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Everything posted by canuckledraggin
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He's a bounce back guy and his GAA when he's on is great. Having him and Lack as the next 2 headed Swedish monster for the Canucks is what I want to see.
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That phrase right there says everything about Jake for me. You really aren't going to know how good he can be until he is surrounded by players and coaches that make him better.
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I think the Horvat thread had a lot more people saying that he should be sent back to junior for another year, but after seeing what Bo has done this year people are a bit more open-minded about giving a young player a chance. Benning has said that he was pushing for Bo to make the team this year and it is likely that he'll be leaning on WD to let another rookie make the jump next year. I was all for giving Bo the chance to make the jump from junior, because he had the intangibles of leadership, physical play, face-off ability and an excellent 2-way game. The knock on him was his skating and it became clear after the pre-season, that he could skate with the pros. I'm also 100% in favor of giving Virtanen the same opportunity and the intangibles that may keep him around next year are his physical play, his excellent shot and his ridiculous speed. The knock on JV is his defensive play and positioning, but when you take into account his speed, he can bail himself out of bad situations. Barring injuries, the only things that I could see keeping him off the team next year is if Benning can't make room for him in the off-season, his defensive game isn't up to par during the pre-season, or Benning decides that he needs to take on a greater leadership role in the WHL and WJC.
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Talk about a minor league rivalry. The Comets have beaten the Adirondack Flames 9 out of 10 times this year, with the 1 and only loss coming just a few days ago against a depleted Comets roster. Could this have had anything to do with Baers willingness to join the Canucks?
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JV on the PP!!!??? lol
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You realize that TEAM Canada is winning 7-0 right. Virtanen isn't making any mistakes and hasn't cost the TEAM anything. I can't wait for the next Canucks training camp to see who among Jensen, Shinkaruk, Gaunce and Virtanen can make the squad
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Nasty knee injury. Hopefully the kid doesn't need surgery. Virtanen is more versatile so he gets put in Fabbri's spot on the right wing and Point gets put on McDavid's left. I don't know if the coach is telling him to play high and not get stuck into play on the boards, but he is playing a defensive game more than I would like to see. His speed and physical play is an asset that should be exploited along the boards, but I'm happy to see that he is willing to sacrifice offense for team defense.
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Skates like he was shot out of a cannon. His name is Jake Virtanen. Bring back Tommy Larscheid for one last call once this kid makes the Canucks
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It looks like he thought he had more time and wasn't expecting the last defender back to step up like that. Great hit, but Horvat grabbed his hat and kept skating. He actually caused a too many men penalty because Richie jumped on the ice when he figured Bo was probably just going to head to the bench right away. Continually impressed by the manchild Horvat.
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I don't think Bo's play had a lot to do with his ice time until recently. WD has been forced to shorten his bench in a bunch of tight games this year, especially with the top 6 playing very well to start the season. You can see the trust level going up and having Hansen on his line makes for a more balanced 4 line team.
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If I'm Benning I don't burn a year off of his ELC this year. That's the only reason I send him down. His play is not the issue, but with so many young players coming up now, we are going to need those deals in the next few years to be cap compliant. As for Bo's replacement with the Canucks, the obvious choice is Gaunce. His game is virtually the same as Bo's and I don't see any drop-off from what he brings to the table.
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Because even practicing with an NHL team is a better learning experience that playing in the OHL is my guess. Bo is Canucks property after all and I'm sure that decision is being weighed and measured. The only team suffering without Bo is London and they seem to be holding their own without him. After the world juniors he should be back there and he'd have to set the NHL on fire to change that. Fortunately for the Knights that's not his game he's going to be sure and steady every step of the way.
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So my statement is a fallacy yet you agree with it? Interesting.... We're going to see what Horvat brings to the table in the next couple of games unless Sestito sets the world on fire. If Horvat had buried those chances he had with the Comets we wouldn't be questioning him at all, but for whatever reason he was gripping the stick too hard or his eyes got too big or whatever and now people are questioning his every move. I can't wait to see what he brings to the table with the big club. I guess the Burrows suspension is a blessing. Nobody got hurt and Horvat gets to play in the NHL. We really don't know what's going on in Bo's mind when he takes to the ice with Utica. Is he trying not to make any mistakes and therefore not showing enough offensive prowess? Is he sure enough that he's going to get a shot with the Canucks this year and playing safe so that he's not going to risk injuring himself again in Utica? Questions that we'll find the answers to soon enough. Good luck Bo.
