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canucksnihilist

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51 minutes ago, canucksnihilist said:

Thanks for posting this.    I was most interested in the material on Madden who is a darkhorse in my eyes that may be under the radar with most but I think could be a solid NHL player at some point.   Got to see him play live and he really is a hard working player who gets to where things are happening in a hurry and with little regard to who it annoys - very much like his dad did from all accounts.    Also good to see MD rounding into form as his first bit back in CHL after Canuck camp he looked mediocre at best.   He now seems almost a lock to be the Canadian WJ number one for the tournament which should be exciting, and stressful (in a good way), for those in the Vancouver area who take in the games.   

 

Will give a bit of an anecdotal on one player not mentioned and that is Toni Utunen who is playing in Liiga which is same top tier league that OJ played in last year.    He continues to develop but isn't putting up many points (1 assist in 18 games) but he is seeing decent ice time and has been +3 and tied for second on the team D in that category.   He seems a likely pick for the Finnish WJ team due to his elite skating and responsible play in his own end.   He isn't a very big guy (closing in on 6 feet and appears this year to be about 180-185 perhaps) but he isn't pushed off puck easily at all.   Expect him in NA next near and can see after a year or three in AHL being a legitimate option at the highest level.

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4 minutes ago, Rob_Zepp said:

Will give a bit of an anecdotal on one player not mentioned and that is Toni Utunen who is playing in Liiga which is same top tier league that OJ played in last year.    He continues to develop but isn't putting up many points (1 assist in 18 games) but he is seeing decent ice time and has been +3 and tied for second on the team D in that category.   He seems a likely pick for the Finnish WJ team due to his elite skating and responsible play in his own end.   He isn't a very big guy (closing in on 6 feet and appears this year to be about 180-185 perhaps) but he isn't pushed off puck easily at all.   Expect him in NA next near and can see after a year or three in AHL being a legitimate option at the highest level.

Utunen captained the U18 Finnish squad, which was when I became aware of him and should be a lock for playing U20 this year.  I was pleased when the Canucks drafted him, and surprised he dropped to us.

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3 minutes ago, RogersTowell said:

Utunen captained the U18 Finnish squad, which was when I became aware of him and should be a lock for playing U20 this year.  I was pleased when the Canucks drafted him, and surprised he dropped to us.

He is still 18 until essentially the end of the season and playing full-time in Liiga - that alone is impressive.   However, he was seen as a scoring Dman when younger and displayed that several times in international events so some felt he took a "step back" when elevated to Liiga late last year and that may have contributed to his draft fall off.  However, since that time, he stock has stabilized nicely with people I have spoken with who see him as a late second round or early third round talent at worst and even higher if he can add just a bit more offensive flair to his game.   A Dman at that level is a pretty good bet to have an NHL career of some description assuming he continues to develop.

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Really want to see Gadjovich elevate his game. 

We could really use his edgy style of play in our line up.

He, very much, depends on tips and rebounds. He looks prime to become a premiere garbage man in the NHL.

I see him as grinding nuisance in front of the net and one that excels in the playoffs.

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