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The Province Top 10 Prospects Countdown - updated to #3


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8 hours ago, IBatch said:

Curious how Virtanen is so low when the scouts used in the Hockey News annual future watch has him 86th overall when both Dahlen and Goldobin didn't crack the top hundred.  Guess they still believe he will contribute...

Name recognition I suppose.

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10 hours ago, Mackcanuck said:

Virtanen showed up at Training camp last year 25 lbs overweight.

After a year in Utica and many sessions in the gym he looks like he will be ready for camp, He better be.

Procpects should be rated on skill, commitment, hockey IQ and many other attributes

 

Here is a pic of Jake before training camp last year and at the end of Utica's season a few months ago

C8lKVbwU0AIaoVC.jpg

wow WHO did that kid eat?

 

If you don't know who Jake is and you look at those two photos you would almost swear they are different people. The tattoo is the only factor linking them both. I pray he gets his priorities set and is focussed on a long career. 

It takes so much more than talent these days, you have to mentally be switched on. 

Its frustrating as a fan to see someone with this much talent, or someone like Kassian who seems to be in the same mould. You just wish they had the Burrows work ethic and mentality.

I really hope he has a great season!

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Hard to compare defencemen and forwards and goalies, but in terms of importance to the future of the team, I think they're pretty close so far. I'd say our prospects rated are:

 

1) Demko. Clutch games in Utica, got better and better and still so young. A future Schneider/Quick in the making is better than just about any other player for this team.

2) Boeser. Proved he can score against men in the NHL. He's borderline a prospect right now, borderline full-time NHLer but we'll see.

3) Juolevi. Done nothing but go back to junior and impress, he's this system's best defenceman and best chance on D right now and in the future

4). Dahlen. Might be NHL ready, if not close, and brings top elite skill that this team hasn't seen for a while. Hard to compare yet.

5) Gaudette. Almost a goal per game at college hockey but still plenty to prove, only had 1 blow-out good season.

6) Goldobin.

7) Reid Boucher. Going to give the other kids a real push, we saw his scary good shot. 5 goals in 27 Canucks games. If he has a big training camp he could push for top-9 minutes

8) Subban. We need a puck mover, we've got one. Consistently scoring in the AHL.

9) Brisebois. I didn't like the trade or pick but he's had a huge turn around season. Would love to see what he can do in the AHL.

10) Virtanen. Only because we have to put him in somewhere. Pretty average AHL year. Hope he can get the scoring going next year in Utica, 20+ goals.

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15 hours ago, Mackcanuck said:

Virtanen showed up at Training camp last year 25 lbs overweight.

After a year in Utica and many sessions in the gym he looks like he will be ready for camp, He better be.

Procpects should be rated on skill, commitment, hockey IQ and many other attributes

 

Here is a pic of Jake before training camp last year and at the end of Utica's season a few months ago

C8lKVbwU0AIaoVC.jpg

Canucks should have been monitoring Virtanen heavily last summer. Pretty dumb they didn't. Virtanen should have known better obviously. He looks good now though. He was raw when we drafted him. It will take time, but he will be a keeper. 

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41 minutes ago, messier's_elbow said:

Canucks should have been monitoring Virtanen heavily last summer. Pretty dumb they didn't. Virtanen should have known better obviously. He looks good now though. He was raw when we drafted him. It will take time, but he will be a keeper. 

Maybe you might want to check into the rules regarding just how much, or little contact teams are allowed to have with their players in the off season, before calling the team dumb?

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2 hours ago, gurn said:

Maybe you might want to check into the rules regarding just how much, or little contact teams are allowed to have with their players in the off season, before calling the team dumb?

There are rules regarding offseason contact with players? Legitimate question. 

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1 hour ago, N7Nucks said:

There are rules regarding offseason contact with players? Legitimate question. 

Everything you need to know is all in here and it is Virtanen specific

https://canucksarmy.com/2017/02/11/fun-with-the-cba-off-season-training/

 

"There has been a lot of discussion and dissection about Jake Virtanen over the past few weeks. After a respectable rookie season in the NHL last year, Virtanen was looking to take the next step forward an become a mainstay on the Canucks roster this year.

Unfortunately things didn’t go as hoped, and he is currently plying his trade in the AHL.

It has since been revealed that Virtanen thought he had to bulk up a bit to become a more effective power forward. That appeared to backfire when Virtanen showed up to training camp weighing in at 228 lbs, and alarm bells went off within the organization.

The added bulk reduced his speed, which was one of his strengths.

Ed Willies at the Province had an interview with Canucks GM Jim Benning about Virtanen yesterday, that reveals some more of the details on what happened.

The question was, how could this happen?

Virtanen was regularly in the gym at Rogers Arena and appeared to be working out under the supervision of the Canucks.

