BoDangles53

You seem to assume 6th overall means you HAVE to be a 30 goal man etc. I don't, I look at the make up of a team and what a team needs in the playoffs to win. You alluded to it 'missing that kind of player' If he can be a 2nd liner (which I think he will be) and score 20-25 and be a menace physically and use his speed to get on top of dmen and forecheck to create opptys for other players, we have a gem, a player like Lucic without the fighting and with wheels. I'll take it every day of the week given how that skill set is needed in our future lineup Every player has a role, JB and TL are big believers in this and assembling a GROUP with a mix of skills and talents - he's part of the puzzle not the only piece and alot of fans somehow think that because he was drafted 6th he needs to be a 90pt player. No he needs to be a very important part of the group (agree at that high pick he has to be an important cog, but what the role is doesn't have to be the 'go to guy'). Dahlen, Goldobin, Baer, Granny, are going to need someone who can create room for them, when they are scoring take a look who may have forced the puck loose on a hard hit in the end boards - it may just be the guy everyone here is ragging on. I am sure many here will complain if he does that and pots 20-25 and gets 40-50 pts. They'll always say well he's not Ehlers or Nylander but will ignore how important his role may end up being for this team.

First - he's not signing a PTO contract w Utica folks - good way to piss the kid off right out of the gate Second - tomorrow's game is in Minnesota - where better for the kid to get to play his first NHL game? At home in front of friends and family-given the 'type of person' he is, assuming he can get there in time, I am sure he will appreciate the effort by the Canucks Third - yes would be great to get his feet wet in Utica but we have alot of injuries, he's 20/21 now so big enough to handle himself, has just been in very intense competition so he's very capable of handling the pace Fourth - playing the few remaining games we have left lets the Nucks see if he's ready, let's him know what he has to work on in the offseason, and gets fans excited (its a win win for all involved). If he's not ready next camp he goes down to Utica Fifth - this is the equivalent of the 10 games or whatever Junior players would have in their first year out of the draft so let it be....its good and I haven't seen a kid n a Nuck jersey with those type of silky mitts since Naslund, so it will sure as hell get me watching and I am sure many many more fans!

well when you can actually debate and address my points vs just your hissy fit opinions not grounded in any logic i guess we'd have a debate wouldn't we? Until then you're either trolling or an irrational man child, or both Good bye (I've put you on ignore so you can go troll elsewhere, have the last word, whatever you need little boy)

Actually no troll, I played Div 1 in the NCAA I understand the game and development Clearly you do not, you don't decide whether a kid is a bust or not at age 20 - I already explained why but let's see you avoid all that by responding like a sucky baby so I react and treat you as one But carry on little guy, whatever you need to sooth your bruised ego I'm guessing given your responses someone is going to respond to me near term and tell me you are one of the resident 'trolls'

I guess time will tell but the only thing here that is sucking anything is your personality salty little boy Too many sour patch kids? or Did JB not draft your man crush 2 years ago and you're still angry? LOL wow man - its hockey, he's 20 try cheering for the kid and hope he turns out vs being so damn cranky and chicken little attitude What are you 18 and mom tells you that you always get what you want and you didnt this time so now you having a bad 2 years over it? Lmao

Brock is a set up guy? Whaaaat? dude is a pure sniper - people have said he has a release like Hull and Bossy bro

No he's not a 'premier' forward yet because he has maturity issues, fitness issues and things in his game he has to correct -that's why the vast majority of future NHL'ers at 20 are in the AHL However, all of those things are 'correctable' What you cant teach is a kid to have his speed, to come off the half boards like he has in the NHL and walk into the circle and snipe a wrist shot 95 mph over a NHL goalie's shoulder What you can't teach is the kid to go and throw his muscle around and make 27 yr old men who've been in the NHL for 6 years get scared that he's coming down on them and about to hit him The FACT you dont seem to understand that all players take different development paths / are on different development curves shows you don't really understand the game very well

