SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME

The funny thing about all the "Higgins isn't a 2nd liner" talk is that Chris Higgins probably agrees with most of it. Chris's brother posts from time-to-time on HFBoards and he actually mentioned this issue recently. In a nutshell, he said that Higgins would very much prefer to play a 3rd line role and feels that he's playing a little "above his pay grade" when he's tasked with a scoring role in the Canucks' top-six (sorry I can't link the post right now, but it was from the last 1-2 months--and the Mods on HFBoards claim to have checked and confirmed the ID of Higgins' brother's account). It's just interesting because it seems like, at times (especially when Chris gets into one of his inevitable scoring slumps), people get on Higgins for not performing up to their expectations of "top-six" scoring. But he's really not even playing a role he wants on this team or where he feels truly comfortable or effective. Higgins is just being a good pro and doing whatever the coaches ask of him (as he's always done throughout his career). It's on the coaches and management. The coaches pick the lines and the deployment/usage. Management supplies the personnel (or lack thereof). A player is asked to perform to the best of his abilities (which Higgins does every game--there's no questioning his work ethic IMO). It's up to coaching and management to put a player in the position where he fits and can best succeed. And I'm sure they know how Chris feels about his role. I would imagine that Willie just doesn't believe that he has a better option (in the immediate sense) than Higgins for the #2LW spot on this season's team. And he's probably right about that on most nights. As for Benning, his acquisition of Baertschi and his draft choices (Virtanen) seem to suggest he trying to upgrade the winger options for the top-six. He's already done well on the right side with adding Vrbata. And hopefully we'll see things come to fruition on the left side soon. I agree with most posters on here that the natural fit for Baertschi next season is at #2LW. Hopefully he proves he's ready. And hopefully that allows Higgins to slide back to #3LW (assuming he's still a Canuck) and play the kind of role he's clearly best suited for. But until then, you won't ever hear me dogging on Chris Higgins. Desjardins and/or Benning, on the other hand...

Article posted today on Gaunce in the Metro newspaper: http://metronews.ca/news/vancouver/1322347/canucks-prospect-report-brendan-gaunce-exceeding-expectations-with-utica-comets/ Not a ton new in there but some nice quotes from coach Green and a little feature on Baertschi at the end.

Interesting to see Sautner earned 6 votes in the "Best Offensive Defenseman" category in the recent WHL Eastern Conference poll: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/sports/Poll+position+Coaches+players+cast+votes+best+Eastern+Conference/10905355/story.html No votes in the "Best Defensive Defenseman" category (just in case you were wondering).

I think there's probably some fire to all that smoke, especially since The Province has reiterated Botchford's claims in their most recent White Towel blog post. I'd assume that a source inside the Canucks has hinted that they're going to approach Hutton with an offer. But i also believe Hutton when he says that they haven't been talking (yet) and that he will need to think things over and consult his family before he makes any decision. So even if Botchford's source is good, I would expect it's far from a "done deal" that we see Hutton in Utica this year. That said, if an offer is made, I do believe that Hutton would sign and turn pro, forgoing next season with Maine. His career goal is to play professional hockey and while he's also made it clear that he intends to finish his degree, the two are far from mutually exclusive. In fact, most colleges will go a long way to help players complete their final credits during their spare time and offseasons, and countless NHLers have quietly completed their degrees while playing professional hockey.

I wouldn't read too much into Hutton's comments looking ahead to next year with Maine. In that very same interview, he makes it clear that the Canucks have yet to actually reach out to him. He also makes it clear that he wants to go pro either this year or the next. And that, should be receive an offer from Vancouver, he will sit down with his family and make the decision that's best for him. I believe Hutton when he says that he hasn't heard from the Canucks. And until he does, it only makes sense for this kid to focus on playing hockey next season with the only team that's currently offering him a role. If and when the Canucks actually offer him an alternative place to hone his skills, then these types of comments (about where he sees himself playing next season) will become much more meaningful. For the time being, Hutton just knows he's gonna play hockey next year. And at least to-date, there's only one team offering him a spot in their lineup. Hopefully Benning changes this soon. And when that happens, I'll be very interested in which team Hutton envisions himself playing for in 2015-16.