Well, the CBA gives us information on how the off-season training programs function and how the Canucks had some control, and then the rest was out of their hands. We are limited to what is publicly available, and it appears that some information is not accessible. So we will work with what we got.

Let’s start with what the Canucks could’ve done."

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20 hours ago, Adarsh Sant said:

Goldy with Sedins again and he could reach 20 goals.

Boeser with Horvat again and he could reach 20 goals.

 

Interesting to see if any of the top 5 prospects according to the Province make the team, as it seems Goldy will most likely get a shot again.

 

I'm thinking Boeser and maybe Juolevi if he shows up at training camp.

Of course if we trade Tanev, Juolevi's chances go up immensely. 

 

Maybe OJ, I'd like to see him with Tanev assuming he's still here. Dahlen will probably impress and go to europe for a year to bulk up a bit. I think Boeser is already pencilled in. 

 

It will be interesting to see how Gaudette does this year as one of the more veteran guys on his college team. 

 

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20 hours ago, Adarsh Sant said:

Goldy with Sedins again and he could reach 20 goals.

Boeser with Horvat again and he could reach 20 goals.

 

Interesting to see if any of the top 5 prospects according to the Province make the team, as it seems Goldy will most likely get a shot again.

 

I'm thinking Boeser and maybe Juolevi if he shows up at training camp.

Of course if we trade Tanev, Juolevi's chances go up immensely. 

I think Juolevi has a shot. Tryamkin walking out certainly opened the door for him. If we move Tanev as well, I'd say Juolevi's chances become pretty good, in that as long as he doesn't look completely lost in training camp, he'll likely start the season here.

 

Dahlen has a shot as well. It might be a long shot, but he certainly seems motivated. I love the drive of this kid. If he can impress at camp, he's got a chance.

 

Boeser has essentially already been penciled in on the Horvat line. I doubt he ever plays an AHL game.

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4 hours ago, Mackcanuck said:

Everything you need to know is all in here and it is Virtanen specific

https://canucksarmy.com/2017/02/11/fun-with-the-cba-off-season-training/

 

"There has been a lot of discussion and dissection about Jake Virtanen over the past few weeks. After a respectable rookie season in the NHL last year, Virtanen was looking to take the next step forward an become a mainstay on the Canucks roster this year.

Unfortunately things didn’t go as hoped, and he is currently plying his trade in the AHL.

It has since been revealed that Virtanen thought he had to bulk up a bit to become a more effective power forward. That appeared to backfire when Virtanen showed up to training camp weighing in at 228 lbs, and alarm bells went off within the organization.

The added bulk reduced his speed, which was one of his strengths.

Ed Willies at the Province had an interview with Canucks GM Jim Benning about Virtanen yesterday, that reveals some more of the details on what happened.

The question was, how could this happen?

Virtanen was regularly in the gym at Rogers Arena and appeared to be working out under the supervision of the Canucks.

Well, the CBA gives us information on how the off-season training programs function and how the Canucks had some control, and then the rest was out of their hands. We are limited to what is publicly available, and it appears that some information is not accessible. So we will work with what we got.

Let’s start with what the Canucks could’ve done."

That's why it's incredibly important for many players, especially those drafted high, to take the training off-season into their own hands and get professionals to help them out.

 

The one I'm closest to, because of the Winnipeg factor, is Mark Scheifele. While having a girlfriend as an Olympic athlete certainly helps, he trains with Gary Roberts and Adam Oates constantly. In the off-season, he trains 3-5 days a week with Roberts, either in a small group or 1-on-1. And during the season actually, when not on the ice with the Jets, he's on the ice constantly with Adam Oates. Scheifele even said that a day doesn't go by where he's not texting Oates about ways to improve his game. Now that's commitment.

 

Now, does Jake need to go to those lengths? Well, different positions for starters. So the Oates factor may be a level he doesn't require. But it's clear that something needs to change. His hockey IQ has always been in question, and perhaps he may need more help beyond what the Canucks are offering, in order to speed up his development.

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On 2017-05-14 at 7:24 AM, Mackcanuck said:

Virtanen showed up at Training camp last year 25 lbs overweight.

After a year in Utica and many sessions in the gym he looks like he will be ready for camp, He better be.

Procpects should be rated on skill, commitment, hockey IQ and many other attributes

 

Here is a pic of Jake before training camp last year and at the end of Utica's season a few months ago

C8lKVbwU0AIaoVC.jpg

I hate this picture comparison.  

Ive seen it used a bunch of times, and always ends up with people calling him fat.  

I ran into Jake at a golf tourney in August last year (I didn't meet him, I didn't care enough to say hello), but I did see him a bunch of times through the day.   

The kid was big, but he was far from fat or being on the Wellwood diet.   

He was bulking up for sure.   