So ya, let's ignore the comments of the utica coaching staff and gm? We should assume some random angry butthurt nucks fan(s) on this site know more? that's the problem - not youtube - you think you know more than those coaching him lol And btw I wanted the Nucks to draft Ehlers but now with Goldobin and Dahlen sure as hell am glad we have Virt and want nothing less than to see the kid succeed, because you know what? I am a Canucks fan, and if Virt succeeds we sure as hell have a better chance at a cup. In addition, I don't say a 20 year old with 40 games in the AHL and a cup of coffee in the NHL is one you are able to guage yet Funny thing about giving up on players too early (ones that were even outscoring JV at the AHL level), if they have talent and you're patient, sometimes it comes out Baer and Granny say hi

be patient - i think next year is the year we'll start seeing the offense come through The kid has gone through alot in the last 2 years alot because he really was just immature and not prepared to be a pro on the mental side, which then translated to the physical / shape side From all reports, he has been progressing really well in Utica now that he's getting in 'pro shape' and that makes a big difference. If you're tired within 30 seconds you're not going to be have much success offensively, especially if you're trying to prove to the organiztion you can play on the defensive side of the puck Next year he will have had another offseason of training where I would think the Nucks will pay more (and proper) attention to what he's doing so that his body is in the type of shape he needs to have in order to be successful - my guess that means drop more weight - down to 205/210 max and alot of cardio focus to get his endurance up. With that, he should be even faster (crazy) and have the ability to fight hard at both ends of the ice. With his speed 205/210 will still allow him to punish players physically - F= M*V - drop the mass but pick up the velocity same outcome! I was worried at the start of his season in utica but reading comments from the GM/Coaches, watching his numbers over the past month, he seems to be picking it up and we're seeing development - that's all we need, well other than patience. Week by week, month by month, if we see progression, things will be fine

With his speed and size, he should be watching clips of Bertuzzi and Neely. He'll never be a Mcdavid or Crosby and plays a different game. Both those guys defined what is was to be a power forward and neither had his wheels. They hit hard, drove to the net, and found the spots where they could use their size to overpower and get to the net to score. He needs to learn by watching players like that because he has the same skillset - although Bert had pretty damn soft mitts and dangles for any sized man too-which was the crazy part of his game for such a huge player

if you want it pm me -pretty much everything

dont people know the 'catch all' sports live streaming site?

Bi polar fans now calling him Erik Karlsson! Lol

First part was directed at you second was 'collective' lol - sorry not meant to 'attack' in any way - although being on here a short time i can see why that's a 'natural' interpretation- almost have ptsd from this place already

probably because you cant since you argued my point for me

You just contradicted yourself One on hand you brought up players who lit it up and concurred that (out of this world) point totals don't necessarily mean you're going to translate well and gave valid examples Then you said some players who have strong point totals but nothing "great" have come into the league and done very well (because effectively their game translated better).If you recall (and good example in Bo), they said Bo had a pro game and even though his point totals were strong they didn't reflect how well he would do in the NHL because he played a 'mature pro game'. Well think of Oli the same way. I recall people being concerned with Bo's draft +1 year and complaining we should have taken Domi because Bo "should have been dominating". Some players are just cerebrally smarter on the ice and need to play with players who play a pro style. Oli is one of them. You've basically said the same thing that I am saying - that Juolevi will be BETTER as a pro than in junior (and not that he hasn't proven in Junior that he's a stud)

Sure, but many experts have also said, Oli plays a very "pro game' and his skill is actually being held back by playing in junior. Junior while fun to watch often doesn't have the same structure as the pro game, and just go to an AHL game and you'll see the same thing. Alot of players 'overskating' and out of position offensively and defensively. Like most players who think the game well, Oli is likely better around players who do the same. People here are arguing for pages and pages that Oli wont be this or that in the NHL when he has yet to play a game, a season, a number of seasons. That's like telling your little nephew he won't amount to what he thinks he will even though he's getting straight A's in grade 11 but had a few A minuses mixed in there because only people who get Straight A's with no A minuses succeed - a bit early and a bit nonsensical Perhaps the people here arguing back and forth about the future should go outside and meet some friends, as none of you is nostradamus and well even he was wrong

You guys do realize Mete has 44 pts and Oli has 42 points right? Sure oli has a few more games but only marginally (8) - i dont think that qualifies as better offensively as some sort of FACT -its more like mete is haveng a 'marginally better' offensive SEASON