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Maybe when he plays with NHL caliber players he'll be able to play his game. He wouldn't be the first player to play as well as the players around him. I think Jensen is that type of player as well. He seems to be hanging back with Utica and doing everything he can to not make mistakes. He's doing that well and not costing the team anything negative when he's on the ice. With the Canucks he'll be in the bottom 6 and expected to play a defensive role, but he'll also need to step up and contribute offensively and that will be his true test. I think his performance in practice is going to determine whether he can crack the lineup or not. He'll bounce Matthias or Dorsett even though they are both playing wing and will bump Vey to the wing, if and only if he can show more than those two. +
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Would it hurt his development to send him back to junior? No it wouldn't. But is he going to be put in a position with London to put up the kind of point totals that people here seem to be concerned with seeing? I don't think so. Hunter is going to make him the 2nd line shutdown center, because he knows that Bo is a stud defensively, will take defensive zone draws and his time spent on the penalty kill is going to negate time spent on the powerplay. I base this on nothing of course because I don't have any insight into Hunter's coaching, but that's what I would do. Of course all the speculation surrounding Bo is just that. He was the last cut as an 18 year old. He has yet to be cut from the team as a 19 year old and the only way to know for sure if he can play in the NHL this season is to give him the games and see the results of the team when he is in the lineup. He doesn't have to put up points at all as long as the team is better in the faceoff circle and he doesn't have a huge minus stat beside his name.
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With these type of performances It will be better to trade Miller to a contender at the trade deadline if a team is in need of a tender. Go with Lack and Marky the Swedish chefs.
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Our bottom 6 at the center position is Richardson, Vey and Matthias. There is no dropoff if Horvat takes one one of those spots. Richardson is the most steady of those 3 and is good on faceoffs. Vey and Matthias are below average in the faceoff circle and both can play wing. I really don't see the drawback of playing Horvat, other than the reasoning that he's 19 years old and his confidence may be hurt by making mistakes in the NHL. He doesn't strike me as that sort of player or person. He's been a leader his entire career and plays a 200 foot game. We're a fringe playoff team as it is and the time has come to put a pure rookie into the lineup. Our last 19 year old rookie was Trevor Linden and we all know how that decision paid off.
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It's pretty clear that the kid's a pro. Stick checking and breaking up plays everytime he steps out there.
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Don't be surprised if you can't predict the future. Let the kid play hockey.
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It really is a travesty that he is not able to go to the AHL to refine his game as a pro this year. Playing against teenagers is not what he needs at this stage of his development as it's clear he is going to be a bonafide NHL center. It's also pretty clear that he will break into the league as a defensive specialist and the team will not be relying on him to pitch in offensively. Even in London he's going to put in the 2c position as the shutdown center. That's not Hunter's fault for putting him in that role, but he knows what Bo can do against the other teams' top players. Right now it looks as though the injury may have been a blessing in disguise. He can be sent down to Utica for a conditioning stint, come back to the Canucks for his 9 games, go back to London and play in the WJC all in the same year. Playing in 3 leagues and an all-star tournament might be the best thing for his development at this point and would set him up for making the team next year. He did look like he was the better option than Vey or Matthias at center in the preseason games until last game, when Matthias stepped up his game and looked pretty good.
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What happened in bold did actually happen and you are mistaken for calling me out on it. I was well aware that Jensen was the 1st out there, which really surprised me, and that Gaunce got some time on the PK. Again... Horvat just makes all the right plays and makes it look effortless in the same way that Gaunce does. For that reason I don't think he gets a sniff at the NHL this year even though he might earn it.
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From the game last night, Bo is noticeable for being unnoticeable. He always makes the smart play, is never out of position and plays a rope-a-dope style, just waiting for the opposition to make a mistake. In the 4 on 3 overtime Green put him out. As complete a 2 way player as we have in our orginization. I was isolating on him a few times last night and he looked like he was just floating around, but he takes the game as it comes to him in the same way that Gaunce does. That style might make it hard for him to make the Canucks this year, because he doesn't go out of his way to be flashy and stand out. I hope he does make it though, because his game will translate to the NHL and even at a half a step faster he will still make the game look easy.
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At worst yes. I'd much rather see him turn into Chris Pronger
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There is one thing that Jake has that other power forwards lack though and that is speed. He was my 1st choice in the draft for that very reason in addition to his ability to put the puck in the net and his age, I think he was a great pick at #6. When young players make the jump to the next level the thing that they all say is that the game is played at a step faster than they are used to. Jake will have that advantage over the others that were selected in his draft class. The exceptions being players like Ehlers who have the speed but lack the size to make the jump right away. The knock on players like Horvat and Gaunce that have all the tools to be NHL regulars is their speed. I think Jake has 2 more years of Junior then makes it very difficult for coaching and management to keep him out of the Canucks lineup. I think it was lucky that he was not able to participate in the combine, or he might have been chosen before 6th.
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Ridiculous back and forth in these threads. Yes let's be a playoff bound team every year and draft in the top ten.... Yes let's miss the playoffs 1 year in the past half dozen and start calling all of our draft picks busts. It's obvious that Gillis was an agent turned GM and that experiment failed, but he was also around for a bunch of division titles and a couple president's cups. No wonder Kesler wanted out of Vancouver. A schizophrenic fan base with ridiculous expectations. The guy probably got called out on the street 1 too many times and decided screw this! As for Horvat... absolute stud. 1 of our young players has to play on the Canucks this year and he has the most complete 2 way game of any of our prospects. I just hope he's listening to his I-pod for the 1st few years of his career and not CDC armchair GM's.