It was a miscommunication between him and management.  

They said get in better shape, he got huge.    Everybody keeps talking about him as this big gnarly power forward, so he put on mass.   

Soon after he learned why you don't see many people built like that in the NHL.  

It is too much for most people to haul around on the ice.  He got exhausted really easily. 

They had their talks, he got straightened out, and now look forward to a better jake.  

I feel bad for the crap this kid has been taking.   

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1 hour ago, drummerboy said:

I hate this picture comparison.  

Ive seen it used a bunch of times, and always ends up with people calling him fat.  

I ran into Jake at a golf tourney in August last year (I didn't meet him, I didn't care enough to say hello), but I did see him a bunch of times through the day.   

The kid was big, but he was far from fat or being on the Wellwood diet.   

He was bulking up for sure.   

It was a miscommunication between him and management.  

They said get in better shape, he got huge.    Everybody keeps talking about him as this big gnarly power forward, so he put on mass.   

Soon after he learned why you don't see many people built like that in the NHL.  

It is too much for most people to haul around on the ice.  He got exhausted really easily. 

They had their talks, he got straightened out, and now look forward to a better jake.  

I feel bad for the crap this kid has been taking.   

It's possible to bulk up without looking like you spent the summer  washing down cookie dough with lagers.

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On 5/14/2017 at 6:59 AM, hatedkid666 said:

Virtanen too low. Cant wait until he makes everyone who doubted him look silly

 

Depends on what you mean by doubting him

 

I've always said he'll be a Raffi Torres type bonafide NHL-er that'll be helpful in grueling playoff matchups and stabilize our bottom six.

 

If you are waiting for him to morph into Bertuzzi, though, then you may want to consider lowering the expectations a little. 

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2 minutes ago, TimberWolf said:

 

Depends on what you mean by doubting him

 

I've always said he'll be a Raffi Torres type bonafide NHL-er that'll be helpful in grueling playoff matchups and stabilize our bottom six.

 

If you are waiting for him to morph into Bertuzzi, though, then you may want to consider lowering the expectations a little. 

Exactly.  I'm actually curious what some of you Virtanen supporters are thinking in terms of where he'll end up in his career?  Personally, I'm with Timberwolf... 3rd line player that can hit hard and chip in goals.  I see his peak season being about 20 goals, but consistently a 10-15 goal scorer.

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6 hours ago, Mackcanuck said:

Everything you need to know is all in here and it is Virtanen specific

https://canucksarmy.com/2017/02/11/fun-with-the-cba-off-season-training/

 

"There has been a lot of discussion and dissection about Jake Virtanen over the past few weeks. After a respectable rookie season in the NHL last year, Virtanen was looking to take the next step forward an become a mainstay on the Canucks roster this year.

Unfortunately things didn’t go as hoped, and he is currently plying his trade in the AHL.

It has since been revealed that Virtanen thought he had to bulk up a bit to become a more effective power forward. That appeared to backfire when Virtanen showed up to training camp weighing in at 228 lbs, and alarm bells went off within the organization.

The added bulk reduced his speed, which was one of his strengths.

Ed Willies at the Province had an interview with Canucks GM Jim Benning about Virtanen yesterday, that reveals some more of the details on what happened.

The question was, how could this happen?

Virtanen was regularly in the gym at Rogers Arena and appeared to be working out under the supervision of the Canucks.

Well, the CBA gives us information on how the off-season training programs function and how the Canucks had some control, and then the rest was out of their hands. We are limited to what is publicly available, and it appears that some information is not accessible. So we will work with what we got.

Let’s start with what the Canucks could’ve done."

Thanks for the info kind sir. Hopefully with a bit more communication we see a more fine tuned Jake.

 

I didn't think he was "fat", though that picture comparison is hardly flattering, but he did look like a tank. Too much of a tank. His speed and shot were more interesting to me than he's physicality, though his physical attributes only add to his toolbox. Size, speed, and a wicked shot. Just gotta put it all together in a meaningful way and people will forget who came after him in the draft in a hurry.

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3 minutes ago, HKSR said:

Exactly.  I'm actually curious what some of you Virtanen supporters are thinking in terms of where he'll end up in his career?  Personally, I'm with Timberwolf... 3rd line player that can hit hard and chip in goals.  I see his peak season being about 20 goals, but consistently a 10-15 goal scorer.

His ceiling is still Shane Doan IMHO.

 

The career trajectory hasn't deviated much at all. There is still time.

 

It would be important that he's able to contribute at a 20 goal pace by the following season to stay on target. 

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30 minutes ago, riffraff said:

It's possible to bulk up without looking like you spent the summer  washing down cookie dough with lagers.

You don't need to tell

me about the cookie and lager diet.  That's my jam right there.  

I'm just saying, he didn't look fat at all.  

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