Here's a link to some scouting reports posted by a user over at HFBoards: http://hfboards.hockeysfuture.com/showpost.php?p=99074757&postcount=46 Edit: Looks like the same stuff as posted above, just with more details (but the same guy's scouting work).

Just looking at some old threads on other boards and seeing what people were offering for Baertschi. Less than a year ago and Preds fans were offering one of Ellis or Wilson plus a pick. Islanders fans offering Pedan plus Collberg (and possibly more). And Flames fans pretty much scoffing at these offers (with some believing that they could get E. Kane for Baertschi plus a pick). Today, many Calgary fans were expecting a first rounder or multiple picks (the deal was locally reported initially as a 2nd plus a 3rd--with most Flames fans feeling that was too low a return). Now I don't put tons of stock in fan valuations, but when you have fan bases from around the league, and coming from either side of the fence, pretty much univerally believing Baertschi's value was higher than what we paid, then I think it's a fair bet that we got a good deal here. And I'm not worried about the reason why the Flames sold low. It mostly seems to be do to the player himself stating that he wouldn't re-sign in Calgary, and the Flames being in a weak position and trying to make the best of things and get the value they could. I'm excited to be adding a player or this ilk to our pool and timeline. All of a sudden, that 2011 draft class is looking pretty good (Jensen, Baertschi, Clendenning, Grenier, Corrado, Blomstrand, etc). I jest a little but in all seriousness, I like that Benning has strengthened the 2011 crop and given us a solid group of young players who should start coming on line very soon, and neatly pave the way for the next wave of players, just as our core starts to ride off into the sunset of their hockey careers.

So I heard that Gaunce got in some reps at his natural position when he centered Utica's second unit PP last game. Anyone have more details? Just a shift or two, or did he get significant minutes playing at center? Any even strength or just the power play?

Doesn't stop guys like Kane, Pavelski, Ribeiro, and Little (and others) from being among the scoring leaders in the West this season. All are roughly the same size or smaller than Vey. Smaller and weaker players can still be very successful in the West. Especially if they have, as J.R. suggested, the right mix of complimentary linemates. And the supposed "need" for size in the West is more about team size than any individual player having to be a certain height/weight to compete in this conference. I won't deny that having size (so long as it's combined with skill) does help teams win, especially in the West. But even the biggest teams have some smaller guys on them, many of whom are important players for their teams. And Vey isn't even that small, at 6'0" and getting close to 200lbs on some more recent charts. Anyway, this being the Gaunce thread, I suppose I should try to move things back on topic. I've been a fan of Gaunce for a while and I really like his game, especially how he thinks the game and how well he sees the ice and anticipates the play. He still gets criticized at time for "coasting" when he's really just anticipating the flow of play and not chasing needlessly. Somehow he manages to get to all the right places on the ice without having to skate as hard as many others. This can make him a little unpopular with some people, and I've had more than a few laughs seeing Utica fans, newly exposed to Gaunce's style, go from slagging him for "coasting" and "not hustling" to eventually loving the way he plays the game. Nice to see Gaunce getting some results lately on the offensive side of the game. He's been solid defensively and a possession monster on most nights, but his numbers have been modest, albeit solid for his role at the bottom of the Comets lineup most of the year. Recently, his line has moved up and been given more time and opportunity, and he seems to be making good. I've always felt that Gaunce was well suited to the pro ranks because he thinks the game at such a high level. It also doesn't hurt that he has good size and strength (especially for the West ). And in all seriousness, I wonder how Gaunce might look playing alongside Vey on a future line? Several of Gaunce's strengths might actually compensate pretty well for weaknesses in Vey's game. Might be something to try out at next year's camp/preseason.

