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Locke Lamora

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Everything posted by Locke Lamora

  1. I'd rather listen to a Neil Diamond impersonator than DESTINEAK.
  2. I noticed. But still waiting for that elite skating. Just a glimpse, that's all I'm asking. An end to end rush through everybody...is that too much to ask?
  3. I certainly don't. But I'm not above using my wife's Facebook account. Picture quality is pretty bloody great gotta say.
  4. Understandably, everyone will probably be focused on the "big names"....but someone else who you might want to keep an eye on is Ben Copeland. When I was at practice a few days ago, his speed really popped. Kid can fly. Not sure what I expect out of Hughes...if he is truly ready to make the big club you would think he should kind of be a dominant force out there. If he isn't....I just hope there isn't mass panic.
  5. Given the Canucks needs on D I found myself focusing more on those prospects today. Before declaring Rathbone the Second Coming, it became fairly evident (and in fairness, he could just be having a off day, or drank to much coffee this morning...) that he struggled with his puck handling a bit. Receiving passes and carrying the puck while executing quick direction changes....there were clear struggles here. But the straight ahead speed and wicket shot, both wrister and slapped beat the goalies with regularity. Won't get a real sense of his hockey IQ until we see him in more game action, but he has some raw tools that would benefit from more refinement. Hello Harvard. Jett Woo....didn't wow me one way or another. Seemed to miss the net a lot with his point shots, but passed and received passes well....hands looks fairly good. A big part of his game is the physical stuff so he might suffer a bit from not being able to show that in a practice. Utunen. Dude was just solid...in his SOLIDNESS. Probably exactly what the Canucks hope he will be in the NHL. A final thing on Hughes. At the end of practice 5 players remained on the ice and played a little mini game in a ring around Dipietro. It was here that Hughes really silky soft hands stood out. Some filthy dangles and roof daddies too. His slap shot is not great, though he did beat one of the goalies with it during the practice, with the help of a screen. His wrister holds up to scrutiny better....he picked the top corner with it more than a few times. Quinn himself says his greatest attribute is his Hockey IQ....not too much ability to show that in the format I watched today. I'll be tuning in tomorrow at 6:30 to see THAT aspect of his game, along with the smooth movement and impressive passing I saw a couple of hours ago. He really seems engaged out there...lot's of smiles and joking around. A bit different than the serious face he puts on when being interviewed by the media. I'm glad I went today....the thing that is great about watching the prospects is that it brings with it a feeling of HOPE....even if a small fraction of the players I saw on the ice today will one day hoist The Cup above their shoulders and end the 48 (more like 50+) year wait for Canuck Nation. Can't wait for main camp. I'm not missing a minute of it.
  6. Another thing I noticed with Hughes - and I didn't see anyone doing this - is that in between the breaks in the drills he would skate around the rink bouncing the puck of the boards in different areas as if to learn how he might incorporate this knowledge into his repertoire. Seems consistent with reports he is a very cerebral player.
  7. Watching Hughes perform corner puck retrieval drills...is almost enough to make a grown man (who watched our D last year) cry. I get that it's a drill against prospects...but somehow you get the feeling that this will translate into big boy games. No panic. Hughes and Rathbone achieve their elite skating in different ways. Watching Quinn, he makes it look like he just might be in cruise control...but when he needs a burst he just lengthens his stride a bit and he accelerates. It actually tricks the eye. He seems to have long legs in comparison to his body - the anti-Hodgson if you will. Rathbone excudes power and he is a bull in a China shop out there. Compared to Hughes, very little subtlety. He looks big to me on the ice.
  8. Ah, I don't think I can get much (if any) video of my own. My lame-ass phone is right out of memory space. My words will have to suffice to paint the picture.
  9. Quickly, your eyes pick up the players that are just on another level. Palmu - speed looks good, great hands, wicked shot. Madden - the same, except greater top speed I think. Lind - so smooth, deceptively fast, great shot picking corners with ease (goalies not looking great) - had a bit of trouble with the stickhandling drills. Gadjovic's skating improvements are as advertised - did he go see Bo's guru? Too bad he is clearly nursing a wrist problem as he's not taking any shots... Back to watching....
  10. A bit late to the first session...at least I didn't miss out seeing Hughes and Rathbone who must be coming out later... First thing I noticed walking in was Manny Malhotra at centre ice teaching his face-off wizardry to the young ones...
  11. I'm going to check out the practices today. I would have already watched a couple if I had not been out of town. I'll admit that a big draw for me is to witness the respective skating skills of Rathbone and Hughes in person. Also excited by what I've seen of Gadjovich's improved skating in the videos here - very interested to confirm this with my own eyes. Jonah is the kind of player we really need to complement the smaller, skilled players we seem to have in increasing abundance. Palmu is another player that, the more I read about him, the more I find myself rooting for him. Cliff Ronning 2.0? If anything stands out today, I'll post my observations here.....
