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AlwaysACanuckFan

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  1. VANCOUVER -- Jett Woo has the name to become a fan favorite. The Vancouver Canucks plan to be patient and give the defenseman time to develop his game to match. Fans shouted "Woo" from the time he stepped on the ice at Rogers Arena, with every hit and shot, and all the way down the ice during his turn in a shootout at the Canucks Summer Showdown Top Prospect Game that wrapped up their annual development camp. "When I stepped on the ice I thought they were booing me at the beginning, but it turns out they were just yelling my name," Woo said. "It's kind of neat to have that support and love from such a big fan base." Woo felt that support away from the rink in Vancouver as well. Named after China-born actor Jet Li, who was supposed to stay with Woo's grandparents in Winnipeg when he first came to North America but went to Hollywood instead, Woo became the second-highest of Chinese descent to be selected when the Canucks picked him in the second round (No. 37) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Only New York Islanders forward Joshua Ho-Sang was drafted higher (No. 28 in 2014), making Woo popular in a region with 500,000 residents of Chinese origin. "I already had people come up and welcome me and want to take pictures with me," Woo said. "It's just awesome to have so much support." The Canucks drafted Woo, who turns 18 on July 27, knowing the hard-hitting, right-shot defenseman will need similar support on the ice to round out an already stout defensive game. Projected to be a first-round pick, the 6-foot, 205-pound defenseman missed 6 1/2 weeks last season with a separated shoulder and another month with a hip injury. He finished with 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists), 33 penalty minutes and a plus-29 rating in 44 games for Moose Jaw of the Western Hockey League. "This kid is a warrior," Canucks director of player development Ryan Johnson said. "This is a high, high-character kid that is very raw in his approach to a lot of things about the game, which we get excited about because that's where our resources come in from a development side." Woo will take what he learned at development camp to Hockey Canada's World Junior Showcase tournament in late July. That invite gives him a head start to play in the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship being held in Vancouver and Victoria this winter. "The biggest thing right now personally is I want to round [out] my game," Woo said. "Ever since I was a little kid I have been able to play the defensive side of the puck and that was one thing I took pride in, so to shape up my game and figure out everything else, along with getting bigger, faster, stronger, and the tools you need to make the NHL is something I need to work on." He already has the name for it.
  2. His 9 points puts him at the top of DaBoeserLeague
  3. And rename the league to Da Boeser League!
  4. Looks like after 2 games.. 6 goals 3 Assists 9 points.
  5. 1st goal 2nd goal 3rd goal Things were really Flowing in DaBeautyLeague today.
  6. Vancouver- Quintin Hughes believes he is ready to play for the Vancouver Canucks. Hughes, who was selected by the Canucks with the No. 7 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, possesses a strong skating ability and puck skills and was the youngest player at the 2018 IIHF World Championship, where he had two assists in 10 games, winning a bronze medal with the United States. Combine that experience with the comfort from skating with NHL players like John Tavares and Connor McDavid at Power Edge Pro summer camps in Toronto, and it's no wonder Hughes feels good about making the NHL. "Playing against those guys built my confidence," Hughes said. "But I had a lot going in. "I am a pretty confident kid and I am very confident in my abilities so obviously I want to believe I can play in the NHL. But I know it's a really hard League. It's the best League in the world and not a lot of 18-year-olds come in, especially defensemen, and play." The Canucks think Hughes can be one of those players and general manager Jim Benning said on the eve of the team's development camp he would like to sign Hughes this summer. "I feel he is an NHL skater already," Benning said. "He is still going to have to put in some work this summer to get physically stronger to play at the NHL level, but how smart he is and what a great skater he is, I think he has a chance." Canucks director of player development Ryan Johnson isn't worried about Hughes' (5-foot-10, 173 pounds) strength. "I don't think he's as far off," Johnson said. "Obviously, we want him to get stronger, but the way he plays the game and the hockey sense he has, he is not a player we need to bulk up. There will be some things we will work on the defensive side of the game, but the kid is incredibly willing, he's motivated and he's a sponge to anything that we are going to throw at him." Johnson saw Hughes a lot last season while watching University of Michigan teammate William Lockwood, who was selected by the Canucks in the third round (No. 64) in the 2016 NHL Draft. As the youngest player in NCAA, Hughes had 29 points (five goals, 24 assists) in 37 games, setting a school record for assists by a freshman defenseman as Michigan advanced to the Frozen Four. "He changes the course of a game because he's got an elite, elite level of skating," Johnson said. That skating also helps Hughes, who turns 19 on Oct. 14, overcome defensive concerns based on his size. "It's something I have tried to work on because I know people try to pick at it," Hughes said.
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