So does that tussle (plus his goal and assist) qualify Jake for a Gordie Howe hat trick (just spread over three games)?

Heard Tryamkin was demoted to Avto's MHL team. Anyone have details on why? I know the KHL club was carrying quite a few Ds and the kid's minutes seemed to be declining. Maybe just a matter of trying to get him more icetime. Would have preferred to see him play the full year in the K though. Between the Russian economic issues and now this demotion (MHL is the junior league for the KHL), maybe it's time for the Canucks to start looking at options to spring this kid from Russia earlier than planned. How tough is it to break KHL contacts these days anyway? Just buy him out or does he have to buy himself out?

@Boudrias: 18 year olds can play in the AHL, if they are drafted out of Europe or college. The NHL/CHL Agreement governs junior players only, and they are subject to the 20 years old rule. But Euro and college players need only turn 18 by September 15, which Nylander would have satisfied. Therefore he could have played AHL this year.

Just to play devil's advocate a bit, it might also be that Horvat has been given more minutes in the games where WD has felt he's played well and has cut back on minutes when the coach has seen things he didn't like in Bo's game. It could be a "chicken or the egg" kinda deal and, as much as I like Horvat, I'm slightly inclined to give Willie the benefit of the doubt here. Ultimately, I really believe that the coach will give minutes to the guys he feels are playing their best hockey and who give the team a better chance to win on any given night. When Horvat is one of those players, more so than other options in the lineup, I believe Desjardins will give him the minutes he deserves, and vice versa. As much as I've wanted Bo to play more than he's averaged thus far, I haven't seen anything yet that really suggests the coach isn't giving him a fair shake. For that reason, I think we're almost guaranteed to see the pattern continue. Bo will play well when he plays higher minutes. But possibly more because the coach will give him greater opportunities when he's playing a strong game. And maybe not as much because the quality of his game depends on him getting a certain amount of ice time (although that can be a factor--which is why I mentioned that I was playing devil's advocate with this post).

There was an excellent post recently over at HFBoards where someone showed the estimated time on ice numbers for Virtanen and McCann this season (eTOI because the CHL doesn't track TOI--I believe the numbers used extraskater's old formula). What was very clear is that both players are being carefully eased back into action and their teams are managing their minutes. This is welcome news as it's far more in the Canucks' interest than in the junior teams to take things slowly and be extremely careful with bringing these guys back (simply because the junior shelf life is quite short while Vancouver is hoping to build around these players for the next decade or more). Even more encouraging than the care being taken by these CHL clubs (while they "babysit" our young players for a year or two) is the fact that both Virtanen and McCann are actually among their leagues' leaders in points/60, so they are producing well in limited minutes and there's no reason not to expect them to carry their high rates into higher minutes and more front line roles, once they are ready to take that step. For now, we know that they are producing better points per minute played than most of the first round picks of the past couple years, and doing so from second line roles and second unit PP. Basically, things are going as planned. Nothing to worry about. And I'll see if I can get a link up to that post or to the full stats, once I'm home and off mobile.

In regards to why Tryamkin wasn't drafted sooner, what I could gather from some Russian and European sources I'd read earlier this year is that there were concerns about his consistency and discipline as a MHL (Russian junior/minors) player. Many people believed that all the tools were there as early as his first draft eligible year, but he was still quite raw and prone to mistakes and he needed some work controlling his emotions and dealing with anger/frustration (interestingly, the Canucks want him to get back in touch with his mean streak, which he's worked on controlling for the past couple years). He really seemed to blossom over the year leading up to the 2014 NHL Draft and had managed to dispel many of the concerns that had made teams a bit gunshy in previous drafts. So by 2014, there were several teams tracking him and quite a few that were hoping to grab him only a few picks later than where he was taken by Vancouver.

