Antoine Roussel | #26 | LW

[kingofsurrey]

2 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Bowls do not burn well so I will pass.   I don't see his miles at 28 being equal to others.   He can go and prove me wrong but I don't see his 4 years as good a signing than if it was for 3 years.

Game is getting younger. Agitators typically are past prime at 28.

 

Love the concept but would have wanted him 3-4 years ago....

[Rob_Zepp]

Just now, kingofsurrey said:

Game is getting younger. Agitators typically are past prime at 28.

 

Love the concept but would have wanted him 3-4 years ago....

He is a bit of a late bloomer so he is probably still fine as he can skate very well, seems in great shape and plays a "modern" game but I don't know if he can do it at 31 and 32 but am happy to be proven wrong.    Anyway, for at least the next couple of seasons these Canucks will be harder to push around for sure.   Further, they just got one of the best fourth line centers in all of hockey and who was a key PK leader for their Cup win.   If he is good enough for a Cup winner, Canuck fans should be more than happy.    Further, I don't think people really know how good of a pick up Schaller is.   I think he is the gem today.

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

Most impressive part about Roussel is he can fight with both hands.  Hard to do

[TimberWolf]

good thing we are loading up on penalty killers

[samurai]

people showing videos Roussel from 3-5 years ago.  Hmm

[-AJ-]

1 hour ago, CRAZY_4_NAZZY said:

Most impressive part about Roussel is he can fight with both hands.  Hard to do

Reminds me of a certain #37.

[kenhodgejr]

He has taken a lot of punches in his career. He will take a lot more on our team. At least we have someone who will fight frequently. Its hard to find someone who is not afraid to fight on a nightly basis. 

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

 

[SwissCanucks]

In case there is some french-speaking people in CDC, here is a docmentary made by french television couple of years ago on Antoine Roussel.

 

This is really interesting, there is also parts in English, for example when Dallas coach is speaking about him.

 

 

[CRAZY_4_NAZZY]

 

I already love Roussel just for this...too bad Ferklund is gone to Carolina.

 

 

Roussel looks great in Vancouver colours.  Easily going to be a fan favourite.

 

Roussel protects Chris Tanev....likely to happen again lol.

[NHL'er]

Quote

L’attaquant Antoine Roussel, qui évoluait à Dallas depuis 2012, a signé un contrat de quatre ans avec les Canucks de Vancouver.

Le joueur franco-canadien de 28 ans a conclu une entente d’une valeur de 12 millions $.

Dans un communiqué, la direction des Canucks de Vancouver se dit très heureuse d'accueillir «un joueur très physique, difficile à affronter, capable de contribuer dans le domaine offensif».

D’après le directeur général des Canucks, Roussel fera preuve de leadership au sein de sa nouvelle formation.

«J’aime la philosophie des Canucks, a affirmé Roussel en entrevue avec notre animateur Martin McGuire. Je suis très heureux aussi de la longévité du contrat. […] Ma famille va bien se sentir là-bas. C’était d’ailleurs l’une de mes priorités de joueurs dans une équipe canadienne. Mon agent a eu des discussions avec le Canadien de Montréal, mais l’équipe ne voulait pas d’un contrat semblable à celui obtenu à Vancouver.»

Au dire de Roussel, les Canucks ont beaucoup de jeunes joueurs talentueux qui pourront lui permettre d'exploiter au mieux son potentiel.  

C'est à Vancouver que Roussel a d’ailleurs découvert la Ligue nationale. Rappelons qu'il n'a jamais été repêché; il avait été invité en 2011 à un camp d'entraînement durant lequel il s'était illustré.

Roussel a cumulé cinq buts et 12 mentions d’aide en 73 parties avec les Stars.

En 413 matchs, l’ailier gauche a amassé 141 points, dont 64 buts.

Avant de joueur dans la LNH, Roussel a évolué avec les Saguenéens de Chicoutimi, dans la Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec. 

 

http://www.985fm.ca/nouvelles/sports/125195

Interesting tidbit on Montreal radio. There's an 8 minute audio clip in French in the link. 

• One of his priorities was to play in a Canadian city.
• Roussel had discussions with Montreal but ultimately they couldn't offer the same contract offered by the Canucks
• He actually holds dual-citizenship French / Canadian.  
• He knows nothing is guaranteed and it's hard to predict on which line he'll play. Feels he plays well with offensive players. 
• Excited about being surrounded by possibly playing on the same line with young talent such as Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat.
• Feels great and fun having signed on the first day of Free Agency (as opposed to waiting a few days as a second tier guy). 
• League / CBA has changed a lot. Not as stressful nowadays on first day of Free Agency because of the week's discussions beforehand. 
• Both Martin McGuire and Antoine remarked how Vancouver is the most beautiful city in the world. 
• Dan Hamhuis and Alex Burrows both raved about Vancouver to Roussel. 

Great to still see our boy Hammer selling the city to other NHL'ers. 

[NHL'er]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/650/sportsnets-starting-lineup/vern-fiddler-antoine-roussel-numbers-dont-dictate-contributes/

 

Again, I think this is a great signing. Vern Fiddler mentions a few great things about Roussel as well. 