It's been his knock yes but reality is, even as someone who played junior you'd know 1. You don't score 'goal scorers' goals without having a decent hockey IQ - his ability to see and capitalize on opportunities to score shows hockey sense 2. Now while he may not be Ehlers in terms of creativity he still has buckets full of game sense 3. That wasn't even the issue I was discussing. I wasn't talking about hockey IQ -it was mental focus there is a difference. One of the biggest issues in moving from junior/college to pro is not only the speed of the game but the ability to process the game quickly -all players say this. This comes from 'learning the game' the systems, listening to your coaches, but also mental focus. Realize that, in junior or college you can get away with losing your check or your positional assignment because of your athleticism and ability to recover -recovery speed, in the pros, even the AHL or Europe you cannot. The game is all about countering on errors now. That's why so many teams focus on trying to teach players to play 200ft. A 200ft game is hard physically but also mentally, focus wise. You don't need a high hockey IQ to play defense to be honest you just need to know/learn to play positionally, and work your tail off and not allow your mind to lose focus. I suspect this (focus) is alot of Jake's issue (and not that he has a low hockey IQ) because as I said you and I both know the difference between a 3rd line grinder in Jr who scores and they types of goals Jake scored - you need a decent hockey IQ to score like he did and can. Jake likely, in junior could lose 'in game focus' and it never mattered, he could recover given his speed, in the NHL not so much, add in his fitness issues, now you're physically tired, your mind gets tired. Then you're stapled to the bench and start losing confidence etc. Jake will be fine, he needs to address alot of issues but being with Green will help him. Learning to be a pro isn't just about playing defense, its about how you approach the game, your focus going in your mental preparation, and your focus shift to shift. He's learning that, and it takes time. I think Jake is learning that his physical attributes are not enough now, that it's actually hard work to stay mentally focused, to be in shape and they both matter just as much at the pro level. Working to be in top shape, and starting to learn how to mentally stay 'in the game' every stride of every shift doesn't mean he has low hockey iq - it means he is transitioning from being a very talented and gifted amateur athlete who got away with natural ability to now learning what it takes to be a pro...Example, I occasionally saw Paul Kariya in my gym in the offseasons when he was in anaheim. I used to notice when he was on the bike, just slowly warming up he would close his eyes and would be moving his arms like he was shooting. Here was a guy, offseason, riding the bike, visualizing. Can you imagine how much focus he had when shift to shift? Anecdotal but you get the point Any athlete knows, if you're out of shape you get mentally lazy as well. I guarantee you if he comes back to camp in shape next year you'll see alot of improvement on the mental side. One more year in Utica and his in game focus will be solid and people will forget all this nonsense (assuming he commits himself to it, which I think he will).

being a pouty kid who just wants to complain for no reason apparently A draft pick we haven't even got yet A selection we haven't even made A player we don't even know will be available when we pick or we may have a higher ranked oppty 1 or 2 And apparently he's already not wanting to sign with us! AKA a draft pick that we don't even have rights to yet and creating 4 waterfalling / dependent negative hypothetical situations in order to create an imaginary situation to complain about LOL wow down a rabbit hole of hypochondria or what?

fair enough but that's also a part of learning - in the NHL his defensive advanced stats were excellent so his cautious focused defensive play is clearly there if he 'wants' to focus on it. issue is with more ice time and trying to learn alot he's clearly cheating at times etc This is why he's in the AHL to put it all together. Its quite common for offensive players to lose some offense when trying to learn to play defense properly, and counter, when they start playing their 'game' lose some of the defensive focus Why he's in the AHL is to learn to put those 2 things together before he makes it to the NHL. So while you may suggest he can't play defense very well I disagree because both the quantitative and eye test at the NHL level showed it, issue for him is to move beyond a sole defensive focus and cautious play and to be able to bring ALL of his tools at once. I know this issue first hand, as I played at a very competitive level (US College Tier 1 school) and was an offensive player coming in. When I was shifted down from 1c to 2c my game had to change from cheating and pure offense to more of 200ft game. I will tell you this, defensive hockey is not hard to 'learn' it really is 98% effort (as it is in most sports). And when I had games where I knew I had to play a tougher Dgame my offense suffered. When I was able to free wheel and cheat my offense thrived. That being said, separately, I was damn good at both, but putting it all together, shift after shift was not only physically very hard (so that could be affecting him) but also mentally, to stay focused, patient, and tough on the puck in both ends, especially when you were tiring. I think your views are overly simplistic to be honest. Its actually why I respect and love watching players like Toews, Kelser, Burrows, Hansen - what they do is outwork everyone on the ice and probably off the ice as fitness is a big part of playing 200ft. We know that was an issue for Jake but is improving. Fly bys are common when out of shape - stops and starts are the hard work of hockey, when you stop and start it tires you, all he's doing is cheating defensively because of his fitness in my view, not because he can't play defense well. That will be corrected in time You see an inabilty to put the two things together at once as not having one of those skills, I have seen the skill, the stats prove it, so I see an issue of being mentally prepared, engaged shift to shift and focused enough and likely fit enough to play a 200 ft game. That's where the name 200ft game actually comes from

