*Buzzsaw* Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Just wanted to say, for any of those who felt disappointed the kid hasn't had a goal yet... or who feel his progress isn't as fast as McCann...Jake Virtanen's birthday is August 17... only one month before the September 15th deadline for 18 year old qualifying for the draft. That is about as young as you can take a draft.The kid is still very wet behind the ears.Yet we are seeing him already as a real physical force... and you can't teach his instincts to play that way... Kassian never showed this kind of hitting ability, very few players have the knack, the timing, and the speed to be right on top of the opposing defensemen the way Jake has been.And his hits are HEAVY... he has the instinct to plant his legs, and direct his energy just perfectly.He just PUNISHED the opposing defense all tonight... And I love his meanness... Eller took a run at him, and he came right back and NAILED him. I think the words gonna get around the league fast... Don't mess with big Jake.I think McCann is great, and I don't want to take anything away from him, but Virtanen is going to be a freakin' MONSTER.You look at his size right now, at just barely 19, and you gotta think he is going to be at 215 for playing weight in a couple years. I think he has a lot of room to develop his upper body strength. And when he does that, he will be real chore for opposing defensemen to handle.I am so happy Vancouver has a player of this kind of dimension... he brings something to the table in the way of skill and physical presence which the Canucks have lacked for a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apollo Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 He's played well on and off the puck. The goals will start coming - love his tempo. Man is this guy strong! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winter Soldier Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 And his hits are HEAVY... he has the instinct to plant his legs, and direct his energy just perfectly. This is something I noticed. He hits hard but makes it look effortless every time he lays into someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LM11 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Jake is completely different from Jared. They are total opposites and point production shouldn't be applied to Jake's game as much as Jared's. Jake has clearly been told to keep it very simple and make hits and play smart. His scoring will eventually come, but right now, it's just the beast in him showing and I'm loving it. Jared as a C, will get more attention because he wasn't expected to be ready this year and he's doing what he's good at. I believe Jake is also doing what he's good at, which is being very physical. With more experience, the comfort level will be shown by Jake and he will turn his attention to making a real difference with his offense. Jared looked very confident after his 2 goals tonight. He was coming out of our zone without fear. That's what I also see happening to Jake very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desiboynux4lifee******* Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 the guy needs hockey iq! Button was 100 percent right with his assesment, he makes poor passes sometimes and is not showing off his LETHAL shot that made him such a high draft pick to begin with! Time to send him back to junior and call up Gaunce or Griener, Jake's not ready he needs to go back to juniors and dominate the Juniors, like max domi did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goblix Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 the guy needs hockey iq! Button was 100 percent right with his assesment, he makes poor passes sometimes and is not showing off his LETHAL shot that made him such a high draft pick to begin with! Time to send him back to junior and call up Gaunce or Griener, Jake's not ready he needs to go back to juniors and dominate the Juniors, like max domi did.Meh, his shot will come when he learns the pace of the game. He needs to learn how to get his shot off in this league and guess what there are 82 games where he can figure it out as he can utilize his other skill sets and hit / create energy while he adjusts. on his playmaking I've seems some decent passes he's definitely not a playmaker but again he doesn't have to be as that's why you have 2 other linemates Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mathew Barzal Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 It's going to be a lot harder for Jake to adjust than Bo or McCann because at least they have tangible things they can do as a center to prove they are being effective in their own zone. As a winger you have to try that much harder to stand out in a positive way if you aren't scoring (ESPECIALLY when you're paired up with possession killing fourth liners). Of course, Willie has shown his fortitude when it comes to ice time and opportunities when it comes to our young guns. Virtanen have a longer and harder route to earning WD's trust than either of the two aforementioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HK Phooey Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Just wanted to say, for any of those who felt disappointed the kid hasn't had a goal yet... or who feel his progress isn't as fast as McCann...Jake Virtanen's birthday is August 17... only one month before the September 15th deadline for 18 year old qualifying for the draft. That is about as young as you can take a draft.The kid is still very wet behind the ears.Yet we are seeing him already as a real physical force... and you can't teach his instincts to play that way... Kassian never showed this kind of hitting ability, very few players have the knack, the timing, and the speed to be right on top of the opposing defensemen the way Jake has been.And his hits are HEAVY... he has the instinct to plant his legs, and direct his energy just perfectly.He just PUNISHED the opposing defense all tonight... And I love his meanness... Eller took a run at him, and he came right back and NAILED him. I think the words gonna get around the league fast... Don't mess with big Jake.I think McCann is great, and I don't want to take anything away from him, but Virtanen is going to be a freakin' MONSTER.You look at his size right now, at just barely 19, and you gotta think he is going to be at 215 for playing weight in a couple years. I think he has a lot of room to develop his upper body strength. And when he does that, he will be real chore for opposing defensemen to handle.I am so happy Vancouver has a player of this kind of dimension... he brings something to the table in the way of skill and physical presence which the Canucks have lacked for a long time.Kid was 215 when he showed up in Utica last spring according Province article that came out over the summer and was put on a program to get lean and drop some weight. I think it's great that Virtanen and Horvat both appear to have the genetics to gain weight over the course of a season rather than wearing down and losing weight like other younger players.Virtanen is going to be a beauty...I love these heavy players who play with a mean streak. If Horvat and Gaunce can develop a lot of nastiness to their game, these Canucks are going to be tough to play against in the near future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Positive Canuck Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Galchenyk ran him early and Virtanan did the classic reverse murder leaving 27 sonned in front of his own teams bench. Lucic-Horvat-Virtanen anybody ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RRypien37 Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Virtanen is already playing at about 210. I bet when he fully fills out he will be playing at like 225. The potential is