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avelanch

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Posts posted by avelanch

    Post Yo Face In The Twilight Sparkle Party

    in White Noise

    Posted

    On 1/4/2018 at 11:05 AM, AppleJack said:

    Yes. Ts is twilight sparkle we have been together for(almost) 4 years.  We met on the forums and then IRL and have been together ever since.

    It is . We plan to incoporate the canucks (and thus our own beggings) in our wedding. Our colors will be Blue and Green.

    oh wow! TS and AJ actually got together and are now getting married... GRATS you two!

    • Like 1

    Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

    in Alumni

    Posted · Edited by avelanch

    Canucks prospect Virtanen gets first pro look in Utica
    Friday, 06.12.2015 / 12:06 PM / AHL Update
    By Kinsey Janke - Special to NHL.com

    For the past two seasons, all anyone in the city of Utica, N.Y., can talk about are the Comets.

    In their homes, at their schools, in the workplace, the Comets dominate the conversation. Around town, business windows are adorned with newspaper inserts proclaiming, "WE WANT THE CUP." Their home ice, the Utica Memorial Auditorium, sold out 27 times in the regular season and all 13 games in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Buildings light up blue and green at night, and office windows are coordinated to spell out "Comets" once the sun goes down.

    In Utica, the Comets are at the heart of what makes the city tick, and Vancouver Canucks prospect Jake Virtanen learned this almost immediately.

    "The first game when I got to Utica was pretty cool. I wasn't sure what to expect, but when I got there it was just unbelievable," Virtanen said recently in an interview with radio station TSN 1040 in Vancouver. "The fans were unbelievable, and the atmosphere. … They're behind our team, and it definitely gives the guys momentum to go out there and work hard."

    Virtanen, 18, made his professional debut with the Comets in Game 6 of their Western Conference semifinal series against Oklahoma City, and has skated in 10 Calder Cup Playoff games to date, earning his first professional point with an assist on a Sven Baertschi goal during the conference finals against Grand Rapids.

    virtanen325.jpgVancouver Canucks sixth overall pick Jake Virtanen, 18, made his professional debut in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Virtanen was drafted with the sixth pick in 2014 by the Canucks after a point-per-game season in his third year with Calgary of the Western Hockey League. A native of Abbotsford, Virtanen was the first British Columbia native selected by Vancouver in the first round since they drafted Cam Neely ninth in 1983.

    While obviously excited at the opportunity to one day don the blue and green of the Canucks, the impression Virtanen has made in the Utica version of the colors has been impressive.

    "I like his attitude, I like how he's approached things. He hasn't come in here expecting that certain things are going to be given to him," Comets coach Travis Green said. "He's got a real good understanding of what he needs to do, and I can tell that he's humble and respectful in a new situation with a bunch of players that have been here all season battling together."

    In three-plus junior seasons with the Hitmen, Virtanen has 161 points in 192 games, including his standout 2013-14 season that saw him score 45 goals and 71 points in 71 games. He won gold twice and bronze once internationally for Canada, tying for the team lead in scoring during the 2014 U-18 tournament in Finland.

    Though he has participated in four WHL playoffs with the Hitmen, the run he's been able to jump into with the Comets is a completely different animal. But it's one he's taken in stride.

    "Being here for the first week, it's a little change in the game pace; it took me a couple days," Virtanen said. "I wasn't going to just jump in right away. But as soon as I got [to Utica], I felt really comfortable. Each and every game, I feel way better out there."

    The Comets have completed a 180-degree turnaround since their inaugural season in 2013-14, one that saw them start the year with 10 straight losses. In 2014-15, they finished the regular season with the best record in the Western Conference and have gotten through three playoff rounds to make the city's first-ever Calder Cup Finals appearance.

    After losing Games 1 and 2 to the high-powered Manchester Monarchs, Utica won Game 3 at home Wednesday and await a chance to even up the series Friday when the puck drops at the Aud for Game 4 (7 p.m. ET; AHLLive.com, SiriusXM NHL Network Radio).