• First impressed Fiddler when Fiddler was in the minors for a conditioning stint.
• Always the first guy on the ice for practice and last guy off. 
• Some of the guys in the minors used to make fun of him for working so hard.
• Last season's drop in production was an anomaly. Just had children so life was disrupted. 

Of Beagle, Roussel and Schaller, I'm the most excited about Roussel. 

[Alflives]

1 hour ago, NHL'er said:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/650/sportsnets-starting-lineup/vern-fiddler-antoine-roussel-numbers-dont-dictate-contributes/

 

Again, I think this is a great signing. Vern Fiddler mentions a few great things about Roussel as well. 

• First impressed Fiddler when Fiddler was in the minors for a conditioning stint.
• Always the first guy on the ice for practice and last guy off. 
• Some of the guys in the minors used to make fun of him for working so hard.
• Last season's drop in production was an anomaly. Just had children so life was disrupted. 

Of Beagle, Roussel and Schaller, I'm the most excited about Roussel. 

I hope Roussel plays on a line with Virtanen.  He will force Jake to stay engaged, by stirring up stuff.  

[Rush17]

Burr is like the gift that keeps on giving

 

 

[J-23]

If he can bring that $&!# starting attitude back to Vancouver, he will be loved here.

[wildcam]

Just watching some highlights and then some fights with Roussel...This guy is what we really need nobody going to take cheap shots on  Canuck players with this pit bull in lineup!!!! Another good thing about him is he can play on 2nd line against rough dirty teams or 3rd line most nights...

Fans are really going to like this guy who plays with so much energy and grit..

[Rob_Zepp]

Dallas sure seemed to like this guy (Roussel)....and the guy making the video is hilarious:

 

 

[SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME]

PITB feature on Roussel:

 

http://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/paper-feature-antoine-roussel-should-quickly-become-a-fan-favourite-in-vancouver-1.23375641

Paper Feature: Antoine Roussel should quickly become a fan favourite in Vancouver

Feisty Frenchman brings agitation, penalty-killing, and a dash of skill.

Daniel Wagner  / Vancouver Courier

JULY 21, 2018 02:16 PM

Pass it to Bulis

 

Who is the best French hockey player of all time?

 

Some might suggest Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, others might point to Jean Beliveau or Guy Lafleur, but it’s hard to argue against Mario Lemieux. Which means I should have been more specific: who is the best hockey player of all time from France?

 

It might just be new Canuck Antoine Roussel.

 

You could make an argument for Paul Maclean, who was born in France to Canadian parents and moved back to Canada at the age of two. He had a fantastic NHL career that was cut short by injuries, tallying 324 goals and 673 points in 719 games, before moving on to his coaching career. As French-born hockey players go, Maclean can’t be beat.

 

But when it comes to players born and raised in France, Roussel is the best of a pretty small group, with only Cristobal Huet’s brief three-year stint as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL offering any competition.

 

Sure, that mostly speaks to the paucity of French hockey players in the NHL, but Roussel has managed to craft a solid NHL career out of his multi-dimensional play. In this case, “multi-dimensional” means he’s a pain-in-the-neck to play against.

 

As much as Roussel’s contract is a year or two too long and for a million too much per year, that should not reflect poorly on Roussel himself, who should quickly become a fan favourite with his pesky, aggravating style that should bring to mind another feisty Frenchman: Alex Burrows.

 

Roussel’s similarity to Burrows was apparent right from his first appearance in a Canucks jersey seven years ago. As an undrafted and unsigned invitee to Canucks camp, Roussel stuck around a lot longer than expected. He was the last invitee cut at training camp and was offered an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves in hopes that he would work his way up to the NHL.

 

He did, albeit with another team, finding a home with the Dallas Stars.

 

“Vancouver was the first team that gave me a chance early in my career,” said Roussel. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t make something happen after my year in the minors with the Canucks, but I felt like I had a soft spot for the organization; I felt like I belonged there.

 

“I stayed in the city for a little bit for the training camp and I fell in love with the city.”

 

Roussel’s connection to Vancouver continued throughout his time in Dallas thanks to training with Burrows in the off-season.

 

“I've been training with Alex Burrows for the past 8 years,” he said. “Every summer he talks about how great the organization and city is. To me it was a no-brainer.”

 

Roussel isn’t an exact replica of Burrows, of course. For instance, his accent is much less thick. He’s also more purely a third-line agitator, playing that role at every level, whereas Burrows showed his top-six upside in the ECHL and AHL before he broke out as a first-line forward alongside the Sedins.

 

While Roussel isn’t likely to be a first or second-line forward, he does have more skill than the average agitator. While he’s coming off a career-low five goals, he’s also coming off a career-low 5.9% shooting percentage. A return to his career shooting percentage of 11.6% should see him score 10-15 goals, while also providing good puck possession at even-strength and solid penalty killing.

 

A gritty, penalty-killing Frenchman, who gets under the skin of his opponents and has a penchant for putting up points in a depth role? That’s a recipe for a fan favourite in Vancouver.