amazing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robongo Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I don't think a single person has been disappointed with Jakes game away from the puck , given his icetime, but he's not ready and has a lot to learn in terms of being an offensive force. For the first time in years , Jake has a good situation to return to on the Hitmen as they will finally be forced to utilize him fully in an offensive role and he has a good playmaker to play with.In terms of forechecking Jake has been everything this team has needed and more, our own Michael Ferland basically. But at 6th overall, don't we want more from him? He has shown he has the capability of being an elite goal scorer at the junior level with his fantastic wrist shot. So don't we want to develop more of that side to his game than the fast hard hitting side that you can get in most rounds in the draft? He's the highest pick that this team has selected since the Sedin's and his development should be handled with utmost care. Just because he's not ready at 19 doesn't diminish his ranking or his ability as a prospect. The Canucks and in turn , Jake Virtanen, are far better off letting him marinate in junior. Kassian was rushed and we tried to force him into a player he clearly wasn't when he was obviously not ready. Don't make the same mistake with Jake.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canucksnhl Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I don't think a single person has been disappointed with Jakes game away from the puck , given his icetime, but he's not ready and has a lot to learn in terms of being an offensive force. For the first time in years , Jake has a good situation to return to on the Hitmen as they will finally be forced to utilize him fully in an offensive role and he has a good playmaker to play with.In terms of forechecking Jake has been everything this team has needed and more, our own Michael Ferland basically. But at 6th overall, don't we want more from him? He has shown he has the capability of being an elite goal scorer at the junior level with his fantastic wrist shot. So don't we want to develop more of that side to his game than the fast hard hitting side that you can get in most rounds in the draft? He's the highest pick that this team has selected since the Sedin's and his development should be handled with utmost care. Just because he's not ready at 19 doesn't diminish his ranking or his ability as a prospect. The Canucks and in turn , Jake Virtanen, are far better off letting him marinate in junior. Kassian was rushed and we tried to force him into a player he clearly wasn't when he was obviously not ready. Don't make the same mistake with Jake..Virtanen is far better than Kassian in any aspect. Jake is stronger on the boards, skates faster, has a far more accurate and harder shot, more accurately timed body checks, significantly better skater in terms of speed and balance. These two are not comparable. Jake is already better than Kassian and this is his first season at 19. His offensive and defensive awareness is much greater than Kassian's. We had to carry Kassian most of the time and he would only show up once in a while. Jake shows up and plays hard every night. He can handle the NHL. No worries there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatetomatoes Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 I don't anyone will ever be disappointed with Jakes play away from the puck, He's a beast and actually very cerebral. You can see him analysing and making plays on the puck.The real question will be if he can develop an offensive game, he really hasn't showed much to be excited about offensively. He is not a great puck handler and is very one dimensional. At this point I see him peaking as a decent second line guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lancaster Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Instead of placing him with Horvat, perhaps on the 4th line for a more linear role. With Prust out, just have a line with Dorsett-McCann-Virtanen. He's already throwing the body around and doing the dirty work, might as well give him a player that will takes advantage of it in McCann. Dorsett can provide the "safety net" on the line. Maybe he'll collect a few points along the way, thus help build his confidence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robongo Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Virtanen is far better than Kassian in any aspect. Jake is stronger on the boards, skates faster, has a far more accurate and harder shot, more accurately timed body checks, significantly better skater in terms of speed and balance. These two are not comparable. Jake is already better than Kassian and this is his first season at 19. His offensive and defensive awareness is much greater than Kassian's. We had to carry Kassian most of the time and he would only show up once in a while. Jake shows up and plays hard every night. He can handle the NHL. No worries there.I don't think that anything that you say is debatable, the problem is do you want to pidgeonhole Jake into this sort of player or do you let him explore his full potential and allow him to become the offensive player that he can become? Sending a player back to junior has NEVER hurt a single player ever, in fact it's helped more players achieve their potential that it should be a no brainer for us to send players back. Unfortunately people in Canucksland seem to want instant gratification even at the expense of our best prospects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tystick Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 He's going to be something special, that's for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 Frankly, if hitting is all he's really supplying I'd rather see him sent back to junior. Save the year of his elc and let him play top six to work on his offensive. Next year he can move freely between Vancouver and Utica according to his play. Shinkaruk, Grenier, and Gaunce have all paid their dues on the farm and been playing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carl's Jn Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 he does what he is suppose to do. hit!. that is how he is valuable to us. he hits and hits hard ... goes into the corner and work people... he is doing a mighty fine job of it... all rookies are doing well so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeltaSwede Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 For his own benefit and the future of the Canucks I hope they decide to send him back to juniors. He has been playing well but he looked a little lost at points. It's noticable that he is the least ready for the NHL out of Baertschi and McCann, it could be an age thing, I don't know.Virtanen is Vancouvers most important prospect moving forward and that requires extra care. I think he would really benefit from some time in the AHL as well to develop his offensive game further. If I am not mistaken he would be eligible to play for Utica next season. Send him back to Calgary this year and let him develop slowly to make sure he becomes the player he has the potential to be and not just another physical player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puckdontlie Posted October 28, 2015 Share Posted October 28, 2015 The focus with Horvat last year was defense first then he scaled up his play to contribute offensively. I think Virtanen fits that same mould... once he gets the hang of NHL level defensive responsibility and hitting, he will break out into beast mode like a Bertuzzi but who actually plays defense. He's already an upgrade over the before-rehab Kassian and Jake is just getting started. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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