    Green spent two seasons behind the bench of the WHL's Portland Winterhawks, catching a glimpse of Virtanen before each moved on to the Vancouver organization. Despite a short stay with the Comets, Virtanen's play has already continued to make an impression on Green.

    "He brings a physical game, he's a fast skater, [and] he's got a really good shot. He plays hard too, which is why we've liked him in the playoffs," Green said. "When he's playing his game, he's a real physical force. You can see that he's up for the challenge, and he's not going to back down from players."

    Virtanen's time in the AHL, however brief, has shown the young wing what it takes to play pro hockey and the commitment put in each day as players work to earn their chance in the NHL.

    "Not many guys get this opportunity to be in the Calder Cup Playoffs, and guys have been in the AHL their whole lives and never got it, so we're here and we're ready," he said. "That's what's good about this experience in Utica, to get this experience as a pro and what it takes to win a championship.

    "I know every guy's bought in on our team. Being able to be up here is just going to give me more confidence."

    • Upvote 1

    Jacob Markstrom | #25 | G

    in Alumni

    Posted

    I can see JB at the draft right now setting up a stand on the draft floor:

    "GOALIES! GET YOUR GOALIES!

    You want 'em, We Got 'em!

    Fresh off the Ice and ready to play!

    Your choice for only a pick or 2!"

    • Upvote 1

    Ben Hutton | #27 | D

    in Alumni

    Posted · Edited by avelanch

    Nothing is handed easily to the young prospects in Utica. The number of veterans and the focus on winning ensures that.

    Promising defenceman Ben Hutton went from the University of Maine to Utica. He played four regular-season games. But he was 10th on their depth chart and was shuttled to Vancouver last week to begin working on his off-season strength and conditioning program.

    http://www.theprovince.com/sports/hockey/canucks-hockey/Botchford+Jake+Virtanen+popping+evolution/11072805/story.html
    • Upvote 1

    Brendan Gaunce | C/LW

    in Alumni

    Posted

    Doubtful. We have C depth of the wazoo. They likely feel the org is better off having him on wing and able to take the odd face off if the main C gets waived.

    that's my feeling too.

    Brendan Gaunce | C/LW

    in Alumni

    Posted

    If Richardson isn't resigned, I think that Gaunce could be our 4C guy next season.

    that would be fine and dandy, except for the fact that he's a winger now, and has been for a long time...

    Brendan Gaunce | C/LW

    in Alumni

    Posted

    It is odd how a former first rounder is all the sudden not worth a first round pick any more after he's been drafted.

    Not arguing. But what's changed except he is more NHL ready?

    the depth of the draft class in which each pick was from, i guess. but gaunce is going to be a solid member of our middle 6 in the not so distant future, I wouldn't be so fast to pass him off for a younger unknown. so many sunk costs already.

    Ben Hutton | #27 | D

    in Alumni

    Posted

    He has a contract with the Canucks that begins next season. His PTO was strictly with Utica presumably as a favor the the Canucks. I would imagine since it's been 2 months his PTO has expired. Curious as to what happens next.

    PTO's are good for 24 games, regardless of how long it takes to hit that. and a player can be signed to a PTO twice in a single season. he only had 4 games with the comets, so that's not the reason.

    • Popular Post
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    Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

    in Alumni

    Posted · Edited by avelanch

    anyone with a stream, make sure you grab copious amounts of screenshots of his facial expressions and body language and draw conclusions on how he feels based on them.

    because that's how you evaluate a prospect's talent...

    • Upvote 9

    Brendan Gaunce | C/LW

    in Alumni

    Posted

    I've been, and still am, high on Gaunce. his transition to the wing has been a great move for him, and once he makes the canucks he'll start generating a bunch of attention/love, much like horvat did this season.

    Jake Virtanen | #18 | RW

    in Alumni

    Posted

    Looks like Jake pissed in someone's cereal.

    A future all star hockey player with good looks didn't have many friends in highschool? Yea, ok then lol.

    yeah, that post screams of someone who's attempt at friendship with Jake was rejected and he got a serious case of butthurt over it.

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