Big Numbers

721 - Over the last five seasons, only Tom Wilson has more penalty minutes than Antoine Roussel’s 721. He may be a great penalty killer, but he’s frequently the reason his team is on the penalty kill in the first place.

2.51 - Fortunately, Roussel draws as many penalties as he takes. Literally. Roussel took 2.51 penalties per hour last season, but also drew 2.51 penalties per hour. That means a lot of coincidental minors, but he’ll give the Canucks some power play opportunities as well.

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME
Added link

[higgyfan]

On 21/07/2018 at 3:42 PM, SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME said:

PITB feature on Roussel:

 

http://www.vancourier.com/pass-it-to-bulis/paper-feature-antoine-roussel-should-quickly-become-a-fan-favourite-in-vancouver-1.23375641

Paper Feature: Antoine Roussel should quickly become a fan favourite in Vancouver

Feisty Frenchman brings agitation, penalty-killing, and a dash of skill.

Daniel Wagner  / Vancouver Courier

JULY 21, 2018 02:16 PM

Pass it to Bulis

 

Who is the best French hockey player of all time?

 

Some might suggest Maurice “The Rocket” Richard, others might point to Jean Beliveau or Guy Lafleur, but it’s hard to argue against Mario Lemieux. Which means I should have been more specific: who is the best hockey player of all time from France?

 

It might just be new Canuck Antoine Roussel.

 

You could make an argument for Paul Maclean, who was born in France to Canadian parents and moved back to Canada at the age of two. He had a fantastic NHL career that was cut short by injuries, tallying 324 goals and 673 points in 719 games, before moving on to his coaching career. As French-born hockey players go, Maclean can’t be beat.

 

But when it comes to players born and raised in France, Roussel is the best of a pretty small group, with only Cristobal Huet’s brief three-year stint as one of the top goaltenders in the NHL offering any competition.

 

Sure, that mostly speaks to the paucity of French hockey players in the NHL, but Roussel has managed to craft a solid NHL career out of his multi-dimensional play. In this case, “multi-dimensional” means he’s a pain-in-the-neck to play against.

 

As much as Roussel’s contract is a year or two too long and for a million too much per year, that should not reflect poorly on Roussel himself, who should quickly become a fan favourite with his pesky, aggravating style that should bring to mind another feisty Frenchman: Alex Burrows.

 

Roussel’s similarity to Burrows was apparent right from his first appearance in a Canucks jersey seven years ago. As an undrafted and unsigned invitee to Canucks camp, Roussel stuck around a lot longer than expected. He was the last invitee cut at training camp and was offered an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves in hopes that he would work his way up to the NHL.

 

He did, albeit with another team, finding a home with the Dallas Stars.

 

“Vancouver was the first team that gave me a chance early in my career,” said Roussel. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t make something happen after my year in the minors with the Canucks, but I felt like I had a soft spot for the organization; I felt like I belonged there.

 

“I stayed in the city for a little bit for the training camp and I fell in love with the city.”

 

Roussel’s connection to Vancouver continued throughout his time in Dallas thanks to training with Burrows in the off-season.

 

“I've been training with Alex Burrows for the past 8 years,” he said. “Every summer he talks about how great the organization and city is. To me it was a no-brainer.”

 

Roussel isn’t an exact replica of Burrows, of course. For instance, his accent is much less thick. He’s also more purely a third-line agitator, playing that role at every level, whereas Burrows showed his top-six upside in the ECHL and AHL before he broke out as a first-line forward alongside the Sedins.

 

While Roussel isn’t likely to be a first or second-line forward, he does have more skill than the average agitator. While he’s coming off a career-low five goals, he’s also coming off a career-low 5.9% shooting percentage. A return to his career shooting percentage of 11.6% should see him score 10-15 goals, while also providing good puck possession at even-strength and solid penalty killing.

 

A gritty, penalty-killing Frenchman, who gets under the skin of his opponents and has a penchant for putting up points in a depth role? That’s a recipe for a fan favourite in Vancouver.

Big Numbers

721 - Over the last five seasons, only Tom Wilson has more penalty minutes than Antoine Roussel’s 721. He may be a great penalty killer, but he’s frequently the reason his team is on the penalty kill in the first place.

2.51 - Fortunately, Roussel draws as many penalties as he takes. Literally. Roussel took 2.51 penalties per hour last season, but also drew 2.51 penalties per hour. That means a lot of coincidental minors, but he’ll give the Canucks some power play opportunities as well.

 

Good article Sid.  Just had to bold the last paragraph, 'cause you know...some fans will be whining about the penalties.  Coincidental minor penalties shows that he is a superb pest.  Look forward to see how he manages the Tkachuk kid.

[JM_]

16 minutes ago, higgyfan said:

Good article Sid.  Just had to bold the last paragraph, 'cause you know...some fans will be whining about the penalties.  Coincidental minor penalties shows that he is a superb pest.  Look forward to see how he manages the Tkachuk kid.

I'm not worried about the low shooting % from last year either, that likely has more to do with Hitchcock's system than Roussel's abilities.