  12. I'll concede that "body blow" is a bit of hyperbole on my part. On it's own, not a big deal, but it hurts a bit more because of the cumulative effects of similar things and far worse things (death of Luc Bourdon) over the years. Rob, you seem to like to in deconstruct member's posts to point out flaws of logic in them. Well, being a fan of team sometimes means logic goes out the window. At this point, going by posts you have written in the past I could see you responding by saying that most EVERY teams fan base has suffered it's share of slings and arrows. Perhaps. But the Canucks are MY team, my first memories of watching them manifesting in the late-70's with my dad so I am more focused on what feels like more than our fair share of misfortune. In the back of my mind, before the World Championships, a little voice in my head whispered "Betcha EP gets hurt". Yeah, fractured thumb, no biggie. But we were robbed of what could have been a EP vs. Bo showdown....that would have been a wonderful treat. But it just seems like we don't get nice things. Before that, Boeser's freak back fracture which cost him a shot at the Calder. Rob, you write well, and seem to possess a deep knowledge of the game, but you seem to get a fair amount of satisfaction, almost glee, in poking fun at the angst that some of us Canuck fans feel. I think I read somewhere that you consider yourself more of a Hurricane of Carolina fan? Now, I value your contribution here despite the odd time you seem to descend from the clouds above to dispense wisdom to the great unwashed masses of Canuck nation....but I'm interested in what moves you to contribute as much as you do here. What is the draw for you? Apologies if you have addressed this elsewhere. Cheers.
  13. I haven't posted here since EP's injury. Yet another body blow for Canuck fans. I've been thinking about next year, and though I'd love to see EP on the Canucks next year - let's face it, the team will be much more interesting to follow with him on it - I wouldn't have too much of an issue with him going back to Sweden for one more year. I'd love to know what kind of dialogue is going on between EP and the Canucks right now...
  14. EP looks fairly possessed so far. Could be that he has decided to play so well that the Swedish hockey "brain trust" CANNOT pull him out of the lineup with the new players coming to the team. If so, good on ya kid.
  15. I watched him very closely at the World Juniors in Buffalo for the very reason I wanted to see him on the smaller rink. There were times where he struggled visibly along the boards against his age group peers. He got knocked off his feet a lot and I remember commenting on it....wasn't received very well in these parts suprisingly. None of us know how the flu my have affected him, so I dismissed that as a factor in his play. Assuming he makes the Canucks next year he going against the strongest group of men he has ever played against on that same small ice. I've said it repeatedly, I think that in time he will GREAT....but I really feel the need to caution folks that seem certain he is going to come into the league and rip it up. If he does from the get go, I'll gladly eat these words. My mindset is that I'm going to enjoy his journey...the triumphs and the speed bumps. It could be that some of my cautionary tone stems from the fact I've been a fan of this team for close to 40 years now....and it is a necessary defensive mechanism. So much pain.
  16. I would try very hard not to say such things openly....but I WAS thinking something similar. Alf, I hope your assessment of things is the way it goes, but I tend to think that the bigger ice surface given EP's current physical stature would be more friendly to his game. The condensed space of a smaller rink will ensure more contact with bigger stronger bodies. 5 on 5 I predict some growing pains, lots of "falling down", getting rag dolled, etc...I doubt it will discourage the kid much, but I don't think it will be pretty at times for him. On the PP, I expect some amazing things. If we only had an elite power play QB on the back end. But until he takes the ice in a Nucks jersey, all of us are throwing darts. I simply cannot wait for training camp.
  17. I've never liked the fact that if someone offers up any critique of a prized Canuck prospect you are often deemed to be anti [insert prospect name here] or anti-Canuck. I'll stack my level of fandom up with ANYONE. One of my great fears in life is that my dad will pass away before he sees the Canucks win the Cup. I have been watching the team with him since I was a kid in the 70's. I want every bloody prospect we have to maximize their potential to bring the Cup to our city. That said.... It has been clear to me for a while that it's possible (even likely) that EP's frame and strength (lack of) are going to limit him a bit at the start of his career. And that is JUST FINE. No reason at all for panic, or even serious concern. I think he will make the Canucks next year on his talent, Hockey IQ, determination alone. But what we see next year won't even be close to what the finished product will be in....let's say 3 or 4 years. I think it was at the World Juniors, amongst his peers, that I commented that he seemed to fall down a lot. Not a big deal in and of itself, but it was noticeable...and the condensed space of NHL sized ice didn't help him either. Watching him in the Worlds right now, you see the flashes of intuition that cannot be taught....some near board to far boards passing, and soft hands and some sick puck skills. He hasn't really exhibited his shot much. But the strength deficiency is noticeable, as others have already mentioned. It's going to be even more pronounced on the small ice against the strongest hockey players on the planet next year. I fully expect him to be bounced around plenty. Someone earlier mentioned how he is very "light" on his skates...and while it helps him with some slippery elusiveness in open ice, along the boards it is problematic. It's just a matter of physics given his frame and weight. I love the kid as a prospect. I'd put even money on him becoming the best Canuck of all time by the end of things. I hope he comes into the NHL next year and absolutely rips it up. But I think it's quite healthy to be prepared that he won't. And if he doesn't, I just hope there isn't mass panic. Considering the massive expectations I've seen written here for EP, I don't hold out much hope for that.
  18. Yup. His own coach in Vaxjo is advocating caution and patience and the need for EP to get stronger to succeed in the NHL. Seems like those on this forum who agree with coach Sam Hallam are accused of not being high on the kid. That's hogwash.
  19. Ah, thanks for that. Looks like they haven't done the camp in Shawnigan Lake for a few years now.
  20. If it's confirmed that he is going to prospects camp I might just have to swing over to the island - assuming it's in Shawnigan Lake again. V.I. is always lovely in July. I'm NOT an EP stalker though. Just wanna make that clear.
  21. No kidding, eh? I mean, I LOVE Summer's in the PNW and I'll enjoy it as per usual....but I'll be quite happy for it to be over so that September training camp arrives. I won't miss a single minute of it. With the twins departure the feeling of a NEW ERA will be ever present in the arena....
  22. Sounds like he would really like to play with R. Dahlin too.
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