Yeah, that was my big takeaway as well (as you can see from my earlier post). His positioning is just at such a high level and it really showed during the tournament. There were so many times when we'd turnover the puck with a couple of our guys looking like they were gonna get caught and I'd get that anxious sinking feeling (you know the one if you're a longtime Canucks fan) that the other team was about to hurt us on an odd man rush. But then I'd see big #50 out there in perfect position to slow things down through the neutral zone, often solely negating the opposition counterattack, and giving his mates enough time to recover and get back into the play on D. Sometimes it almost looked like Gaunce was playing a completely different game from his linemates (in a good way). You saw so many guys who were busy but not really getting much done. Too much running around. Too much chasing. And just so scrambley and unstructured. Peewee type stuff. Too many guys skating miles but never really following the play and pretty much always a second behind and never really catching up. Gaunce often stood out to me as a guy who's just playing at a higher level. Not in terms of flash but smarts. His awareness and positioning really looked NHL-grade to my eyes. He just strikes me as a guy with a really high-end hockey IQ. I'm very interested to see how he does at main camp--once he's playing with guys who can actually "think" the game at the same level.

Agree wholeheartedly with those who've liked Gaunce's performance so far. I've been especially impressed with his level of awareness and ability to anticipate the flow of play. During what's been mostly scrambly and unstructured hockey, he's been very successful in protecting his teammates from their own mistakes. On nearly every shift he's played, I've watched him shore up weak coverage and bail guys out when they've lost their checks or gotten caught up ice. Most of the time, he does this so "quietly" that you almost don't realize (unless you're paying close attention) that he's just saved his team from giving up what would have been a dangerous odd man rush. Quite often, simply because he plays so smart and anticipates so well, he doesn't look like he's doing a lot out there. But when you really watch him, you see just how well he recognizes the flow of the game and the developing plays and how he has almost a sixth sense for getting to the right areas, especially on his neutral zone coverage (which was a particularly weak area for the Canucks Young Stars). And unlike most of his teammates during the tourney, Gaunce was rarely caught out of position and you really never saw him chasing. I think he'll only look better as the level of hockey improves during main camp and preseason.

I'm happy to see the KHL tracking stats to this degree, and having them easily available via the summaries on en.khl.ru (in English). Looks to me like Tryamkin's being used as a #5, which is just fine by me for a player his age and starting the year. Hopefully his play allows him to move up into Avtomobilist's top-4 later into the season. Nice to see him putting up the big blocks+hits totals, while also staying disciplined: 0 PIM and 1 FOA ("foul against" = penalty drawn). I know the Canucks told Tryamkin they'd like him to get "meaner" but from what I've read from a couple Russian sources, he actually struggled to keep his temper in check earlier in his career and had some discipline issues when he played in the MHL. So I'm not looking for him to put-up any big PIM numbers this season in the K. That can come later (when he's introduced to the North American game)--and from what I've read, he's plenty "mean" enough when he wants to be. For now, I'll watch those hits totals more than his penalty minutes (in terms of an indicator for his physical play). Obviously, it's only two games so far and there's a lot of hockey left to be played. But it's going to be fun tracking his progress this year (and the KHL's English-language website has made it pretty easy).

Hearing that Abbotsford's Matt Revel--who is one of Virtanen's friends and a former Fraser Valley Bruins teammate--is getting an invite from the Canucks. Wonder if Jake put-in a good word? (some scouting on Revel inside the spoiler) And here's his DraftSite scouting report:

