will happen, and that's him eventually playing in Vancouver's system, with a goal to make the NHL. 

 

He could have committed to the KHL earlier than he did. But after the rumours came out, he made public statements that he hoped to stay in NA, but would have to wait and see what happened (as far as if Vancouver would offer a contract). Once it became clear the Canucks weren't ready to sign him to an ELC, he then committed to Omsk.

 

And even still, he signed a two year deal that appears designed to create a window at the end for him to sign with Vancouver. It's no coincidence IMO that his contract expires just before Vancouver's rights. So the Canucks can watch his development for two years in the KHL (one of the premiere leagues in the world), and then they get another chance to sign him.

 

Zhukenov seems to be doing everything he can to earn his ELC. And he's consistently stated that the NHL is his career goal. Whether or not he's good enough (to become a legitimate NHL player) is hard to say, but he's given it his best shot.

 

The only thing stopping him right now is the Canucks. If they'd offered an ELC this year, he'd be staying in NA. If they offer one in two years, he'll be coming back over.

 

This is not a case of a Russian kid "bolting to the KHL." Zhukenov is just doing what's best for his development and future career, given all the circumstances. And I would not be the least bit surprised to see him make a Rödin style return (minus the injuries of course) to North America in two years time.

 

 

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SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME Canucks Franchise Player

SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME

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4 minutes ago, Hairy Kneel said:

Imagine having Zhukenov and Tryamkin coming back the same year, and push for a playoff spot hopefully.

Yeah, that would be ideal, assuming they both develop well and look like NHL quality players (more speaking to Zhukenov here as Tram has already shown he can play).

 

But it would be pretty great if that happened. Especially since we'll be drafting quality prospects (likely with high picks in the first round) and adding undrafted free agents over the coming years.

 

So returning a couple young players to the fold would be a real bonus. The rebuild will continue regardless, but Zhuk and Tram could potentially be a nice boost to the roster in a couple years.

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Hairy Kneel Canucks All-Star

Hairy Kneel

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3 minutes ago, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

Yeah, that would be ideal, assuming they both develop well and look like NHL quality players (more speaking to Zhukenov here as Tram has already shown he can play).

 

But it would be pretty great if that happened. Especially since we'll be drafting quality prospects (likely with high picks in the first round) and adding undrafted free agents over the coming years.

 

So returning a couple young players to the fold would be a real bonus. The rebuild will continue regardless, but Zhuk and Tram could potentially be a nice boost to the roster in a couple years.

I know!

But must keep excitement and expectations to a minimum till then Lol

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