Yes well said and alot of this is why they say it takes players time to 'learn the pro game' Coaches want players to make certain decisions in certain situations not only for the system, but often because it drills in those quicker decisions - 'repetition is the mother of skill' as they say Once a player starts 'listening to their coaches' and making the 'right decisions, often that lack of time they have at the next level, starts being 'more time' because its 'reactionary' Knowing when to dump vs when not can give a player like jake more time and space as well vs a turnover and chasing when/if a player makes a wrong decision Very well thought out post and very accurate - time will tell how he adjusts but I think he will develop fine if he matures and gains some focus, which hopefully being in Utica is creating for him.

Is he 'top 6' and elite at the NHL level though - if you see what I said at the end - i don't think he's "Tanner Glass" here - but is he capable of being Jeff Carter esque? I don't see it 'yet' but let's hope I am not a Jake basher, I want to see the kid succeed because if he does, with his pure athleticism alone, he makes our team alot better. Is he better than Ferland, I'd say so, but where is his ceiling? Not sure - let's hope we find a center in maybe Middlstadt and a winger like Dahlen or Goldobin wo are great set up guys and gel with him. Alot of people seem to be 'barbelled' on him, he's either a 4th liner or Bertuzzi - I think he's somewhere in the middle, and like any player like that, often your linemates can make a difference (ie see Burr/Hansen etc) in how you may progress offensively. I've see him score 'goal scorers goals' a the NHL level - pure snipes. He see's the white of the net well and has the ability to beat NHL goalies with a hard, heavy accurate shot, but at the same time, I've seen him lost positionally, not really understanding how his linemates are working etc. Is that him only? Partly overthinking, coaching, who knows, I certainly haven't watched any junior games of his to see if he 'regressed' or not. Time will tell

That depends on who you're playing with. It really makes it harder for a player who is not 'creative' or thinks the game at a fast pace/ process holes and opportunities - in any sport. If he plays with a guy who's as good as Adam Oates, it won't matter. If he plays with Granlund, well guy like that isn't good enough (as good as he is showing) to offset a player's weakness in that area. Pure athleticism only gets you so far in any pro sport - I have buddies who 'almost made it' in a number of sports. All of them were drafted and had elite athleticism, that's what got them success in college and junior But when they got to the training camps of their respective sports, most were cut rather quickly, why? Because they couldn't think the game at the same level as the reason they were drafted (points etc). When you get to the pros in any sport, realize all the guys at the top of the scoring 'think' the game better than those who aren't scorers (in basketball, hockey etc). And they are also elite athletes. So they have both talent and elite athleticism. Case in point take Johnathan Drouin vs Jake - both are elite athletes but one clearly thinks and sees the game at a whole different level Hockey IQ is not overblown if you expect Jake to be a top 6 forward. If your view is he's a bottom 6, then it doesn't really matter as he's got the athleticism to do that, then its just attitude and effort. But 'game smarts' as we like to say do matter to be elite I know this personally, I was a good athlete in university bc of the way I thought the game, but I was never the best because I lacked the kind of physical gifts Jake has. At the same time one of my wingers was like Jake, incredible physically, fast, tough, blazing shot, stronger than an ox but lacked the game smarts. He had a few shots to go pro, played in europe for a bit but never went anywhere because he just couldn't process the game well. People always said, if he could have had my hockey sense, and I could have had his athleticism we'd both be hall of famers in the NHL LOL....its matters. Can it be taught? To a degree yes, and he's not 'awful' that way. You don't score like he has in junior (types of goals) without hockey sense but he's no Baer/Bo or Boeser. Give me a Hansen hockey sense level with his speed, size and hands, and I am good with it. That alone will get him 20 a year.