God, it's hard not to get excited for the future whenever I watch Hutton's 2013-14 highlight pack! And not just because of all the goals he scored (although they're pretty damn impressive). But because of where he's actually scoring from and all the ice he covers making those plays. I mean, you see Hutton pretty much using the entire ice surface. He's on the left point. He's on the right point. He's at the top of the umbrella. He's working the right faceoff circle. He's leading the rush. He's going to the net. He's parked below the goal line. He's roving and circling the zone. This kid's everywhere! The way he moves, just wow! I mean, when he's on the rush, he has absolutely no hesitation in getting right up there--like ahead of all the forwards--and actually leading the rush. When he's venturing deep into the zone, he's not just making a quick circle behind the net, he's finding a scoring position around the net and laying claim to the area. And he has the awareness necessary to know when he needs to get back defensively and know when he can just park himself on the goal line and wait for the set-up for those crazy sharp-angle snipes. And Hutton's not just an offensive threat. He's great at both ends of the ice. He's been the workhorse and high minute man on many nights for Maine. He's been a mainstay on their penalty kill. He led his team in blocked shots. He did all that (and more) as a 20-year-old sophomore D. He's already 6'3" and 200 lbs and while he's at an age where he's very likely to have already reached his full adult height, he'll probably still be able to add strength and bulk to what is an already imposing frame. He's an excellent skater (a skill he's spent his early years working extremely hard to develop), and it's not just "good for a bigger man" skating but at the level where he can often stand out during games as the best skater on the ice. He really has nearly every tool and physical gift you'd look for if you were trying to "build" a quality, two-way NHL defenseman who can play big minutes in all situations, while also excelling on offense and special teams. The only thing he really lacks right now is an NHL quality slap shot (this has been seen as his only obvious weakness) but apparently Hutton plans really focus on adding this tool to his arsenal. I suppose Canucks Army is right in saying that we don't know what Hutton's ceiling will be and that "we don't really know with any degree of certainty what Ben Hutton will turn into." His development path is one that's a little more difficult to predict than that of say a early round pick who's been playing for a top CHL team. But Hutton is really starting to look like a blue chip NHL prospect with a very good chance to become an impact player on the Canucks' D in the near future. Like I said at the top, it's really hard not to get excited about this kid.

It's not a bad comparison. Although they're fairly different types of players. Corrado's offensive abilities are of a higher level and he's a superior puckmover and a PPQB option. McEneny is bigger and more physical but he's not nearly as "dynamic" a player as Corrado. McEneny is a capable puckmover and skates well enough to join the rush but I don't think he's quite slick enough to be considered a PMD or PPQB option at the pro level. They both have strong shots from the point and they both have good two-way ability. They actually balance and compliment each other pretty well (and they have had some success playing together--at least in limited action--with Kitchener in 2012-13). As far as their projected upside, I actually see them reaching similar levels in the NHL (but playing different roles). And I definitely feel like McEneny has exceeded (most people's) expectations to a similar degree to Corrado. And I believe he's not anywhere near done (exceeding expectations). I always liked this signing and give Gillis a lot of credit for it. But I also feel--as you see echoed in the CA article--that McEneny really should have been drafted (based on his performance as a 16-year-old rookie), regardless of the injury that wiped out his draft eligible year (and perceived risks that resulted). Like the article says, he was at least worth a 7th round pick, yet 30 teams passed on him (and chose instead to draft some hugely inferior prospects IMO). So I was pretty happy when we snagged him via free agency. "Free prospect!" Of course, he still has more to prove before he's going to be considered a prospect that's quite at Corrado's level. But I do believe that, in terms of future NHL potential and upside, they are actually pretty close. And that's not meant to diminish Corrado in any way, but rather that I have some very high hopes for McEneny. While the "data" (stats, reports, etc) suggests something more like a depth/bottom-pairing type of ceiling for McEneny, I predict he'll prove to be a much more significant player than that. However, this is just my hunch/gut feeling. I've felt for quite a while now that McEneny's going to be a legitimate NHL player. This is solely based on the "eye test" factor and what I see when I watch him play. To me at least, McEneny's a guy who has the "look" of an NHL defenseman, just in the way he moves and the choices he makes when he's on the ice. I see some very good instincts in him that could translate well at the highest level. And he certainly has all the necessary physical tools. This is all very subjective and impossible to really justify or quantify but I just see a player that my eyes tell me could eventually develop into a good middle pairing D at the NHL level. Which is pretty much the same level of NHL potential that my "eye test" predicts for Frankie Corrado (but the "data" is stronger for Corrado). I suppose in the future they could even become a solid 3/4 pairing for the Canucks. They have played well together in the past and they compliment each other pretty well, so there's a good basis already for using them as a pairing at the higher levels (if they both make it).

I'm also excited to see what Virtanen can accomplish with an increased role, more minutes, and better opportunities on the power play. Watching him play for Canada, I saw some good things with the man advantage (although they didn't always pan out in terms of PP goals scored). Nonetheless, I thought he looked effective in a variety of roles. His playmaking skills seemed much better than advertised. When setup with possession, he looked to have pretty good vision and "hockey sense" when creating plays from the left half boards. I saw him anticipating movement very well and finding open teammates with quick, sharp passes. From the point, his quality of shot was evident and he was able to direct quick, accurate shots through traffic and with good velocity. These skills were something of a revelation to me, based on what I'd seen and read about him prior to the tournament. Definitely saw enough from him to suggest there's a fair amount of untapped playmaking potential there and to seriously question some of the criticisms regarding any perceived deficiencies in hockey sense (at least to the degree some have suggested). I think his assists totals will be much higher next season.

There is always a chance he doesn't come over but from what I've heard, the Canucks have really done their homework on this player. And everything that I've read about Tryamkin (some of it well-sourced and some merely rumours/hearsay) has been highly encouraging (in terms of him coming over here). The Canucks supposedly flew Tryamkin over to Vancouver weeks prior to the combine for their own interview. Then they met with him again the morning of the draft. And Boston was also scouting him and had apparently been in contact with Tryamkin at least once prior to the combine. Benning would have brought their data with him to Vancouver. Add in the fact that the kid has been repeatedly reported to be very interested in the NHL and the North American game (I've read a number of items, in English and from Russian and other European sources in translation, where he's been described as a player who wants to pursue the game at the highest level--and he strongly believes that means playing in the NHL), and has made recent statements confirming this, and you have a lot of reasons for optimism. Tryamkin has said that he intends to honour his KHL deal and play out the two years in Russia. I have no problem with this and actually see it as a positive. It confirms much that's been said about this kid's character: that he keeps his promises and doesn't play around with commitments. Also, I believe that the KHL offers what's arguably a higher level of competition than the AHL, so he should develop well by playing against a superior quality of opponent. Of course, he'll need some time to learn and adjust to North American ice (and it would be nice to be able to observe him in the AHL), but by the time he's completed his KHL contract, he could be a fully developed professional who's quite ready (or maybe only a year away) to step into an NHL role. Finally, his decision to attend the Canucks 2014 Summer Prospects Development Camp makes a strong statement as to his career intentions. Like I said earlier, everything I've read about Tryamkin suggests that he doesn't mess around and that he takes his commitments very seriously. He's not the type to mix signals. If he's attending camp, it's a pretty fair bet that playing for the Vancouver Canucks is where he's now set his goals for the future. Of course, the "if all goes well" is an important caveat and there's a chance with every prospect that they don't hit their development targets and they flame out along the way. Tryamkin might never become an NHL-grade defender and could top-out as a KHL player. But potentially missing the grade (for whatever the reason) is pretty much the risk with any draft pick, no matter where they're from.

In fairness to Eddie Lack, when he was given the "starter" role, he was thrust into what would arguably become the most difficult netminding position in the entire NHL. No goalie played more minutes (and with less rest) than Eddie Lack did during that period. And Lack had absolutely no safety net as Torts refused to use Markstrom--so no days off and no mercy hooks. Plus he had to play in front of what had by then become possibly the worst team in the NHL. Countless two-on-ones and odd man rushes, players mired in unprecedented slumps, poor puck luck (PDO) on a systemic level, player morale at an all-time low, defensive breakdowns becoming almost routine, own goals regularly coming off of defensmen, and general turmoil surrounding the team, both on and off the ice. I don't think there's a goalie in the league who wouldn't have struggled under those circumstances. (Open spoiler to read more)